Conjunction of Saturn and Mars with Jupiter nearby. This is the fourth in a series of 4 images showing the cluster of Saturn, Mars and Jupiter (from left to right) changing relative positions over time. Refer to my posts from 3/22/2020, 3/26/2020, and 3/28/2020. The conjunction of Mars and Jupiter occurred on 3/20/2020. Because Mars is moving rapidly eastward, and the angular motion of Saturn and Jupiter is much slower, the position of Mars with respect to Saturn and Jupiter is changing rapidly. As of 3/30/2020, Mars and Saturn appear in conjunction. The most interesting configuration of the three planets occurred on 3/26/2020 when Mars appeared to be equidistant from Saturn and Jupiter, forming an upside down isosceles triangle in the sky. This conjunction of three planets is reported to be extremely rare, having previously occurred only 8 times in the past 500 years.

iPhone 7

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