Jupiter and Mars conjunction on Nov. 16: what to see in Czechia

A rare close approach of Jupiter and Mars will take place over Czechia overnight from Sunday, Nov. 15, to Monday, Nov. 16: the planets rise above the horizon around 11 p.m. and stay visible until dawn. The closest approach comes at 3:06 a.m. Central European Time, when just 1°11′ will separate them.

What you can see

As Petr Horálek of the Institute of Physics at the Silesian University in Opava explained, that is a little more than two full moons placed side by side. Shortly after 3 a.m. the pair will climb high enough to be seen even in the light-polluted city sky: both planets are approaching opposition to the Sun, when they are visible all night and appear brightest.

Jupiter reaches opposition on Feb. 11, 2027, and Mars six days later. The planets will not get this close to each other again before their oppositions, so, according to Horálek, Monday's event is a great rarity.

In a telescope with an aperture of more than ten centimeters, Mars and Jupiter can be seen in the same field of view at the moment of closest approach. At high magnification Mars looks like a distinct orange-tinged oval and Jupiter like a banded disk, and larger telescopes also show the Great Red Spot. Beside the largest planet of the Solar System, in favorable conditions all four Galilean moons will line up: Callisto, Io, Europa and Ganymede. The star Regulus will complete the pair with a bright point to the east.

What the weather will be like

Conditions are forecast to be unfavorable. At first there should be few clouds on the night to Monday, but around midnight frontal cloud will start moving in from the west, and by morning the sky over all of Czechia will be overcast. In addition, fog and low cloud are expected in many places from the evening, especially in Moravia. The best chances of seeing the event are in Silesia: there is less fog and low cloud there, and the frontal cloud will most likely arrive only in the morning.

Around Prague guide on the topic: Погода в Праге на сегодня, завтра и 10 дней

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz