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According to astronomers, the two largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, will appear closer to each other in the night sky during the week of Christmas than at any time in the past 800 years.
Both gas giants have gradually moved closer to each other since the beginning of the summer and will appear almost like a dual planet system on December 21st.
The phenomenon, known as the conjunction, can be seen anywhere on Earth, but from the UK they will be very low on the horizon, seen just after sunset.
In their closest position, the two worlds will appear less than the width of a full moon, just after sunset on the winter solstice and until Christmas day.
The German astronomer Johannes Kepler wrote in 1614 that he believed that the “star of Bethlehem” in the story of the Nativity could be a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.
Others have suggested that the “three wise men” might have followed 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 all over the world.
Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer to each other in the night sky on December 21 than they have been for nearly 800 years, the astronomers said. In the photo, what the night sky in the southwest will look like on the evening of the winter solstice
On December 21, Saturn and Jupiter will appear low on the horizon just after sunset in the southwest – they will be less than a full moon width – appearing almost like an object
If you have a telescope and are looking towards Jupiter and Saturn on December 21st, they will appear further away than they are from Earth, but you will still see the larger moons and the two gas giants in the same field of view.
Those in London and New York will see the planets close to the horizon (at about 5.3 ° and 7.5 °, respectively about an hour after sunset.
“Alignments between these two planets are quite rare and occur about once every 20 years or so,” said astronomer Patrick Hartigan of Rice University in Houston, Texas.
“But this conjunction is exceptionally rare due to the proximity of the planets,” he explained.
“You should go back to just before sunrise on March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these visible objects in the night sky.”
The German astronomer Johannes Kepler wrote in 1614 that he believed that the “star of Bethlehem” in the biblical story of the three wise men could have been a rare triple conduction of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus
The next time Jupiter and Saturn appear this close in the sky it won’t be until March 15, 2080, when they will be higher in the sky and visible for longer.
The next such conjunction of the two bodies will not occur until sometime after the year 2400.
‘On the evening of the closest approach, 21 December, they will look like a double planet, separated only by 1/5 the diameter of the full moon,’ added Professor Hartigan.
“For most telescope viewers, each planet and many of their larger moons will be visible in the same field of view that evening.”
The next time Jupiter and Saturn appear this close in the sky it won’t be until March 15, 2080, when they will be higher in the sky and visible for longer.
Twitter users shared images of the night sky showing Jupiter and Saturn (seen in the center between the trees) as they approach.
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 may 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: Jupiter is about 5 AU from Earth (one AU is the distance of the Earth from the Sun) and Saturn is 10 AU from Earth, but they appear together due to differences in their orbit.
When Jupiter and Saturn (pictured here as bright lights) come together, they will be visible at dusk in the southwestern sky
Having “ approached ” each other since summer, the giant planets will appear at a distance less than the width of a full moon just after sunset on the winter solstice, pictured
The celestial view should – weather permitting – be visible from anywhere on Earth, experts said, although the best views can be had near the equator. “On the evening of the closest approach, December 21, they will look like a double planet, separated only by 1/5 the diameter of the full moon,” said US astronomer Patrick Hartigan. “For most telescope viewers, each planet and many of their larger moons will be visible in the same field of view that evening.”
The two planets will get closer and closer throughout November and December until they appear as a single object on December 21, before drifting apart after Christmas.
‘The further north a spectator is, the less time he or she will have to glimpse the conjunction before the planets sink below the horizon,’ explained Professor Hartigan.
“When the sky is completely dark in Houston, for example, the conjunction will be just 9 degrees above the horizon,” he added.
“Vision that would be manageable if the weather cooperates and you have an unobstructed view to the southwest.”
If you have a telescope and look up towards the December 21 conjunction, you will not only see Jupiter and Saturn, but some of their larger moons in the same field of view, according to astronomers.
Users shared images of Jupiter and Saturn – appearing as bright stars – as they approach together ahead of their conjunction on December 21st.
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