The two planets had never been so close since 1623.
Calcutta:
Space enthusiasts got a chance to see a rare celestial event Monday night, when Jupiter and Saturn appeared to merge and looked like a single bright star, in what is called a conjunction.
People gathered to observe the phenomenon, which took place after about 400 years, on rooftops and open land in different parts of Kolkata and West Bengal, although winter fog partially obstructed the view.
Hundreds of sky watchers gathered at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in the city as the leading science museum has arranged for them to view the cosmic event in the southwestern part of the sky through a telescope, a BITM spokesperson said.
The two planets had never been so close since 1623, said MP Birla planetarium director Debi Prasad Duari.
He said, “If two celestial bodies appear visually close to each other from Earth, it is called a conjunction. And such a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter is sometimes called a grand conjunction” if it occurs, once in a lifetime. .
The planets will again appear to be as close as this, from Earth on March 15, 2080.
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