Moon and Venus to come closer tonight

Hyderabad, July 10 – Sky watchers would be privy to a visual treat on Wednesday night as the moon and Venus will 'appear' closest to each other at 11.48pm. Termed 'moon in conjunction with Venus', the celestial event will show Venus on the right hand side of the crescent-shaped moon.

 

"Moon being seen with other celestial bodies is a common phenomenon. This particular occurrence is special because despite the distance between them, Moon and Venus seem very close to each other when viewed from Earth," said Raghunandan Kumar, founder and secretary of the Planetary Society of India.

 

The event will occur owing to the movement of Moon around Earth.

 

To witness the phenomenon, experts said, one just has to look in the western direction after sunset. Incidentally, Saturn can also be spotted in the sky towards the eastern direction as a non-twinkling object. Those who miss the sight on Wednesday, might be able to witness it on Thursday too provided the sky is clear. "If you witness the conjunction on Wednesday, you will be able to tell the gradual increasing distance between Moon and Venus in the following days. We hope the sky remains clear so that everyone can witness the celestial event," Kumar said.

 

source: TOI