Celestial Dance
So when I heard that the predawn hours this week would sparkle with Mars, Saturn and Jupiter dancing around the Moon, I was intrigued.
On Tuesday morning (April 14), the moon moved toward the largest planet in our solar system, giant Jupiter. Then, on Wednesday (April 15), the moon met up with the ringed wonder of our planetary system, Saturn.
Finally, on Thursday (April 16), the morning I witnessed it, it was the turn of the god of war, Mars, to have a summit meeting with the Moon. All four were in close proximity all days.
The clouds weaved in and out creating a mystical aura around the moon and its dancing partners. I was able to witness the redness of Mars with the binocs, also appreciated with my naked eyes. With larger magnifications, one can see Saturn’s ring and Jupiter’s moons. Nevertheless I was happy with my first encounter with these celestial giants. I was happy witnessing the dance unfold above!
Of course, such alignments are all just a matter of perspective. Our moon was about 243,000 miles (390,000 kilometers) away from Earth during these encounters, while Mars stands 125 million miles (200 million km), Jupiter is 473 million miles (761 million km) distant, and Saturn is even farther out in space at 936 million miles (1.51 billion km).
The next such alignment of these four giants will happen in 2022!
So when I heard that the predawn hours this week would sparkle with Mars, Saturn and Jupiter dancing around the Moon, I was intrigued.
On Tuesday morning (April 14), the moon moved toward the largest planet in our solar system, giant Jupiter. Then, on Wednesday (April 15), the moon met up with the ringed wonder of our planetary system, Saturn.
Finally, on Thursday (April 16), the morning I witnessed it, it was the turn of the god of war, Mars, to have a summit meeting with the Moon. All four were in close proximity all days.
The clouds weaved in and out creating a mystical aura around the moon and its dancing partners. I was able to witness the redness of Mars with the binocs, also appreciated with my naked eyes. With larger magnifications, one can see Saturn’s ring and Jupiter’s moons. Nevertheless I was happy with my first encounter with these celestial giants. I was happy witnessing the dance unfold above!
Of course, such alignments are all just a matter of perspective. Our moon was about 243,000 miles (390,000 kilometers) away from Earth during these encounters, while Mars stands 125 million miles (200 million km), Jupiter is 473 million miles (761 million km) distant, and Saturn is even farther out in space at 936 million miles (1.51 billion km).
The next such alignment of these four giants will happen in 2022!
