Venus and Jupiter shine together over Rome (photo)
A new image captures two planets of ancient significance that met over the famous ancient city of Rome on Sunday (May 1).
Venus and Jupiter together shine between the clouds in this image taken by Gianluca Masi, who runs astronomy live streams for the Virtual Telescope Project.
He spotted the duo in the morning sky as he combined or approached close in the sky. The alignment happens over time, because the eight planets officially all orbit the plane of our solar system.
“Thin clouds can see a wonderfully colored halo around Venus, due to
Masi said in an email. He also discovered several Jovian moons, with Europa, Ganymede and Callisto all visible around Jupiter.
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According to Britannica, there are records of ancient Romans worshiping both Venus and Jupiter. The Roman Empire lasted from about 31 BC to 476 AD, with a period of republicanism lasting 5 centuries before.
Capitoline Jupiter, atop Capitoline Hill, is the oldest known temple of the major pagan god, Britannica writes. “There is a tradition here about his sacred tree, the oak tree,” the encyclopedia says. “Here are also kept cobblestones – pebbles or flints – used in symbolic ceremonies by the cardinals, Roman priests, who officially declared war or founded the treaty in the name of the Roman state.”
Venus was identified with Aphrodite during the republican era, especially through the famous cult (religious branch) of Venus Erycina imported from nearby Sicily, Britannica said.
A temple dedicated to the goddess in Rome in 215 BC, during the Second Punic War, finally saw the defeat of the iconic Carthaginian general Hannibal. Publius Cornelius Scipio – the general who led the Roman army at the Battle of Zama in 202 BC – received the nickname “Scipio Africanus” after his victory.
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https://www.space.com/venus-jupiter-conjunction-rome-may-2022-photo Venus and Jupiter shine together over Rome (photo)
