Latest news with #conjunction
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Science
- The Guardian
Starwatch: Mars and Regulus will make for an eye-catching pair
Look into the western sky this week to see an eye-catching conjunction between Mars and Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation of Leo, the lion. The chart shows the view from London at 2300 BST on 16 June 2025. The pair of celestial objects will be separated by less than a degree, less than twice the apparent diameter of the full moon. This means that as well as being an easy spot with the naked eye, they are close enough to fit into the same field of view when viewed through binoculars. Although they will move further apart as the week continues. The colour difference between them will be striking. Mars will be red whereas Regulus shines with a blue-white colour. Regulus is the 21st brightest star in the night sky and lies about 79 light years away from us. It contains just over four times the mass of the sun, and has a diameter just over four times larger, too, giving out about 340 times the sun's energy. From the southern hemisphere, too, the conjunction appears in the north-north-west. In addition, on 19 June, the moon will be close to Saturn in the constellation Pisces, the fishes.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
Red Meets Blue: Don't Miss The Rare Mars-Regulus ‘Kiss' This Week
For three successive nights, beginning Monday, June 16, the red planet Mars will be positioned next to the bright blue star Regulus, creating a rare contrast in colors in the night sky. Mars and Regulus will be in a close conjunction next week. At their closest point, the two celestial bodies will appear to be just 0.7 degrees apart. That's about the same as a little finger held at arm's length against the night sky. As conjunctions go, that's incredibly close. To add to the spectacle, both Mars and Regulus will shine at 1.4 magnitude. Regulus is the 21st brightest star in the night sky. Although virtually equal in brightness, they differ dramatically in color. The best time to catch Mars and Regulus will be just after twilight fades and the stars become visible. Although the official moment of closest approach happens Monday night, the view on Tuesday will be nearly identical, with Wednesday also offering a similar view. Monday, June 16 and Tuesday, June 17: Mars And Regulus In Conjunction Approximately 78 light-years from Earth, Regulus is hotter and younger than the sun, and it emits a blue-white light. Its name comes from Latin, meaning 'little king.' The brightest star in the constellation Leo, "The Lion," Regulus has been known since ancient times as the 'heart of the Lion.' Now past its January peak brightness, Mars is the sole survivor of the "planet parades" of early 2025. Known as the Roman god of war, it's been moving steadily closer to Regulus during June and will keep heading west across Leo in the coming nights. Although binoculars or a telescope will be required to appreciate the contrast in color between Mars and Regulus, it's rare to have such an opportunity. A similar phenomenon can be observed by pointing a small telescope at the blue and red Albireo double star, located at the head of the swan in the Cygnus constellation. Another is the brilliantly colored stars of the Jewel Box Cluster (NGC 4755) visible from the Southern Hemisphere. A Trump Administration plan to cut nearly 24% ($6 billion) from NASA's budget would see the space agency repurposed to focus solely on landing astronauts on the moon and Mars before China, according to the BBC. However, NASA's Artemis 3 mission, planned for 2027, to land astronauts on the moon utilizes a SpaceX Starship rocket. The row between Donald Trump and Elon Musk puts that in doubt. As part of the plan, which is expected to go before Congress, funding for science projects would be cut by nearly 50%, including the cancellation of NASA's plans for a Mars Sample Return mission and its involvement in the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover.
