As 2020 draws to a close, the solar system has decided to grace us with a cosmic Christmas miracle that has not been witnessed for nearly 800 years. On December 21 (also known as the December solstice), Jupiter and Saturn will line up so closely in the night sky that they will appear to collide from our vantage point here on Earth, creating a radiant bright spot often called ” Bethlehem Star “or” Christmas Star “.
© Getty / Vidmar Fernandes
Tonight, Jupiter and Saturn will line up to create the first “Christmas Star” in nearly 800 years.
“You should have returned by the morning of March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky.”
Video: “Great conjunction”: Earthlings treated with the rare alignment of Jupiter and Saturn (Reuters)
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IT FOLLOWS
“Alignments between these two planets are quite rare, occurring once every 20 years, but this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will look to each other,” said Patrick Hartigan, an astronomer at Rice University. to Forbes. “You should have returned by the morning of March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky.”
The event, sometimes called the Great Conjunction, takes place approximately every 19-20 years, but it is the closest that the planets will line up in the night sky since the Middle Ages. Technically, Saturn will be 10 au (astronomical units) from Earth, and Jupiter will be 5 au away, but they appear to be smaller than the diameter of a full moon.
To capture the phenomenon yourself, make sure you have a clear view to the southwest about 45 minutes after sunset. The planets will be closest on December 21, but the “Christmas Star” will be visible from anywhere on Earth about an hour after sunset in the northern hemisphere for the entire fourth week of December. If you watch with a telescope, you may see the largest moons of Jupiter and Saturn orbiting around them that week. The next big conjunction that will end will not happen until March 15, 2080, so be sure to take a look out the window later this month for a delicious holiday treat.
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