Jupiter and Saturn are about to meet up together for the first time in almost 800 years. Both planets have been getting closer for months and between December 16 - 25, they will meet so close that they will form a double planet! It’s a Christmas miracle. While the planets will be separated by less than a quarter of the diameter of the full moon. And just after sunset on December 21st, we will witness this infrequent meeting for ourselves.
"Alignments between these two planets are very rare, occurring once every 20 years or more, but this connection is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will seem to one another," explained Patrick Hartigan, an astronomer at Rice University. In context, the last time they were lined up together was back in 1226. Basically, this is a once in a lifetime look and you definitely don’t want to pay for it.
Assuming the sky is cloudless on the night of the 21st, this incredible gathering should only be visible to anyone on Earth. According to experts, you are with the best chance of finding a double-planet about an hour after sunset. While the planets should be captured by the naked eye, telescope users will also be able to see their largest moon
According to Hartigan, this is an amazing and unique opportunity for stargazers to see the amazing celestial phenomenon, as it is happening almost 800 years later, also because the planets will not come this close again until March 2080, according to Hartigan. Then, he added, it would happen again after 2400.
0 Comments