Ammon News - Jordan's skies will feature a series of astronomical events this week, including an alignment of six planets, the Perseid meteor shower, a close conjunction of Mercury and Jupiter and a visible pass of the International Space Station (ISS), while a total solar eclipse occurring Wednesday will not be visible from the Kingdom.

Jordanian Astronomical Society President Ammar Sakaji said that Wednesday's total solar eclipse will not be visible from Jordan or other countries in the eastern Arab region, although a partial eclipse can be observed from several North African countries.

Before dawn on Wednesday, skywatchers in Jordan will be able to observe an apparent alignment of six planets: Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Mars, Mercury and Jupiter.

The alignment will be visible approximately between 4:45 a.m. and 5:35 a.m., with Saturn and Mars relatively easy to spot, while observing Uranus and Neptune will require suitable astronomical equipment.

Another notable event is expected before dawn on Saturday, Aug. 15, when Mercury and Jupiter will appear in close conjunction near the eastern horizon.

The two planets will be separated by an angular distance of around 45 arcminutes at approximately 5 a.m., although twilight may make the conjunction difficult to observe.

The week's astronomical activity also coincides with the Perseid meteor shower, which can be best observed from dark locations away from city lights, particularly during the late-night and pre-dawn hours.

The International Space Station is also scheduled to pass over Amman and surrounding areas before dawn on Aug. 15.

According to Sakaji, the ISS will appear above the southwestern horizon at 5:07 a.m. before moving northeast across the sky. The pass will last around six minutes and 20 seconds and will be visible to the naked eye, reaching an apparent magnitude of about -3.1.

Sakaji also stressed that there is no established scientific link between planetary alignments or conjunctions and earthquakes, nor can such astronomical events be used to predict seismic activity.

Earthquakes are primarily caused by the movement of tectonic plates and the accumulation of stress in the Earth's crust, he said, noting that there is no reliable scientific evidence supporting claims that planetary configurations can be used to forecast earthquakes.


Petra