This winter solstice will be a very special one, because Jupiter and Saturn will be in the nearest point of 400 years.
In recent months, the two gas giants have been getting closer to each other, and on the night of December 21 – the date of the winter solstice – this process will culminate in what is known as a “great conjunction”.
Tonight, the two planets will be so close to each other that they appear as a bright double planet – the phenomenon being popularly called the “Christmas Star”.
Large conjunctions are rare, appearing every two decades or so. But this year’s event is exceptional, because the planets will appear very close to each other.
The last time the planets came so close to the sky was four centuries ago, according to NASA.
“You can imagine the solar system being a race track, with each of the planets as a runner on its own lane and the Earth toward the center of the stadium,” Henry Throop, an astronomer in the Planetary Sciences Division at NASA’s Washington headquarters, said in -a statement.
“From our point of view, we will be able to see Jupiter in the inner band, approaching Saturn all month and finally surpassing it on December 21.”
The great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn takes place by chance on the day of the December solstice – the shortest day of the year with the longest night in the northern hemisphere – providing ideal conditions to see the astronomical event.
“The solstice is the longest night of the year, so this rare coincidence will give people a great chance to go outside and see the solar system,” Throop said.
While the term “winter solstice” usually refers to a full day, technically it only refers to a specific time in time – when the Earth’s North Pole is farthest from the sun.
In 2020, this time will take place at 5:02 am ET on Monday, December 21 – marking the beginning of astronomical winter in the northern hemisphere.
The great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is not the only astronomical event that stargazers will be able to enjoy during the winter solstice.
On the night of December 21-22, the annual Ursid meteor shower is set to peak, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS).
During peak activity, observers can see 5-10 uridic meteors per hour in the late morning hours. Some outbreaks occasionally produce more than 25 meteors per hour.
“Ursids are often neglected because they reach their peaks just before Christmas, and rates are much lower than Geminds, which reach their peaks just a week before Urside,” AMS said.
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