Rare Triple Conjunction ‘Smiling’ Visible This Week – ScienceAlert
- * A rare grouping of five naked-eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) and four bright stars (Aldebaran, Spica, Antares, and Regulus) will occur near the Moon.
- * the author searched for similar events over the next millennium (until the year 3000 AD) and found only 85 occurrences.
- * A very impressive event happened on April 23rd, 1998, where the Moon occulted (covered) both Venus and Jupiter as seen from Ascension island in the South...
Here’s a breakdown of the information from the provided text:
What’s Happening:
* A rare grouping of five naked-eye planets (Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn) and four bright stars (Aldebaran, Spica, Antares, and Regulus) will occur near the Moon. this creates a “smile” shape in the sky.
* The Moon needs to be between it’s Last Quarter and First Quarter phase for the alignment to be optimal.
How Rare Is It?
* the author searched for similar events over the next millennium (until the year 3000 AD) and found only 85 occurrences.
* Many of these events are less ideal due to proximity to the Sun, a Full Moon, or occurring during daylight.
A Especially Good Past Event:
* A very impressive event happened on April 23rd, 1998, where the Moon occulted (covered) both Venus and Jupiter as seen from Ascension island in the South Atlantic.
How the Author Finds These Events:
* The author uses software like Occult 4.2 to search for occultations (when one celestial body passes in front of another). This is a hobby for them, especially on cloudy nights!
Image description:
* The image is a Stellarium simulation showing the morning sky on the 19th (likely September 19th, 2025, based on the URL).
* it shows the positions of the planets and stars as they would be seen from four different locations: Portland, Maine; Knoxville, Tennessee; Juneau, Alaska; and Portland, Oregon.