The skies will witness a rare celestial event on August 14 when Mars and Jupiter will align with each other in conjunction.
In the breathtaking event, the two planets will be only a third of a degree apart, which is less than the width of a full Moon, according to NASA.
No special equipment will be required for the observers to see both Mars and Jupiter in the eastern direction for nearly an hour before sunrise on August 14.
At the end of the sunrise, the conjunction of Jupiter and Mars will be joined by the Moon, which will appear next to Jupiter and above Mars, adding to the celestial spectacle. This conjunction will also be visible on August 27 for an hour before sunrise.
Why does a planetary conjunction occur?
A planetary conjunction happens in the sky when two planets get positioned very closely from the perspective of Earth. This occurs because the planets align along the same line of sight, even though they are at a distance of millions of kilometres in space.
From the viewpoint of astronomical events, August has been an important day. The Perseid meteor shower is likely to peak on August 11 and allow viewers to see around 50 to 70 meteors per hour.
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Generally, the Perseid meteor shower peaks in mid-August after emerging from the constellation Perseus.
NASA said that the origin of the Perseid meteors lies in the comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle – which completes one orbit of the Sun every 133 years.
When Earth crosses the debris trail, the rocks strike the atmosphere of the planet and a meteor shower happens.
(With inputs from agencies)