The President of the Jordanian Astronomical Society, Dr. Ammar Sakji, announced that the skies over Jordan and neighboring countries will witness a remarkable celestial event tonight, Thursday. Following sunset, and particularly after 8:15 PM, the Moon and several planets will align above the western horizon in a phenomenon known as a "planetary alignment" or "planetary parade."
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Dr. Sakji explained that the Moon will appear as a crescent alongside the brilliant planet Venus, while Jupiter will be visible below them, and Mercury will sit low near the horizon. The entire alignment can be observed with the naked eye.
He added that a planetary alignment occurs when multiple planets appear close together along the ecliptic plane, even though they are not actually lined up in a straight line in physical space.
Statistical Precision of the Alignment
Dr. Sakji pointed out that a mathematical astronomical study conducted on the positions of the Moon and the planets at 8:15 PM demonstrated that the celestial bodies are aligned to an exceptionally high degree. The deviation from an ideal straight line was found to be less than 1°, while the maximum deviation did not exceed 4.1% of the total length of the alignment.
He explained that the alignment of the Moon, Venus, Jupiter, and Mercury achieved a "straightness index" of approximately 97.2%. This confirms that the event is not merely a visual close approach, but a remarkably uniform geometric alignment.
The study utilized the "standard deviation from the best-fit great circle" as a direct indicator to assess the quality of the visible planetary alignment. Dr. Sakji noted that this application represents a novel use of a well-known statistical metric in studying astronomical phenomena, highlighting modern astronomy's capability to transform celestial spectacles into precise, objective scientific measurements. (Petra)
