Mars and the star Regulus are set to put on a dazzling show tonight as the Red Planet p***es remarkably close to Leo’s brightest star in a striking celestial pairing — and you can watch it live online.
The conjunction between Mars and the bright blue star Regulus began on Monday (June 16) and will bring the two objects side by side in the night sky. A conjunction occurs when two celestial bodies appear very close together from our perspective on Earth.
Using its robotic telescopes in Manciano, Italy, the Virtual Telescope Project is offering a free online livestream (weather permitting) of the conjunction beginning at 3:45 p.m. EDT (1945 GMT) today (June 17). You can watch the livestream here on Space.com courtesy of the Virtual Telescope Project or directly on their WebTV page or YouTube channel.
At their closest point, Mars and the bright star will be just 0.7 degrees apart — roughly the width of your little finger held at arm’s length against the night sky — which is incredibly close for two celestial objects. The pair will remain in close visual proximity through Wednesday night (June 18).
During conjunction, both Mars and Regulus — the 21st brightest star in the night sky — will shine at 1.4 magnitude. Although virtually equal in brightness, the two celestial objects differ dramatically in color.
“They will offer a superb show, offering very different colours: Mars will bring its legendary red hue, while Regulus will shine like a blue diamond,” Gianluca Masi, Virtual Telescope Project founder and astronomer, told Space.com in an email.
Although Mars and Regulus will look strikingly close, it’s just a trick of perspective from our viewpoint on Earth. In reality, Mars lies within our solar system about 171 million miles away, while Regulus is nearly 80 light-years from us in the constellation Leo, the Lion. Nonetheless, the pair will appear close and bright enough in the night sky to be seen by the block eye. For a more detailed view, binoculars or a small telescope with low magnification can be used, Masi said.
The best time to catch Mars and Regulus — known as the “Heart of the Lion”— will be just after twilight fades and the stars become visible under clear, dark skies. Viewers can look toward the western sky, near the constellation Leo, to spot the dazzling pair meet up.
