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Jupiter and Saturn will align themselves over Britain’s skies for the first time in 800 years in a phenomenon called the ‘Star of Bethlehem’.
Both gas giants have been getting closer together little by little since the beginning of the summer.
And, on December 21, the planets will appear to virtually overlap in the sky in a phenomenon not seen since the Middle Ages.
The conjunction will cause a radiant and brilliant light, which will lead many to compare it to the Star of Bethlehem.
Those in London and New York will see the planets near the horizon around 4 p.m., about an hour after the sun sets.
Telescopes may be needed to see the convergence in detail, but the light must be visible to the naked eye from a high vantage point.
Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer to each other in the night sky on December 21 than they have for nearly 800 years, astronomers have said. In the picture: how the night sky will appear in the southwest on the afternoon of the winter solstice
On December 21, the planets will appear to virtually overlap in the sky in a phenomenon not seen since the Middle Ages.
If you have a telescope and look up at Jupiter and Saturn on December 21, they will appear farther apart than Earth, but you will still see the larger moons and the two gas giants within the same field of view.
The German astronomer, Johannes Kepler, wrote in 1614 that he believed that the ‘star of Bethlehem’ in the Nativity story could have been a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.
The star led the three wise men to meet the baby Jesus.
Others have suggested that the ‘three wise men’ could have been following a triple conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus.
While Venus will not be visible as part of the 2020 conjunction, it will still be an impressive astronomical site, best seen at the equator but seen around the world.
At their closest position, Jupiter and Saturn will appear less than the width of a full moon in an incredible event that won’t repeat until 2080.
Convergence, which actually places the planets 500 million miles apart, will appear closer and closer to the horizon as it darkens until it is completely gone from view at 6:20 p.m.
The German astronomer, Johannes Kepler, wrote in 1614 that he believed that the ‘star of Bethlehem’ in the Biblical story of the three sages could have been a rare triple conduction of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus.
The next time Jupiter and Saturn will appear so close in the sky it will not be until March 15, 2080, when they will be highest in the sky and will be visible the longest.
Twitter users have been sharing images of the night sky showing Jupiter and Saturn (seen in the center between the trees) as they approach.
When Jupiter and Saturn (pictured here as bright lights) unite, they will be visible at twilight in the southwestern sky.
Having been ‘getting closer’ to each other since summer, the giant planets will come to appear less than the width of a full moon just after sunset on the winter solstice, pictured
The two planets will gradually get closer throughout November and December until they appear as a single object on December 21, before separating after Christmas.
The next time Jupiter and Saturn will appear so close in the sky it will not be until March 15, 2080, when they will be higher in the sky and will be visible the longest.
The next conjunction of the two bodies after that will not be until some time after the year 2400.
“On the night of closest approach, December 21, they will look like a double planet, separated by only one-fifth the diameter of the full moon,” added Professor Hartigan.
“For most telescopes, each planet and several of its largest moons will be visible in the same field of view that night.”
While Kepler thought that a conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn, and Venus was behind the story of the ‘star of Bethlehem’ in the Bible, others believed that it could have been another astronomical event, such as a large comet in the sky.
Professor Hartigan said the planetary duo will appear low in the western sky around sunset, and should be bright enough to be seen in the twilight sky.
In reality, the two planets will still be millions of miles apart, but they appear together due to differences in their orbit.
“The further north a viewer is, the less time they will have to glimpse the conjunction before the planets sink below the horizon,” explained Professor Hartigan.
“By the time the skies are completely dark in Houston, for example, the conjunction will be only 9 degrees above the horizon,” he added.
“Seeing that would be manageable if the weather cooperates and you have a clear view to the southwest.”
If you have a telescope and look up at the conjunction on December 21, you will see not only Jupiter and Saturn, but some of their largest moons in the same field of view, according to astronomers.
“The alignments between these two planets are quite rare, occurring about once every 20 years,” said astronomer Patrick Hartigan of Rice University in Houston, Texas.
“But this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will appear to each other,” he explained.
“You would have to go back to just before sunrise on March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these visible objects in the night sky.”
Royal Astronomical Society Deputy Executive Director Dr Roberty Massey told The Sun: “It’s a rare and spectacular event that’s free, so why not go enjoy it because the lockdown can’t stop it?”
He said that one area of the sky will be brighter than the rest, so looking at that will help the viewer detect convergence.
Users have been sharing images of Jupiter and Saturn, appearing as bright stars, as they approach in the lead up to their conjunction on December 21.
