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The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs every 20 years. But this time, the space giants will get closer to each other at the minimum visible distance since 1623: it will be only a tenth of a degree.
On the night of December 21, the date of the winter solstice in the northern hemisphere, the great conjunction of Jupiter with Saturn will occur: the largest planets in our solar system will approach each other as closely as possible.
For observers on Earth, the two gas giants, separated only by a tenth of a degree, they will become a super bright point of light in the sky. This will be the closest conjunction of the two planets in nearly 400 years.
Jupiter ‘overtakes’ Saturn
The orbits of all the planets in the solar system lie roughly in the same plane, called the ecliptic plane. Because of this, when viewed from Earth, all the planets move through the sky along roughly the same path, at different speeds (and sometimes even in different directions), so regularly one of planets ‘overtake’ each other in the sky. Actually, at this moment, these two planets and the Earth they are on the same line.
The planets near the Sun are the ones that most often approach other planets in the sky: Mercury and Venus, once every year and a half, Mars, about once every two years. At the same time, for example, Uranus and Neptune get closer only once every 170 years.
As the closest planet to the Sun from the point of view of a terrestrial observer, Jupiter moves through the sky slightly faster than Saturn. Therefore, before the conjunction, Jupiter will catch up with Saturn and then overtake it.
The conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurs once every 20 years. But this time, the space giants will get closer to each other at the minimum visible distance since 1623: it will be only a tenth of a degree.
See the phenomenon without much effort
These celestial bodies will appear on the southern or southwestern horizon and Jupiter can be distinguished by being the brighter of the two. Meanwhile, Saturn is more yellow and has a slower movement.
The alignment between these two planets will be visible from anywhere on Earth, however, it will be best seen at sites close to the equator. According to experts, it is important to have a completely clear horizon.
In addition, astronomy fans will be able to see the phenomenon without much effort. In that sense, NASA assures that they will be able to observe it without special equipment and easily photograph it with DSLR cameras or even cell phone cameras.
