Two huge worlds are going to collide. Sort.
Jupiter and Saturn are meeting this month. That every 20 years they do something, only this year the neighboring planets will appear on the dome of our sky close to each other at any stage from the Middle Ages.
Jupiter is already a bright star-like object that any Earthling could see in the evening sky. But on December 21, Jupiter and Saturn are approaching so that they will appear as a bright spot of light, which some call the “Christmas Star” or “Star of Bethlehem.”
“Jupiter comes around the sun every 12 years. Saturn goes around every 30 years. For us it means that when we look at our sky, Jupiter and Saturn. We call it a connection, “said Mike Hansey, manager of the Buhl Planetarium at Carnegie Science Center on the north coast of Pittsburgh. “At a time when planets or other objects appear very close to each other. But this one is very special because it is a great connection. ”
So, how can it be said that these two planets will be “close” when they are separated by 3 403 million miles?
“They are closer than usual in space and because of our perspective on Earth they will appear closer,” Hennessy said. “Since summer, Saturn has been chasing Jupiter out of the night sky, basically.
“You can think of it as two runners and Jupiter is on the inner track around the sun and Saturn is on the outer track. But they are at their orbital points where they are now moving around the sun like a neck and neck. So, they will be closer to each other, ”said Hansie.
Here’s another way of thinking about it: Jupiter and Saturn together will form the equivalent of one-fifth of the diameter of the full moon in the night sky.
And Jupiter and Saturn will be so close that stargazers can see them together through a telescope, according to Lou Lou Cobain, an electronic technician / administrator at the University of Pittsburgh’s Allegheny Observatory. Cobain said Covid-19 worries will prevent people from entering the observatory but they will have the opportunity to see plenty from home.
“If you pair them with a normal telescope, a small telescope or a telescope, you’ll see the two largest planets in the solar system in the same field of view as an eyepiece,” Koben said. “You can see Saturn’s clouds and the moons around Jupiter.”
Hennessy said this is a particularly good year to see Saturn’s rings.
“Saturn’s rings are really very thin. They are an average of 30 feet thick, believe it or not, “said Hansie. “It’s hard to see the rings for a few years but this year you can. Saturn’s rings are tilted towards the earth so you can see the north face of the rings really well. ”
Hennessy said the best time to see the connection on December 21 is in the evening, between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., looking southwest.
“I think it’s exciting because, for me, a space event like this is a reminder to people that we will all share and enjoy the sky.” “It’s fun to think of seeing Jupiter and Saturn through a telescope right now as we continue the tradition of Galileo.”
The next great alliance will not happen again until 2080, according to Cobain.
“I want people to put duct tape on their socks, because this will make their socks bounce,” Koben said.
Paul Guggenheimer is a Tribune-review staff writer. You can contact Paul at 724-226-7706 or [email protected].
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