You've never seen Jupiter and Saturn this close together.
No one has for the last 794 years.
So, the Great Conjunction on Monday, Dec. 21 is worth braving the cold for an outside peek at the cosmos.
People are using the term "Christmas star," and are making Star of Bethlehem comparisons to this late-December winter solstice pairing of Jupiter and Saturn.
"How close they get to each other is usually far enough apart to easily distinguish each planet with the naked eye," said Frank Marzano of the Beaver County Amateur Astronomers. "That will not be the case this year. The two will appear as one planet for almost everyone.
"A very rare occurrence, which has not occurred since the year 1623," he added. "But when that occurred, both were very close to the sun so no one could notice. So go back to the year 1226 for as close a conjunction that is also able to be seen in some dark sky."
Experts have dubbed this "The Great Conjunction," the latter word an astronomical term for when two or more objects align closely with each other in the night sky.
"It can be one moving object like a planet getting close to a stationary object like a star, but the really special conjunctions are those between two or more moving objects," Marzano said. "Far and away the most common of conjunctions is that of the moon and the various planets. This is because of the moon's rapid orbit about the Earth.
"Less common are the conjunctions of two planets," he continued. "The most spectacular from a brightness standpoint is when the brightest planet Venus and the second brightest planet Jupiter get close to each other. Just as with the moon, the relatively quick orbit of Venus around the sun makes a conjunction with Jupiter — and other planets — fairly common."
But here's where things get super rare.
"When it comes to Jupiter and Saturn, the time between conjunctions is a lot longer due to both planets' slower orbit about the sun (11 years for Jupiter; 29 for Saturn). So about every 20 years, there is a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction. So approximately only 100 Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions have occurred since the year 1 CE (Common Era or AD)."
Best viewing tips
What are the best viewing tips for seeing our solar system's two biggest planets nearly resembling one in a Great Conjunction?
"The day of the closest approach to each other is on Monday, Dec. 21, but for a couple of days before and after that they will be so close that they will fit in the same field of view in a low power telescope," Marzano said. "You want to be looking in the southwest a little bit after sunset. Both planets are low above the horizon so you don't want to wait too long. The naked eye is sufficient, but binoculars — or better yet, a telescope — will provide the most impressive views. Observe in a telescope at low power."
This year's timing, days before Christmas, further fuels the public's interest.
"Throughout Christendom, the importance of the 'Christmas Star' in the narrative of Jesus' birth is well known," Marzano said. "Conjunctions, like the appearance of comets and supernova — bright new stars from when old ones die — have been interpreted by astrologers for thousands of years as heralds of important events.
"We still don't know for sure what the 'Christmas Star' was. It could have been a conjunction of planets, but doing the math backwards doesn't get close to the 4 BC consensus for Jesus' birth. But who knows, maybe the consensus is wrong. Or more likely it was a bright comet or supernova explosion."
In the January newsletter to members of Concord Church in North Sewickley Township, pastor John Phipps mentions the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter.
"With the tumultuous year of 2020, combined with the occurrence so close to Christmas, naturally makes us think of the star over Bethlehem, which the Magi followed, bringing gifts after the birth of Jesus," Phipps wrote.
The Magi, students of astronomy and astrology and likely ancestors to the modern-day Kurds, were compelled by that first Christmas star to make a journey that could have been 800 miles — approximately the same distance from Beaver Falls to Jackson, Miss.
"It would have been a long, difficult journey," Phipps said. "Yet, the star brought them hope and direction in the midst of a difficult world. Take time to reflect upon this biblical story. Allow the rare Christmas Star of 2020 to stir questions in your own heart much like the Magi. The past year has been a difficult and strenuous season. Yet, the star shines in the night sky to remind us that there is hope in the darkness."
Local skies are forecast to be clear by early Monday evening. Temperatures should hover around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, so the stargazing should be good, and ready for folks to draw whatever symbolism they'd like of this rare celestial event happening at the end of this unprecedented year.
Not that anyone had telescopes then, but history shows that 1226 was a year of great strife, too.
"That's just shy of 800 years ago," said Amy Oliver, spokeswoman for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, in a USA Today interview.
"Call (2020's conjunction) a unique holiday gift to the world," she said. "Maybe it's the soothing Band-Aid for 2020."
https://www.timesonline.com/story/news/local/2020/12/17/saturn-and-jupiter-have-rare-encounter-monday-great-conjunction-occurs/6543284002/
2020-12-17 12:41:20Z
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