Planetary conjunction of Mars, Venus today

July 12, 2021 10:51 pm | Updated 10:51 pm IST - TIRUCHI

Stargazers are in for a treat as a celestial alignment — where two planets appear to be close to each other — that will be visible to the naked eye on Tuesday.

On observation from the Earth, Venus would seem to approach Mars and overtake it.

According to a release from Anna Science Centre-Planetarium, the planets would appear at an angular separation of about half a degree. However, Mars will be at a distance of 37.19 crore km from the Earth and Venus at 21.38 crore km on Tuesday.

A similar event occurred on August 24, 2019, but the alignment was only three degrees from the sun and, hence, was not visible. The next such conjunction would appear on February 22, 2024.

The tight pairing of Mars and Venus can be spotted in the western sky after sunset. Planet Venus will be bright and the faint Mars can be spotted close to it.

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