BENGALURU: state Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in the city center has arranged to observe the celestial conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn planets on Monday between 6:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m., an official said Sunday.
“We have installed telescopes in our facilities to observe the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on Monday night if weather conditions allow it,” the planetarium official said in a statement here.
Due to Covid-induced restrictions on people gathering in large numbers in public places, those registering online to watch the celestial event will be able to enter the planetarium in limited numbers to maintain social distancing.
“Those who cannot see the event in the planetarium due to restrictions on overcrowding, can see the conjunction of the two stars online on our website (www.taralaya.org) or on the Facebook and Youtube channel”, the statement said.
Like the fifth planet from the SunJupiter is the largest in the solar system, like a gas giant with a mass of one thousandth of the Sun.
“As the sixth planet from the sun and the second largest in the solar system, Saturn is a gas giant with an average radius nine times that of the Earth, ”added the official.
The conjunction also coincides with the longest day (December 21) of the year when the sun reaches a point where it appears to shine further south of the equator over the tropic of Capricorn, marking the start of the winter solstice.
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