Jupiter and Saturn merged on Monday night, and the Griffith Observatory brought viewers a live stream as it happened.
Astronomers say that the so-called conjunctions between the two large planets in our solar system are not particularly rare. Jupiter passes its neighbor Saturn in respective turns around the sun every 20 years, but this week they appeared closer to each other than they had since the time of Galileo in the seventeenth century. (Jupiter and Saturn were actually more than 450 million miles away. In the meantime, the Earth will be 550 million miles from Jupiter.
From our perspective, Jupiter and Saturn were only one-tenth of a degree or about one-fifth the width of the full moon.
Also on Monday was the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the longest night of the year – and the summer solstice in the southern hemisphere.
It was the closest pair to Jupiter-Saturn in July 1623, when the two planets appeared a little closer. This conjunction was almost impossible to see, however, because of its proximity to the sun.
Considerably closer and more visible was the conjunction of the two planets in March 1226 – when Genghis Khan conquered Asia. Monday’s conjunction will be the closest visible pair since then.
Saturn and Jupiter have been approaching the south-southwest sky for weeks. Jupiter – larger and closer to Earth – is much brighter.
Despite appearances, Jupiter and Saturn will actually be more than 730 million kilometers away. Meanwhile, Earth will be 890 million kilometers from Jupiter.
A telescope will not only capture Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view, but even some of their brightest months.
Their next super-tight pair: March 15, 2080.