Triple conjunction: Close encounters of the planetary kind

6th Century Zodiac in Beit Alpha, Israel   (Public Domain)

Although “triple conjunction” sounds kind of grammatical (and, but, or), in this case it’s actually astronomical.  One might even say it’s astronomically exciting.

Jessica Orwig of Tech Insider reports that ultra-bright-to-begin-with Venus and Jupiter will soon be passing “extremely close to one another.”  This will result in a flashy phenomenon, so intense that it will even be seen from New York City on cloudless nights.

But that's not all!  Mars will also be in on the three-part act.  Called a triple planetary conjunction, this occurs when (you guessed it) three planets closely cavort with one another.

Early risers will note that it can be most easily spotted just before sunrise.  So don’t just catch worms at that ungodly hour.  Get out there and catch a show which outshines any that Vegas has to offer.

Resources

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/mars-venus-and-jupiter-are-having-a-rare-close-encounter-this-week/ar-BBmsMZh?li=BBieTUX

Copyright October 28, 2015 by Linda Van Slyke   All Rights Reserved