An unseen phenomenon for almost 800 years will illuminate the sky next week.
Two of the largest planets in the solar system will come together in an “excellent conjunction” just in time for Christmas, NASA reported. It is also the same day as the winter solstice.
“What has become popularly known as the ‘Christmas Star’ is a particularly vibrant planetary conjunction, easily visible in the evening sky over the next two weeks, as the bright planets Jupiter and Saturn meet, culminating on the night of December 21.” NASA said on its website.
On Monday, Jupiter and Saturn will get closer and closer to each other to be together, according to Space.com. The two planets rarely meet as other bright planets do.
Jim Todd, director of space science education at OMSI, said that those in the Portland area will want to go outside immediately after sunset at 16:30, when Jupiter and Saturn will be lowered into the sky. The planets will quickly settle below the horizon, Todd said, so a good view of the southwestern horizon is needed, and people will have to look at the sky in time to catch it.
The weather in Portland does not seem favorable, with a 70-80% chance of rain and a mostly cloudy forecast for Monday.
NASA says that for those who would like to see this phenomenon for themselves, here’s what to do:
- Find a place with a clear view of the sky, such as a field or a park. Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even in most cities.
- An hour after sunset, look at the sky in the southwest. Jupiter will look like a bright star and will be easily visible. Saturn will be slightly weaker and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will overtake him and reverse positions in the sky.
- The planets can be seen with the naked eye, but if you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may be able to see the four large moons of Jupiter orbiting the giant planet.
The conjunction of the two planets happens about every 20 years, but they are not always the same. Monday will be 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 March 1226 of the two planets – when Genghis Khan conquered Asia. The conjunction of Monday will be the closest pair that is visible since then.
Saturn will be the smallest and faintest light in the upper right of Jupiter. Despite appearances, Jupiter and Saturn will actually be more than 730 million kilometers away. Meanwhile, Earth will be 890 million kilometers from Jupiter.
“On the 21st, they will appear so close that a pink finger the length of an arm will easily cover both planets in the sky,” NASA said. “The planets will be easy to see with the naked eye, looking southwest immediately after sunset.”
The best way to take a look at the rare phenomenon is to look at it about an hour after sunset, according to NASA. The planets are visible to the naked eye.
“Jupiter will look like a bright star and will be easily visible,” NASA said. “Saturn will be slightly weaker and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and reverse positions in the sky.”
The next time they get so close to our sky will not be for another 60 years, so it will be a unique event in life for many people. In fact, the last time they met so close was in 1623, but it was really difficult, if not impossible, to see them then because they appeared much closer to the Sun and set immediately. Go back another 400 years to 1226 and this would have been the last time we had a good picture of this type of conjunction.
What advice would you give to people who want to see the great conjunction?
If you have a pair of binoculars, you will be able to easily observe both planets. Even in a small telescope, you would see both planets at the same time in the same field of view, which is truly unheard of. That makes this conjunction so rare.
Weather permitting at the Dyer Observatory, there will be a live conjunction stream from one of the observatory’s telescopes.
Throw in the winter solstice of the northern hemisphere, the longest night of the year – and the summer solstice of the southern hemisphere – and this show just in time for Christmas promises to be one of the biggest of the biggest conjunctions.
“The rarest thing is a close connection that appears in our night sky,” said David Weintraub, a professor of astronomy at Vanderbilt University. “I think it’s fair to say that such an event can usually happen only once in anyone’s life, and I think ‘once in my life’ is a pretty good test if something deserves to be labeled as rare or special.”
Their next super-tight pair: March 15, 2080.
– Kansas City Star, Associated Press, Conversation