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Jupiter and Saturn will form the Christmas star that was not seen 800 years ago
The planets weren’t that close in hundreds of years. The phenomenon still occurs before December 25.
It happens again in 2080
Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in the solar system and will be so close to each other in the coming weeks that it will give the illusion of creating a double planet, much brighter than usual. This phenomenon has not occurred for almost 800 years and is known as the Christmas star.
According to CNN, this name was given to him by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler, in 1614, given the biblical references to the star that guided the magi to the place where Jesus was born. Some say that a triple conjunction may have occurred at that time, with Venus joining the other two planets.
In fact, alignments between Jupiter and Saturn are rare, but generally occur every 20 years. “However, this conjunction is exceptionally rare due to the proximity to each other, ”astronomer Patrick Hartigan explained to CNN.
The closest you can see this December, only at the height of the Middle Ages, in 1226. The two planets have been getting closer since summer. The peak of the phenomenon will occur on the winter solstice, on December 21.
Still, this alignment of the two planets takes place between December 15 and 25. It is possible to see with the naked eye. You just have to look at the horizon line in the west, an hour after sunset.
This will be an illusion of proximity seen from Earth, since the two planets are millions of kilometers apart. According to projections by Patrick Hartigan, this double-planet approach will occur again in 2080.
