A rare celestial event is set to occur this weekend, as Jupiter and Mercury align in the northwestern sky. For a brief period after sunset, stargazers can witness these two planets sitting side-by-side for approximately 45 minutes.
To catch this sight, viewers should wait until the Sun has dipped below the horizon and look for Jupiter above and to the left of Mercury’s position. The two planets will be separated by less than 10 degrees, making them easily visible with a pair of binoculars.
In contrast, Jupiter is a gas giant, the largest planet in our solar system, while Mercury is the smallest rocky planet. Their orbital paths also vary significantly, taking Jupiter around 12 Earth years to orbit the Sun at a distance of 778 million kilometers and Mercury completing its circuit every 88 days at an average distance of 47 million kilometers.
Source: https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/science/jupiter-mercury-to-be-aligned-in-our-night-sky/story