2013 Dance of the Planets Jupiter, Mercury and Venus: Photos Shared on Twitter
Planets Jupiter, Mercury and Venus are currently performing their exceptional dance in the night sky and they will carry on for the rest of the week. Captured images of the 2013 Dance of the Planets are now being shared on the social networking site Twitter for online viewers to see.
The three planets form a noticeable low formation on the western horizon 45 minutes after the sun goes down. The formation is called "Dance of the Planets" because the planets will be within a 5 degree circle above in rotating positions until their vertical alignment on May 30 and May 31.
"Triple conjunctions of planets are fairly rare. The last time it happened was in May 2011 and it won't happen again so tightly until January 2021," astronomer Tony Phillips stated. Jupiter, Mercury and Venus will be observable with the naked eye but using binoculars or telescopes provides a better view.
"The planets Mercury, Venus and Jupiter will form the tightest gathering of three naked-eye planets that the world will see until 2026. Add the Earth under your feet and you're seeing half of the solar system's planets at once," stated Alan Macrobert, senior editor of Sky & Telescope.
Staff astronomer Ben Burress at the Chabot Space and Science Center in Oakland, California explained that people may not pay that much attention to a single planet visible in the night sky because it appears like a star shining brightly.
"But when they are discovered together like this, in a close-knit configuration we know we haven't seen lately, our minds acknowledge the fact that they move and in this case, have moved together. It reminds us that the sky isn't static and unchanging but is alive with motion and has a dynamic personality," Burress stated.
Scientists deem that the rare 2013 Dance of the Planets is just a foretaste for another remarkable celestial event. Planets Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will reportedly group together in the night sky in September 2040.
