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As 2020 draws to a close, the solar system has decided to gift us with a cosmic Christmas miracle that has not been seen for almost 800 years. On December 21 (aka the December solstice), Jupiter and Saturn will align so closely in the night sky that they will almost appear to collide from our vantage point here on Earth, creating a radiant point of light often referred to as the ” Star of Bethlehem ”or“ Christmas Star ”.
“One would have to go back to the dawn of March 4, 1226 to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky.”
“Alignments between these two planets are rather rare, occurring once every 20 years or so, but this conjunction is exceptionally rare due to the proximity between the planets,” said Patrick Hartigan, an astronomer at Rice University, according to at Forbes. “One would have to go back to the dawn of March 4, 1226 to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky.”
The event, sometimes referred to as the Great Conjunction, occurs about every 19 to 20 years, but it’s the closest planets have aligned in the night sky since the Middle Ages. Technically, Saturn will be 10 AU (astronomical units) from Earth, and Jupiter will be 5 AU away, but they will appear to be less than the diameter of a full moon apart.
To get a glimpse of the phenomenon for yourself, make sure you have a clear view to the southwest about 45 minutes after sunset. The planets will be at their closest on December 21, but the “Christmas Star” will be visible from anywhere on Earth for about an hour after sunset in the Northern Hemisphere for the entire fourth week of December. If you look through a telescope, you might also be able to see the larger moons of Jupiter and Saturn orbiting them that week. This closing’s next big conjunction won’t happen until March 15, 2080, so be sure to peek out the window later this month for some brilliant holiday fun.
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