BURAIDAH: The skies over Saudi Arabia will witness a conjunction of Venus and Regulus on Thursday, a celestial event that will be visible to the naked eye for up to two hours.
Noor Astronomy Society President Issa Al-Ghafili said Venus will appear as the brightest object above the western horizon, while Regulus, the brightest star in the constellation Leo, will appear alongside it.
He added that the conjunction is an apparent close approach caused by their alignment along the same line of sight as viewed from Earth.
Al-Ghafili said Regulus is located about 79 light-years from Earth, while Venus lies within the solar system at a distance of about 145 million km.
The best time to observe the phenomenon begins immediately after sunset, when both objects will be low above the western horizon and easily visible to the naked eye.
