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And what a show it is. On the 21st, Jupiter and Saturn have been getting closer since 1623. Jupiter, with its greatest orbital speed, glides just 0.1 degrees, about one-fifth the width of the moon, under Saturn. Since this happens early in the morning, when Jupiter and Saturn are not visible, the evening of the 20th or 21st will be the best time to look. The two planets will be so close that through a small telescope, along with many of their moons, they will fit into a single field of view.
Jupiter regularly surpasses Saturn in this way; on average, it passes the ringed planet every 19.6 years. But they won’t get close again until 2080. To see them, exit as soon as the sky darkens enough to reveal two spheres, one (Jupiter) much brighter, very low in the southwest. Try following the approach and separation of the planets for several days; let’s say, from the 16th to the 23rd. On the 16th, a very young and thin crescent moon comes out below them, forming a nice trio.
If you have neither a small telescope nor a good friend with one, try binoculars, especially if you can secure them with a tripod. If all else fails, the images of the event will surely appear online.
Winter officially comes with the solstice, at 4:02 am on the 21st. At that time the sun reaches a point above the Tropic of Capricorn and begins its annual journey to the northern sky. However, although the length of the day shortens as we approach the solstice, Minnesotans experience the first sunset of the year during the first two weeks of December (the date varies slightly by location). After the solstice, our sunrises will be even later for several days, but the darkness of the evening will have started to diminish.
The full moon of December arrives at 21:28 on the 29th. It rises in the late afternoon, facing a setting sun.
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Public views of the University of Minnesota night sky on the Duluth and Twin Cities campuses have been curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information, see:
Duluth, Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium: www.d.umn.edu/planet
Twin Cities, Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics: www.astro.umn.edu/outreach/pubnight
Check out astronomy programs, free telescope events, and planetarium shows at the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum: www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/astronomy
Find U of M astronomers and links to the world of astronomy at http://www.astro.umn.edu
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Minnesota Starwatch is a service of the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, located in the Tate Laboratory of Physics and Astronomy, 116 Church St. SE, Minneapolis MN 55455.
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