It witnessed an almost perfect convergence between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn

The "great pairing" ... the phenomenon is attracting astronomers around the world

Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in the solar system.

Reuters

The sky over the northern hemisphere witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime show, as the two largest planets in the solar system approached, as if they were meeting in a celestial event that astronomers call "the great coupling."

The rare phenomenon witnessed an almost complete convergence between the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn, and this coincides with the winter solstice, the day before yesterday, which is the shortest day of the year.

To those able to observe the conjunction in a clear sky, the two planets looked closer and brighter than at any time in 800 years.

In India and many parts of the world, hundreds of astronomy fans gathered at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in Calcutta, where they could enjoy watching the conjunction with a telescope.

Florent Delphi, from the Paris Observatory (BSL), explained that the "great conjunction" is "the time that the two planets put to reach similar relative positions with respect to the Earth."

"Jupiter, brighter and bigger, has been gradually approaching Saturn in the sky for weeks as the two planets march around the sun, each in their own lane on an enormous celestial race track," said Henry Throup, an astronomer at NASA's headquarters in Washington. ».

The last major conjunction visible long before the telescopes occurred in 1226, during the construction of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Barre in the French capital.

Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told Reuters: “The closest conjunction for the two will be in March 2080, with the next close conjunction being 337 years later in August 2417.”

• A NASA scientist: “Each planet walked in its own lane on a tremendous celestial race track.”

Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news