Share Story
AMMAN — The sky over Jordan and the Arab region will witness a “distinctive” astronomical phenomenon on Tuesday evening, as the planets Jupiter and Venus appear in conjunction on the western horizon, President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society (JAS) Ammar Sakaji said on Monday.
Sakaji added that the phenomenon can be observed with the naked eye immediately after sunset, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.
He noted that the two planets will appear as the brightest objects in the sky after the Sun and the Moon.
Their apparent proximity will gradually increase, reaching its peak on Tuesday evening when they will be separated by an angular distance of about 1.6 degrees, making the phenomenon clearly visible to observers across Jordan and the Arab region, the JAS president noted.
He added that Jupiter, the largest planet in the Solar System, will appear close to Venus, historically known as the planet of love and beauty, creating a “remarkable” celestial display that can be observed until around 10:20pm Jordan time.
Sakaji noted that the conjunction is only an apparent one, resulting from a geometric alignment as seen from Earth, despite the actual distance between the two planets being hundreds of millions of kilometres, where Jupiter is approximately 904 million kilometres from Earth, and Venus is about 179 million kilometres away.
He pointed out that the conjunction of Jupiter and Venus has been associated throughout history with various cultural and civilisational meanings.
Ancient civilisations regarded Venus as a symbol of love, beauty and fertility, while Jupiter was associated with prestige, authority and cosmic order, giving the phenomenon a special place in humanity’s cultural heritage across the ages, he added.
Sakaji said that the event presents an opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts and astrophotographers to observe and document a celestial scene that combines beauty with scientific precision.
He noted that Jupiter–Venus conjunctions occur at varying intervals, although some are particularly notable because of the planets’ apparent closeness and exceptional brightness.
He added that observers will also be able to view the stars Pollux and Castor in the constellation Gemini to the right of the conjunction, while Mercury will appear low above the western horizon.
Sakaji said that JAS, in cooperation with the Department of Antiquities, will conduct observations and photography of the conjunction from the Amman Citadel site, with the aim of promoting Jordan’s archaeological and tourist attractions and highlighting their cultural and historical significance.
