Rare “ Christmas star ” to light up the sky for the winter solstice

Star of wonders, star of the night.

As Christmas approaches, sky viewers will be treated with a heavenly wonder that has not been seen so clearly since 1226 – a “Christmas star”.

The rare phenomenon occurs when Jupiter and Saturn are very close and seem to almost collide, giving the impression of a double planet seen from Earth.

Some astronomers believe that the “star of Bethlehem” in the Nativity story was a conjunction of Jupiter, Saturn and Mars.

“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 of the planets to each other,” said Patrick Hartigan, astronomer at Rice University, Forbes. .

“One would have to go back until dawn on March 4, 1226 to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky,” Hartigan told Forbes.

Skywatchers hoping to spot Jupiter and Saturn, as well as their near collision in the sky, can do so after sunset on December 21 – the date of the winter solstice – using binoculars or a small telescope. , according to NASA.

At the winter solstice, the planets will only appear a tenth of a degree apart, which is the thickness of a penny held at arm’s length, according to NASA.

This circumstance occurs every 20 years this century, but NASA officials have said this event is “the greatest conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn” since the 17th century – and will not happen again until 2080.