INDIA: On Saturday, the New Moon will be the closest to Earth since the year 992. The following day, Venus and Saturn will be visible to the unaided eye in close proximity to it.
Earth will witness closest New Moon after 1000 years
A New Moon happens when the Sun and Moon are in what is known as a conjunction, which is when their celestial longitudes coincide. No one can see the Moon from that position during the new phase since the lighted side is pointing away from Earth.
This month’s New Moon coincides with an event known as a perigee, often known as a “Supermoon,” in which the Full Moon is larger than usual since it is also at its closest point to Earth.
The occurrence on this Saturday will take place while it is a New Moon rather than a Full Moon, even though the Moon will also be at its closest to our planet at that time. Our natural satellite in orbit will thus be completely invisible to us throughout the cosmic catastrophe.
Graham Jones, an astronomer and science communicator who works for Timeanddate.com, reportedly made a note of the peculiarity of this weekend’s New Moon. Over a period of 2,000 years, Jones looked at the New Moon’s closest Earth-Moon separations.
He discovered three new Moons at a distance of fewer than 356,570 kilometres in the years 1030, this weekend, and 2368. The New Moon on Saturday will be the closest since 1030 and in 1,337 years as a result.
A New Moon this close won’t occur for 345 years, as well. The day after the New Moon, Venus and Saturn will also be in conjunction.
Some telescopes and the majority of binoculars’ fields of vision would accommodate both planets. Without binoculars, it will be possible to see the pair.
As dusk gives way to night, the pair will become visible from New Delhi around 18:07 (IST), 16 degrees above the southwestern horizon. They will then set at 19:30, 1 hour and 39 minutes after the Sun, as they converge on the horizon.
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