Alignment of the Moon with Venus, Jupiter and Mercury visible to the naked eye

The alignment of the crescent Moon with the planets Venus, Jupiter and Mercury seen with the naked eye this Wednesday (17th) can be observed again this Thursday (18th), in different regions of the country.

Contemplation of the phenomenon with the naked eye does not require equipment such as telescopes or binoculars, but requires clear skies and an unobstructed horizon. The planets remain visible over the next few days, but the Moon changes position each night.

The observation of celestial bodies visible to the naked eye - Mercury, Venus and Jupiter - stood out for their aesthetics and apparent proximity to the Moon.

As the alignment of planets occurs with some regularity, the astronomer at the National Observatory Josina Nascimento said that this event became exceptional due to the way the stars presented themselves visually.

"What we saw yesterday [Wednesday] was a rarer phenomenon, because the planets appeared aligned, as always, but apparently very close and with the Moon thin, apparently very close to Venus. That's what made this phenomenon rare," he explained.

The astronomer also highlights that “Venus is the brightest planet in the sky, followed by Jupiter, and will continue to be visible after sunset until November”.

The alignment occurs because the planets visible to the naked eye Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn have their orbital planes almost in the same plane as the Earth's orbit around the Sun. And the same for the Moon, whose orbital plane is inclined by just 5 degrees in relation to the Earth's.

Because they are in the same plane, the planets and the Moon follow almost the same apparent path in the sky that the Sun does, called the ecliptic.

“They will always be on this path of the ecliptic, which is also the same path where the zodiacal constellations are”, explained the astronomer at the National Observatory.

According to Josina Nascimento, the phenomenon of apparent approximation of at least two planets happens, on average, every 13 or 15 months. And every month the Moon passes close to all the planets.

"It's interesting to follow, look at the sky every day, observe where the Moon is each day and see the path it takes passing through the constellations of the zodiacal band close to the planets", he said.

Invitation

For those who were unable to observe or wish to see professional records, the National Observatory is promoting a special live broadcast on the YouTube channel next Saturday (20).

The event is part of the project The sky in your home: remote observation, which turns six this month and will display images sent by partners and followers from all over Brazil.

Phenomena such as meteor showers and eclipses are also announced monthly on social media and on the National Observatory website.