Skywatchers across the Kingdom are in for a celestial treat that will continue from Friday (Feb. 24) till Monday (Feb. 27), according to Mullim Muhammad Hindi, Astronomy Researcher at King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah. The Crescent Moon will come close to Venus and then Jupiter in a series of beautiful encounters, forming what is called triple conjunction, Hindi said. “This arrangement will be visible all around the world, from city and countryside alike. The Moon, Venus and Jupiter are the brightest objects in the night sky; together they can shine through urban lights, fog, and even some clouds,” according to the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Hindi advised skywatchers to start looking to the west half an hour after sunset. He said the First Quarter Moon is on Thursday March 1, and that Venus will be easily visible in the western evening sky close to Jupiter. He said one of the most interesting moments for astronomers all over the world is when Venus comes near the moon as it provides a unique opportunity to conduct important experiments on the physics of the solar system. Hindi said the crescent and star are commonly used by many Islamic countries in their flags, adding that what that they mean by the star near the crescent is Venus. He said Venus is often called Earth's twin planet because it is of similar size and composition and is the closest planet to Earth in the solar system. The diameter of Venus is just 650km less than Earth's and its mass is 81.5 percent of our planet. However, there are a few significant differences, as Venus, unlike Earth, has no plate tectonics and no internal magnetic field.
