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At 6:22 p.m. GMT, the two giant gas planets appeared in the same field of view of the observing instruments, giving the impression that they were near the melting point, when in reality they were 730 million apart. of kilometers.
The best conditions for witnessing the astronomical event were found in areas near the equator, while in Western Europe and much of Africa the goal was to look to the southwest.
In India, hundreds of astronomy enthusiasts gathered at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in Calcutta, where they were able to take advantage of the conjunction with a telescope.
The apparent convergence between the two planets began months ago, and it reached the closest distance on the day of the winter solstice (in a coincidence of time), giving the impression that the two planets are one only celestial body.
Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, revolves around the Sun in 12 years, while Saturn’s cycle lasts 29 years. Every 20 years or so, the two planets seem to converge when observing the sky from Earth.
The last great conjunction dates back to the year 2000, but the difference between the two planets was not insignificant as both worlds have witnessed it since 1623. The world will not witness a similar event with this degree of convergence between the two planets before March 15, 2080.
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