Sangam Conjunction

Conjunction of the Moon and Venus in the morning sky is captured by a photo sequence from the joining point (confluence) of two main rivers in India, Ganga & Yamuna. Known as Sangam in Hindi (the Sanskrit word for confluence) such joining points are sacred for Hindus where a bath is said to wash away all of one’s sins and free one from the cycle of rebirth. From the photographer: “I happened to be near the confluence of two great rivers in Allahabad (or Prayag) where an Astronomical Festival is beginning (Maha-Kumbh festival held first in Jan. 2013). Astronomical in the sense that it is the largest congregation of humanity on Earth. The festival is also astronomical because the timing depends on the positions of Jupiter, Sun and the Moon in different constellations. On the sandy banks of Ganga & Yamuna a new township is coming up where the lights are visible along the horizon.”