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We are just one day away from the long-awaited night of December 21, when Jupiter and Saturn will engage in their “grand conjunction.” It will be the closest approach to Jupiter and Saturn since shortly after the telescope was invented in the early 17th century.
On December 21, Jupiter will shine at magnitude -2.0, while Saturn will be ten times dimmer at just +0.64.
Both planets will be brought closer together in the night sky by an astronomical event called the “great conjunction” and popularly known as the “Christmas Star”.
The planets appear to intersect regularly in the solar system, with the positions of Jupiter and Saturn aligned in the sky about once every 20 years.
So what makes this year’s event so unique?
It has been almost 400 years since the planets passed so close to each other in the sky and almost 800 years since Saturn and Jupiter aligned at night, as it will be in 2020. This more relative alignment will appear with only one tenth of a degree of away and last a few days.
On the night of December 21, 2020, the grand conjunction can be seen with the naked eye looking southwest just after sunset.
Henry Throop, an astronomer in the Division of Planetary Sciences at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said: “Conjunctions like this could occur on any day of the year, depending on where the planets are in their orbits. The date of the conjunction is determined by Jupiter, Saturn, and the Earth on their paths around the Sun, while the tilt of the Earth’s axis determines the date of the solstice. The solstice is the longest night of the year, so this rare coincidence will give people a great opportunity to get out and see the solar system. “
For those who wish to see this phenomenon for themselves, here is what to do:
- Find a place with a clear view of the sky, such as a field or park. Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even from most cities.
- An hour after sunset, look up at the southwestern sky. Jupiter will look like a bright star and will be easily visible. Saturn will be slightly weaker and appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will catch up, and they will change 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.
