Jupiter, Saturn 'merge' in rare cosmic event
Kolkata, Dec 21: Space enthusiasts had the opportunity to watch a rare celestial event on Monday evening as the Jupiter and the Saturn appeared to merge and looked like a single bright star, in what is called a conjunction.
People gathered to watch the phenomenon, which took place after about 400 years, on rooftops and open grounds in different parts of Kolkata and West Bengal though the winter fog partially hindered the view.
Hundreds of sky gazers assembled at the Birla Industrial and Technological Museum in the city as the leading science museum has made an arrangement for them to view the cosmic event at the south-western part of the sky through a telescope, a BITM spokesman said.
The two planets have never been so close since 1623, Director of M P Birla Planetarium, Debi Prasad Duari, said.
He said, "If two celestial bodies visually appear close to each other from the Earth, it is called a conjunction. And such conjunction of the Saturn and the Jupiter is at times called a great conjunction" if it happens once in a lifetime.
The planets will again appear to come as close as this from the Earth on March 15, 2080.
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Case registered against associate film director for sexual assault of model in Kochi
Kochi (PTI): Police on Saturday said they had registered a case against an associate director in the film industry for "sexually assaulting" a model here.
The case was registered against Jojo Kurishinkal of Chengannur in Alappuzha district at the Maradu police station on May 6.
Kurishinkal has worked in several films as an assistant and associate director.
According to the FIR, the complainant, a model based in Kochi, met Kurishinkal through a dating app in July 2023.
The FIR stated that the accused told the complainant he was a film director and had separated from his wife before proposing marriage to her.
He later allegedly assured the complainant and her mother that he would go ahead with the marriage once the legal procedures related to his divorce were completed, the FIR said.
According to the FIR, the accused later invited the complainant to his apartment in Vyttila on April 18, 2024, where he "sexually assaulted" her.
The FIR further alleged that he continued to sexually harass the woman thereafter. It also stated that the accused had "physically assaulted" the complainant on multiple occasions before later refusing to marry her.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case under Section 376(2)(n) of the Indian Penal Code for repeatedly raping the same woman.
Police said the woman’s confidential statement would be recorded, following which the accused would be summoned for questioning.
