The brightest planets in our solar system will be seen through Qatar’s skies this Saturday!
Astronomy lovers will have the opportunity to witness a unique sighting of the two closest planets to the sun, on Saturday.
The encounter between Venus and Mercury will be visible through the naked eye in Qatar and wider Arab region, according to the Qatar Calendar House.
Dr. Bashir Marzouq, an astronomer at the organisation explained that Mercury, the smallest planet of our solar system and the closest to the sun, will be at an angle of around half an arc degree from Venus’s centre.
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Mercury’s orbit around the sun takes 87.97 Earth days, the shortest of all the sun’s planets, meanwhile Venus orbits the sun every 224.7 Earth days—making the encounter truly special.
He added that Qatar’s community will be able to witness the meeting above the western horizon in the evening sky after sunset on Saturday from 6:20pm to 7:32pm.
To achieve optimal visibility, those wishing to see the encounter clearly should be present in places far from light and environmental pollutants, the official added.
