Did YOU see it? Jupiter and Venus put on a stunning show for early morning skygazers as they align in a rare dawn display
- Planets were visible to the naked eye in parts of the UK this morning
- The best viewing time was 40 minutes before sunrise at 07:15 GMT
- Pictures show them 16 arcminutes - or half the width of the full moon - apart
- The two will visibly pass this close again only once during the next 100 years
The two brightest planets in the solar system put on a dazzling display today for early-morning stargazers.
Venus and Jupiter were visible to the naked eye as they rose just above the horizon at around 6:00am GMT (01:00am ET) in a rare 'conjunction'.
Neither planet has risen for observers in the US yet, with the display scheduled for 10:30am GMT (5:30am ET) for East coast skygazers.
Pictures of the two planets, which will visibly pass this close again only once during the next 100 years, have been shared online as Brits woke up to the amazing sight.
The two brightest planets in the solar system put on a dazzling display today for early-morning stargazers in the UK
User @jakehewkin tweeted: 'Wow! The view over London of Jupiter and Venus rising is incredible! They will be in alignment soon. Stick your head outside! (wherever you are)'.
Images show the two planets 16 arcminutes - or half the width of the full moon - apart during the rare conjunction.
Nasa has said this pairing makes the two planets look 'like a brilliant double star'.
Conjunctions between Venus and Jupiter take place around once every 13 months.
But today's meeting was rare because the two planets approached unusually close to one another.
Joe Rao, a skygazing expert and lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium, told Space.com: 'Using a computer program, I've found that over the next 100 years, up until the year 2117, Venus and Jupiter will come within 21 arc minutes or less of each other just 24 times.
'In fact, most of these events will occur during the daytime; only two will occur during twilight or in a dark sky. 
Pictures of the two planets, which will visibly pass this close again only once during the next 100 years, have been shared online as Brits woke up to the amazing sight
Most Venus and Jupiter conjunction events occur during the daytime, meaning we can't see them as the sky is too bright
Venus and Jupiter were visible to the naked eye as they rose just above the horizon at around 6:00am GMT (01:00am ET) in a rare 'conjunction'
Neither planet has risen for observers in the US yet, with the display scheduled for 10:30am GMT (5:30am ET) for East coast skygazers. Pictured is the two planets as they were visible in the UK this morning
Experts had predicted the planets would be so close together before sunrise at 7:15am GMT (2:15am ET) they would appear to be on top of one another
'Monday's event is one of them, and the other is 22 years from now, on Nov. 2, 2039.'
Conjunctions occur when two celestial bodies apparently meet or pass, as observable from Earth.
Conjunctions of planets with one another are considered of great importance in astrology.
Experts had predicted the planets would be so close together before sunrise at 7:15am GMT (2:15am ET) they would appear to be on top of one another.
But the rare sight faded quickly as the sky got brighter this morning.
The planets passed so close to one another in the dawn sky that they appeared to be on top of one another from some angles
Twitter user Ian Burley was one of many Brits to snap a picture of the phenomenon early this morning
Conjunctions occur when two celestial bodies apparently meet or pass, as observable from Earth
Images show the two planets 16 arcminutes - or half the width of the full moon - apart during the rare conjunction
As well as the two planets being visible without any specialist equipment, Jupiter's four Galilean moons were visible with a telescope.
Experts warned the sun would rise quickly after the planets became visible, meaning skygazers needed to be careful to avoid damaging their eyes.
Ahead of the rare sight, Ade Ashford from Astronomy Now said: 'If you do manage to catch Venus and Jupiter together at the start of UK civil twilight, the pair will be just 6° above the east-southeast horizon.
'Seeing conditions are therefore likely to be poor, but telescope users may just catch sight of Jupiter's four Galilean moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in the configuration depicted at the top of the page.'
Ahead of the rare sight, Ade Ashford from Astronomy Now said: 'If you do manage to catch Venus and Jupiter together at the start of UK civil twilight, the pair will be just 6° above the east-southeast horizon'
'Seeing conditions are therefore likely to be poor, but telescope users may just catch sight of Jupiter's four Galilean moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto in the configuration depicted at the top of the page,' Mr Ashford said
Conjunctions between Venus and Jupiter take place around once every 13 months. But today's meeting was rare because the two planets approached unusually close to one another
Over the next 100 years, up until the year 2117, Venus and Jupiter will come within 21 arc minutes or less of each other just 24 times. Most of these will not be visible as they will occur during the day
Experts had predicted the planets would be so close together before sunrise at 7:15am GMT (2:15am ET) they would appear to be on top of one another
For skygazers on the US East coast, the display is scheduled for 10:30am GMT (5:30am ET) this morning
Pictured is Jupiter (right) and Venus (left) in the skies over East Berkshire during a planetary conjunction
The rare sight (pictured) faded quickly as the sky got brighter this morning, with only early-morning skygazers managing to catch a glimpse
Experts warned the sun would rise quickly after the planets became visible, meaning skygazers needed to be careful to avoid damaging their eyes
Pictured is a stunning image of the two planets during sunrise over Brighton pier this morning
Conjunctions occur when two celestial bodies apparent meet or pass, as observable from Earth. Nasa has said this pairing makes the two planets look 'like a brilliant double star'
Conjunctions of planets with one another are considered of great importance in astrology
Conspiracy theorists claim mysterious planet Nibiru will trigger apocalyptic earthquakes
- Nibiru or 'Planet X' was supposed to collide with Earth on September 23
- The prediction drew enough media attention that Nasa was forced to refute it
- Now conspiracy theorists are claiming Nibiru will destroy Earth on November 19
- They say it will bring a deadly series of earthquakes that will obliterate our planet
- In response to the rumours, a top Nasa scientist has said the planet can't exist
- If it did, its its gravitational forces would have already stripped Earth of its moon
Conspiracy theorists are yet again convinced that the world is about to end thanks to the mysterious plant Nibiru.
