Amman, Aug. 10 (Petra) — 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 told the Jordan
News Agency (Petra) 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// RZ