Poster Maker: Feng Juan
Tianjin, 4 Apr (Xinhua) -- According to experts on astronomy and science popularization, on the morning of 5 April, Mars "merged" with Saturn, and from the earth, the two were very close. As long as the weather is clear and the atmosphere is transparent, in a place with a wide field of view, interested members of the public choose the "date of convergence" and the two days before and after, about an hour before sunrise, with the naked eye or with the help of binoculars can watch this "double male meeting".
Mars is the first planet outside the Earth's orbit, the color is red, because the screen is like fire, the orbit is confusing, ancient China called it "Ying Confusion", the West is called it by the name of the mythical god of war "Mars"; Saturn is the second largest planet in the solar system, because it has a majestic and beautiful aura, known as the "Lord of the Rings".
This is Venus, Mars, Saturn and the Remnant Moon photographed in Beijing in the early morning of March 28, 2022 by Beijing astronomy enthusiast Wu Luping. (Courtesy of me)
At the end of March, Venus, Mars and Saturn met in the early morning in the low southeastern sky; by early April, Venus was drifting apart, while Mars and Saturn were getting closer.
This is Venus, Mars, Saturn and the Remnant Moon photographed by Tianjin astronomy enthusiast Yang Jing in Tianjin in the early morning of March 28, 2022. (Courtesy of me)
Xiu Lipeng, director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society and an expert in astronomical science popularization, introduced that at 6:05 a.m. on April 5, Mars "merged" saturn, Saturn was on top, and Mars was on the bottom. The distance between the two is extremely close, and the nearest angle distance is only 20 arc minutes, which is equivalent to two-thirds of the diameter of the full moon's apparent diameter, which can be called "intimate".
Comics Production: Hu Yanzhu
It is understood that planetary "conjunction" is not as common as the moon and planet "conjunction". Whenever the planets are close to each other, it means that there is an opportunity to see two or more planets "in the same frame" appear in the sky at the same time with the naked eye or telescope.
Xiu Lipeng said that Mars is a close neighbor of the earth and a planet that humans are most concerned about. Up to now, humans have successively launched dozens of probes to Mars, including China's "Tianwen-1". After disappearing for more than half a year, at the end of November last year, Mars returned to human vision. Compared with that time, Mars at this time is closer to Earth and has increased its brightness a lot, about 1st magnitude, while Saturn's brightness is 0.9th magnitude, and the brightness of the two is similar.
This is a close-up of Saturn and Mars taken by Beijing astronomy enthusiast Zong Haiyang (imposition). (Courtesy of me)
"It's rare for two planets to be so close together and well worth observing. If the observations are properly timed and the weather is good, interested members of the public can see them with the naked eye. Of course, it is best to use binoculars when admiring, not only will there be a 'same frame' effect, but also the color contrast of the double stars is also very interesting, Mars is red, Saturn is yellow-white. Xiu Lipeng said.
It is understood that the next Time Mars "merges" with Saturn occurs on April 11, 2024.
Source: Xinhua News Agency