Nibiru was meant to destroy Earth on September 23 after a Christian numerologist claimed it was about to collide with our planet.
After the prediction flopped, some have claimed Nibiru will instead trigger apocalyptic earthquakes on November 19 that will obliterate our planet.
In response to the rumours, a top Nasa scientist has said the planet can't exist because its gravitational forces would have already stripped Earth of its moon.
Conspiracy theorists are yet again convinced that the world is about to end thanks to the mysterious plant Nibiru (artist's impression). Some are claiming Nibiru will trigger apocalyptic earthquakes on November 19 that will obliterate our planet
So-called Nibiru truthers claim Nasa is part of a conspiracy to 'hide the truth' from the general population while the 'global elite' escape to the safety of secret underground bunkers.
Nibiru, sometimes referred to as Planet X, is a hypothesised planet on the edge of the solar system that orbits the sun every 3,600 years.
Conspiracy theorists believe the gravitational influence of Nibiru disrupted the orbits of other planets in the solar system hundreds of years ago as the object ringed the sun.
They claim the next disruptive passage could happen at any time, with the planet predicted to either collide directly with Earth or trigger apocalyptic weather patterns across its surface.
Dr Morrison's comments were made during a podcast released by the Search for Extraterrestrial Life Institute (SETI) website.
It was part of the 'Big Picture Science Radio Show', which broadcast an episode called 'Skeptic Check: Nibiru! (Again!)'
When asked what would happen if Nibiru entered the solar system, Dr Morrison said: 'If a big object was coming into the solar system its gravity would perturb the orbits of the planets, and we would have detected that long before it came close to the Earth.
'The planet's orbits are very regulated, and, if some massive object came along every so often and came through the inner solar system, it would all be screwed up, the planets would not be coplanar.
Nibiru, sometimes referred to as Planet X, is a hypothesised planet on the edge of the solar system that orbits the sun every 3,600 years. It was supposed to collide with Earth on September 23 after conspiracy theorists claimed it would destroy our planet (stock image)
'The moon would have been ejected, and obviously that is not the case.'
However, Dr Morrison said it was pointless describing what would happen as 'Nibiru does not exist.'
Nibiru has been the focus of a host of conspiracy theories over the past twenty years, and the latest rumours originated from Planetxnews.com.
A team of conspiracy theorists behind the site followed the growing number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions that have hit Earth in the last few months.
'Global seismic activity reaches a peak in the second two weeks of November moving into December 2017,' claimed writer Terral Croft.
Nibiru was supposed to collide with Earth in September according to Christian numerologist David Meade (pictured)
'The predicted backside alignment quake event is scheduled for November 19, 2017, when the Earth passes behind the sun relative to the Black Star [Nibiru],' he told the Express.
Back in September, Nasa was forced to publicly state that Nibiru does not exist in an attempt to quell doomsday fears.
'The planet in question, Nibiru, doesn't exist,' the space agency said in a statement.
'Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims.'
'If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye.
'Obviously, it does not exist.'
After Nasa's predictions rang true when the apocalypse didn't come on September 23, 'Christian numerologist' David Meade, who first claimed Nibiru was on its way in a series of YouTube posts, clarified his story.
Mr Meade, who also writes for Planetxnews, said that the apocalypse has in fact been delayed, and was never predicted to arrive on September 23.
In late August, Christian numerologist David Meade said that 'Nibiru' would hit Earth between September 20 and 23. He claimed the clues were written somewhere in the pyramids in Giza (stock image)
Speaking to the Washington Post, Mr Meade said the date only marks the beginning of the end of times.
'The world is not ending, but the world as we know it is ending,' he said.
Mr Meade used the 'biblically significant' number 33 and his interpretation of the Bible's Book of Revelation to suggest that the legendary - and widely debunked - planet Nibiru would strike Earth on September 23.
The impact would set in motion cataclysmic events, according to Mr Meade.
Nibiru would strike 33 days after the total solar eclipse. In his analysis, Meade cited how Jesus allegedly lived for 33 years.
Despite a lack of evidence for the hidden world, which Nasa has previously stated is an 'internet hoax', many people believe it is real.
The scientific community has repeatedly asserted that Nibiru does not exist.
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