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This year, astronomers will have a chance to see a Christmas “kiss” under the interplanetary mistletoe as Jupiter and Saturn appear closer and brighter than in 800 years in an event known as a “grand conjunction.”
What is happening and how rare is it?
On the December 21 solstice, the planets will look like a bright star when the 12- and 29-year orbits of Jupiter and Saturn bring them together. The last major conjunction was in May 2000, but its position in the sky meant it was difficult to see. The great conjunction of 1623 (when Galileo Galilei was still alive) was also difficult to detect because, explains the Perth Observatory, it seemed close enough to the sun to have been “lost in the glare of the sun.”
“You would have to go back to just before sunrise on March 4, 1226 to see a closer alignment between these visible objects in the night sky,” according to Patrick Hartigan, an astronomer at Rice University in Texas.
That’s suspiciously close to Christmas day. Is there a relationship with the Star of Bethlehem?
It’s funny you ask. The Star of Bethlehem that guided the three wise men to the birthplace of Jesus Christ may also have been a grand conjunction. As the Encyclopaedia Britannica explains, several conjunctions occurred “within 10 years of the chronological point now considered the beginning of the Christian era.”
One of them was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, which in 7 BC were within one degree of each other three times in eight months. The Star of Bethlehem could also have been Venus and Jupiter, which in 2 BC. C., “it would have seemed to the observers in Babylon to have merged just before putting themselves in the general direction of Bethlehem towards the west”.
How can I see it
In 2020, the celestial phenomenon will be visible from anywhere on Earth, but conditions will be better near the equator, according to Hartigan. The Christmas “kiss,” as Australian National University astronomer Dr. Brad Tucker called it, will appear low in the western sky for about an hour after sunset.
NASA said people should look for them in the Southwest in the hour after sunset, when “the two giant planets will appear just a tenth of a degree apart, that’s about the thickness of a dime held with arm outstretched. “
Tucker explained what to look for as “a thin crescent moon and two bright objects right next to it.”
Fans can start practicing now, because the planets are already closing in. All that is required is a night with clear skies and a lookout with a clear horizon, with no buildings or trees in the way, according to the Cambridge Independent.
Jupiter is the largest planet, and those with very good eyesight, or a pair of binoculars, will be able to distinguish it from Saturn. For others, the planets will appear as a single star. Planets tend to shine more consistently, or twinkle less visibly, than stars, so that might help you differentiate.
Enough of science. What does this mean for my horoscope?
So, you want to know what astrological havoc, or magic, the encounter of these planets could herald for your future.
According to astrology superstar Susan Miller, “The Grand Conjunction sets the tone for the spirit for the next 20 years that will affect the arts, music, theater, literature, entertainment, designer fashion, food, music, math, science, politics, and government agenda. In other words, everything! “
