KOLKATA, AUG 9
In a rare celestial phenomenon, Venus, Mars and Saturn will come close to each other and be visible after sunset in the western sky over the next few days.
The rare alignment, where the three planets will form a triangle, will be visible at least for a fortnight, M P Birla planetarium Director (research and academics) D P Duari said on Monday.
Though the three planets will look quite close together, in reality they are not, he said.
“Venus is currently 11.38 crore km away from the Earth, Mars 30.6 crore km and Saturn much further away at 153 crore km away,” Duari said.
“To watch the celestial event properly one should use binoculars to scan the east-southwest sky especially if it is rather hazy,” Duari said.
Also on August 12, a crescent moon will join the planetary show just after the sunset. “They will be located side by side in the sky,” he said.
