The great combination of Jupiter and Saturn captured in amazing photos from around the world

Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system, were visibly closer on Monday night than they were in 800 years – marking an extremely rare celestial event known as “great conjunction. ”

The conjunction occurs when the orbits of the two planets align every 20 years, but the event is not always visible, and the planets do not usually meet as close as on December 21.

This time, Jupiter and Saturn were only 0.1 degrees apart – less than the diameter of the full moon.

The planets were so close that, from some perspectives, they seemed to overlap completely, creating a rare “double planet” effect. However, while the planets appeared from Earth to be very, very close, in reality, they are still hundreds of millions of kilometers away.

The event coincided with the winter solstice and the week of Christmas, but can take place at any time of the year.

If you missed the show or if your sky appeared cloudy on Monday night, don’t worry – the planets will still appear extremely close in the night sky in the next few weeks, and dedicated astrophotographers share their best photos of the night’s social media.

Santa Barbara, California

Jupiter and Saturn align to form — Jupiter (L) and Saturn appear one tenth of a degree away on December 21, 2020, in Santa Barbara, California.

Rodin Eckenroth / Getty Images

Los Angeles California

US-ASTRONOMY — The planets Jupiter (L) and Saturn are seen from the Griffith Observatory on December 21, 2020, in Los Angeles, California.

PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP through Getty Images

Melbourne, Australia

The great conjunction. Jupiter and the largest 4 months (550 million miles away) and Saturn (1 billion miles away). Image of the telescope in Melbourne, Australia by Sajal Chakravorty pic.twitter.com/q5971CTD4A

– Tom Kierein (@TomKierein) December 22, 2020

Guatemala

New York, New York

Crescent Moon stands behind the Statue of Liberty in New York — Saturn and Jupiter sat behind the Statue of Liberty before the conjunction, on December 17, 2020, in New York.

Gary Hershorn / Getty Images

Texas

Alborz Mountains, Iran

conjuncţiepanorama1-s2-1024.jpg — A photographer captures a triple conjunction of the moon, Jupiter and Saturn in the Alborz Mountains of Iran, after sunset on December 17, 2020, before the great conjunction.

Alireza Vafa / NASA Astronomical image of the day

Koh Chang, Thailand

Brill, England

Jupiter and Saturn meet in the night sky for the great conjunction — Jupiter and Saturn are seen coming together in the night sky, over the sails of the Brill windmill, on December 20, 2020, in Brill, England.

Jim Dyson / Getty Images

Colorado Springs, Colorado

Kuwait City, Kuwait

TOPSHOT-KUWAIT-ASTRONOMY — A photo taken on December 21, 2020, in the al-Salmi district, a desert area, 120 km west of Kuwait, shows the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.

YASSER AL-ZAYYAT / AFP via Getty Images

How to follow the great conjunction

The great conjunction shines shortly after sunset, low in the southwestern sky, as seen from the northern hemisphere, NASA said.

Throughout December and early January, observers in the sky can easily observe the two planets with the naked eye. They are so bright that they are even visible in most cities.

Jupiter now looks brighter than any star in the sky. Saturn is slightly weaker, but still as bright as the brightest stars, with a recognized golden glow.

Saturn will appear slightly above and to the right of Jupiter and even looks as close to the planet as some of its own moons, visible through binoculars or a telescope. Unlike the twinkling stars, both planets will keep a constant brightness, easy to find on clear nights.

The event is observable from anywhere on Earth, provided the sky is clear. It is the easiest to observe along the equator, becoming more difficult to see further north.

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