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Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system, are putting on a heavenly show just in time for the holidays.
On December 21, which coincidentally is the summer solstice, these planets will line up in a “grand conjunction”, causing them to appear closely together in the night sky.
They will appear as if they are only one-fifth the diameter of a full moon, says Dr. Daniel Cunnama, a scientific astronomer at the South African Astronomical Observatory.
Although this astrological event occurs every 20 years, we do not always see it well from Earth. In fact, NASA claims that this is the “greatest great conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn” that we can expect to see until 2080.
Media reports are calling the phenomenon a “rare double planet”, “Christmas Star” or the “Star of Bethlehem”.
These holiday nicknames are not technically correct because you will be looking for two planets, not a single star, says Cunnama.
He says they likely come from the work of Johannes Kepler, a prominent 17th-century German astronomer who argued that the star of Bethlehem in Biblical history was actually the result of a grand conjunction.
HOW TO BETTER SEE THE GREAT CONJUNCT
Look toward the western horizon just after sunset and you can see Jupiter and Saturn, the two brightest objects in the sky, in the same field of view, Cunnama cautions.
These planets should be visible to the naked eye, but if you want a closer look and don’t have a telescope handy, binoculars will suffice.
While not of great astronomical significance, Cunnama says events like this grand conjunction are wonderful because “they give everyone the opportunity to reconnect with the stars and planets and look beyond Earth and all its problems.”
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