Astronomical events of December 2020: geminid meteor shower, total solar eclipse, “ great conjunction ” of Jupiter, Saturn

This holiday season will be even brighter thanks to three astonishing astronomical events in December – including the best meteor shower of the year and a “double planet” sighting!

Geminid meteor shower

The Geminid meteor shower will peak on the evening of December 13-14. AccuWeather described it as the best meteor shower of the year, claiming it can bring in up to 120 meteors per hour.

The rain, made up of debris from the asteroid 3200 Phaethon, is known both for its quantity and for the bright, multi-colored meteors it produces.

The Geminids are named after Gemini because they appear to originate from the constellation.

And this year, the shower will be visible one day before a new moon, which means the sky will be particularly dark.

Total solar eclipse

A total solar eclipse will darken the skies over South America on December 14.

The path of totality will pass through Chile and Argentina, according to AccuWeather.

The “ great conjunction ” of Jupiter and Saturn

Jupiter and Saturn will reunite on December 21 for a rare “great conjunction”.

This means that the two will shine like a “double planet”, appearing only a tenth of a degree apart – or roughly the thickness of a penny at arm’s length.

The orbits of Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn only align like this every 20 years, and the last time the planets were this close in the night sky was 1623.