Conjunction of Mercury to be visible on western horizon over Middle East

CAIRO – 29 November 2017: The conjunction of Mercury and Saturn, the two planets separated by 3 degrees celestial, will be visible on the western horizon over the Middle East on Wednesday night.

Jeddah Astronomy Society revealed in a report that this pairing is the first in a series of three pairings between these two planets, the so-called "triangular conjunctions."

The first pairing will be visible after sunset and into the early evening; the planets will be low on the horizon, according to Jeddah Astronomy Society.

Mercury will be twice as bright as Saturn; if viewed through binoculars or a telescope, the two planets will appear as one, added Jeddah Astronomy Society.

The next pairing will take place on December 6, 2017, when the distance between Mercury and Saturn will be less than 1.5 degrees celestial. This pairing will be difficult to observe because the planets will be lost in the glare of the sunset.

The third and final pairing in the series will be the closest between the two planets, separated by 0.7 degrees celestial only, on January, 13 2018 and will occur near dawn and will be easy to view.

After the January 13 conjunction, Mercury will fall towards the horizon, whereas Saturn will climb upward. Mercury will transition out of the morning sky and into the evening sky as the inferior planet reaches its superior conjunction on February 17, 2018.

morning sky for months to come.