Mars and Jupiter in Conjunction

In astronomy, a conjunction occurs when any two astronomical bodies, such as asteroids, moons and planets, appear to be close together in the sky over Earth. The effect is caused by the bodies’ orbits around the Sun, and even though they appear closer in the sky, they could still be millions of miles apart. There are far too many conjunctions during the next year than can be listed here, but one of the next 12 months’ more significant conjunctions will be that of Mars and Jupiter on 29 May. The two planets will share the same right ascension in the sky and will also make a close approach at this time. While they won’t be close enough to glimpse together by telescope, the planets will be visible together with the naked eye or in a pair of binoculars.