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Many are longing for the star of Bethlehem these days. After the redemption of this time Crown. In fact, on December 21 there will be a spectacular celestial phenomenon that is reminiscent of the star of the Christmas story: the great conjunction. Jupiter and Saturn are in conjunction, which means in line with the earth.
Very close conjunction
What is special about the December 21 conjunction is that it is a very close conjunction in which the two gas giants are separated by just six arc minutes, explains Adrian Jäggi, director of the Astronomical Institute at the University of Bern. Six minutes of arc correspond to a claw-size angle of five at a distance of ten meters. Very close together. The astronomy professor says:
2000 years ago, the wise men of the East were guided by the Star of Bethlehem. So will we see such a phenomenon again on Monday? Such a closeness of the two giant planets is not noticeable here on Earth, the gravitational effect is too small for that. “But the optical observation of this phenomenon on December 21 around 6pm in the southwestern sky near the horizon should be special,” says Jäggi. And it explains that a normal conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn occurs every 19.86 years, but not a greater conjunction with such proximity between the planets.
In 6 BC
And the point in time for such large conjunctions can be calculated with relative precision today using celestial mechanics. The only small uncertainty is the irregular rotation of the earth, but this is insignificant in this context, explains the professor of astronomy. “And these calculations now show that in 6 BC there was actually not only a major conjunction, but even a so-called major conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn,” says Jäggi. Planetary researchers speak of a triple encounter that appears particularly bright in the sky. The special thing about this Great Conjunction is that it took place in the constellation Pisces, and especially that it took place at the tip of the zodiacal light. “From the perspective of the Three Kings, the zodiacal cone of light apparently pointed in the direction of Bethlehem.”
“The Bible is not a historical source”
So actually, there is a possibility that the Star of Bethlehem was a Great Conjunction. However, in the conjunction of next Monday, the two planets are much closer together than in the year 6 BC. C. If it was 6 arc minutes on December 21, it was 60 arc minutes about 2000 years ago. The Bern Astronomical Society soberly writes on its website about the Bethlehem Conjecture: The Bible is not a historical source. Another suggestion, often heard, is that the star could have been a comet with a striking tail. Adrian Jäggi disagrees. Comet Haley is in fact the year 12 BC. C. It was seen. However, this date does not fit into the historically relevant time window of the birth of Christ.
Starts at 5 pm
However, on Monday astronomers are less interested in the Bible than in the celestial mechanical planetary constellation. According to the Bern Astronomical Society, Jupiter and Saturn will appear around 5 p.m. And deep in the southwest. This can be clearly seen with binoculars at 10x magnification from an elevated position with a clear view of the horizon. According to astronomers in Bern, the first details can be seen with binoculars shortly after 5 p.m. Not only the two giant planets, but also the moons of Jupiter, Callisto and Europa. However, at dusk, Saturn’s moon Iapetus can only be seen with a telescope. With a little luck with the weather, a millennium show will delight us.
