After sunset on the evening of December 21, 2020, Jupiter And Sat. Earth’s night sky will appear closer compared to medieval times, giving people the opportunity to explore the world in the winter solstice.
“Arrangements between these two planets are very rare, occurring once every 20 years or so, but this connection is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets are to each other,” said Patrick Hartigan, an astronomer at Rice University. “You have to go all the way at 4 o’clock at night, just before early morning on 1226, to see the close alignment between these objects appearing in the night sky.”
Jupiter and Saturn have been approaching each other in the Earth’s sky since summer. By December 16-25, the two will be separated by less than the diameter of the full moon.
A view showing how the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction will appear in a telescope toward the western horizon on December 21, 2020 at 6 p.m. The image is adapted from the graphics by the open-source Planetarium software software Stellarium. Credit: This work, “jupsat1”, is adapted from Stellarium by Patrick Hartigan, used under GPL-2.0, and courtesy of Patrick Hartigan by C.C. Provided under BY 4.0.
On the evening of the approach approaching December 21, they will look like a double planet, separated by a full moon diameter of only 1/5, “said Hartigan, a professor of physics and astronomy.” For most telescope viewers, each planet and most of its largest moons He will appear in the field in the evening. “
The best viewing conditions will be close to the equator, however, this event will be seen anywhere on Earth, weather-permitting. Hartigan said the eclipse would appear low in the western sky about an hour after sunset each evening.
He said, “The lower the north direction, the less glimpses of the compound will be taken before the planets sink below the horizon. Luckily, the planets will be bright enough to see at twilight, which many U.S. This may be the best time for viewers to observe the connection.
“The sky in Houston is completely dark, for example, the connection will be only 9 degrees above the horizon,” Hertigen said. “If the weather cooperates and you have an unobstructed view of the southwest, it will be manageable to watch.”
But an hour after sunset, people looking at the sky in New York or London will find the planets closer to the horizon, about 7.5 degrees and 5.3 degrees, respectively. That said, it would be nice to get a glimpse of the rare astronomical sight after sunset as soon as possible, in the audience and at the same latitude.
Those who prefer to wait for Jupiter and Saturn in this near and higher altitude in the night sky will have to stick around until March 15, 2080, Hertig said. After that, the pair will not make this kind of appearance until after the year 2400.
