Xinhua News Agency, Tianjin, June 21 (Reporter Zhou Runjian) Astronomy science experts introduced that in the early morning of June 23, Mars and the moon will stage a romantic "Mars conjunct". As long as the weather is fine, interested public in our country can see with the naked eye. Watch the picture of Mars and the waning moon "affectionately looking at each other".
"Mars conjunct the moon" refers to the celestial phenomenon that occurs when Mars and the moon move to the same ecliptic longitude. At this time, the scene of Mars and the moon can be seen on the earth.
Xiu Lipeng, a member of the Chinese Astronomical Society and director of the Tianjin Astronomical Society, introduced that taking Beijing as an example, after 1:00 on the 23rd, a waning moon rose from the east with Mars, and Mars was not far from the upper left of the waning moon, with a brightness of 0.5 Wait; around 2:16, the "Mars conjunction" will officially begin, and the two will be about 1.6 degrees at their closest, a little longer than the apparent diameter of the three full moons.
The reddish Mars and the gentle waning moon "walk" in the night sky, and the stars and moon shine brightly, becoming a beautiful landscape on the horizon.
If there is a suitable landscape, the public who likes astrophotography can photograph this "star and moon fairy tale".
"Mars conjunct the moon" is a conventional celestial phenomenon, and a very important reason for attracting attention is Mars itself.
Mars is an terrestrial planet located in the habitable zone of the solar system, and it is also the planet that has received the most attention from mankind.
Due to the large change in brightness, it was called "Yinghuo" in ancient my country.
In fact, Mars is not out of reach. Earth people's Mars exploration has lasted for more than 50 years. The United States, Russia, India, Japan and other countries have all implemented Mars exploration plans.
As a rising star in Mars exploration, my country successfully launched the Mars probe "Tianwen-1" in 2020, and bystanders from Mars exploration officially took the center stage.
"After my country's first Mars exploration mission 'Tianwen No. 1' arrived on Mars in 2021, it has successfully achieved Mars orbit, landing and patrol exploration. The 'Zhurong' rover has left its mark on the distant Mars that belongs to China. Currently , The 'Tianwen-1' probe and the 'Zhurong' rover are still in good condition, and they will continue to conduct research on Mars as planned to explore the mysteries of Mars for us." Xiu Lipeng said.
Mars and the moon in close company, although common, are not always seen.
"The next time we will see Mars will be on July 21. Although the observation conditions are not very good, the occultation of Mars by the moon can be seen in northeastern China, and it happens at night, which is still very exciting." Xiu Lipeng.