Outer Space – They have been much longer than we are, and we will be very long before they disappear, but Saturn and Jupiter will join this year’s great convention just for the sake of a cosmic moment.
In anticipation of the 2020 Bilds Convention, where Saturn and Jupiter meet at a point of light on Monday, December 21, two Utah astronomers offer their insights and advice to fellow stargazers.
NASA Solar System Ambassador Patrick Wiggins said of the significance of the event, “I’m not promoting the brightness or elegance of this event.” “I’m continuing the rarity.”
Wiggins is not exaggerating when he said that if you try to see the bright point of light that will become Saturn and Jupiter next Monday, you will see a scene never seen before by any of your fellow passengers on Earth. After Galileo’s first days exploring Jupiter’s satellites in a telescope, two gas giants appeared nearby, NASA reported.
BYU astronomy professor Dennis Stephen has encouraged his astronomy students to explore the two planets after going home for Christmas. They should be witnesses to join, even if they are nowhere in the world, Stephen said.
Back in Utah, however, we may face unique challenges. First, you have to be fast.
“It’s a kind of race,” Wiggins said of the need to look at the joint as soon as possible.
Both astronomers suggest observing the sky an hour after sunset when both planets will be low enough on the horizon that mountains in the west could block the view. To find out if this is a problem for you, Viggins suggests going out now and tracking Jupiter and Saturn every day. If you can’t see them today because of an obstacle, you won’t see them on the 21st.
Also, if you start observing the two planets now, you will see that they are getting closer every night. “The solar system is looking at this speed,” Wiggins said.
Utah’s erratic weather can also stop the show. While the starlight may not glow through the cloud cover, Jupiter is bright enough to break the Northern Utah inversion.
Jupiter is the first bright “star-like” object to appear above the southwest horizon, and Saturn, somewhat slower, is above and to its left, Wiggins explained. Unlike most of the world right now, on December 21, the two planets will not be socially distant. From the earth, it will appear that both arms are separated by the thickness of the dime placed on the length. However, both Wiggins and Stephens are careful not to expect any change in brightness again.
Although many call this a Christmas star, that doesn’t mean the two planets will give extra light. Many believe that the star of Bethlehem may be a pair of planets. Stephen said that if this were the case, he would be standing, not visually, but symbolically towards Magi. The Saturn-Jupiter planetary combination, which occurred around iter-8 BC, could signal to men the birth of a kind and just king – Jupiter represents kindness, and Saturn represents justice. Stephens explains that the next Jupiter-Venus conjunction may have the same meaning.
Asked about the significance of this year’s great alliance, Stephen said, “I would love to see it as a sign of better things to come.”
How this highly publicized astronomical event will shine, however, is by the right optics.
“Looking through a telescope, whose vision is very narrow, and being able to see two planets at the same time is a rare phenomenon,” Wiggins said.
The Diehard astronomer said he would begin observing the sun before it disappears, although he did not recommend it to green astronomers. But anyone who is even the most basic of binoculars should see both Saturn and Jupiter at the same time in the telescope’s eyepiece. Jupiter and Saturn are two of the three things in the sky that affect people the most, he attested. He remembers himself as “incredible” as the first sighting of Saturn as a child.
The next Great Conjugation is in 80 years, Wiggins said. That means the kids have a big shot at witnessing a repeat eye, unlike the previous pay generation who didn’t see Haley’s two-timer club who saw Haley’s comet in 1910 and then in 1983. Their advice to young people: What a picture you see. When the next Great Conjunction revolves around, you will have a good story to tell with evidence.
If you don’t have a telescope, a pair of binoculars would be almost fine. With 20x magnification, Wiggins said, you’ll be able to create a bulge of Jupiter’s four satellites and Saturn’s rings.
But if something you can collect is simple, with the naked eye, that’s fine too. “Look at it with the blink of an eye!” Wiggins got a boost.
Stephens gives the same enthusiasm.
“This will be a great way to end 2020,” he said.
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