Winter Solstice, Christmas Star

I like to take note of the Winter Solstice as I did in 2014 here.  It's the shortest day of the year, so it's all downhill from here to those glorious, long June nights in B'game when you can sit out in the dusk until 9:30.  I'm not too affected by the darkness being a nighthawk to begin with, but I know many people for whom it is a struggle and this year is probably the worst ever.  The shortest day means the longest night and tonight is special since it marks a Jupiter - Saturn Conjunction.  As this site notes  and shows a great time lapse rendering

The year 2020 will end with a special astronomical event: the closest great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 397 years. On December 21, the two planets will almost touch in the sky.  Since September 2020, Jupiter has been moving closer and closer to Saturn in the early evening sky. Wherever you are in the world—even in light-polluted urban environments—the two planets are an impressive sight, and easy to find after sunset. If you're in the Northern Hemisphere, look toward the southwest.

You can also use my new favorite app, Sky Guide, and easily locate stars, constellations and planets.  No more memorizing what is where like when I was a Boy Scout.

On December 21, the day of the conjunction, Jupiter and Saturn will be separated by a mere 0.1 degrees, and may appear as a single bright “star.” The two planets are completely merged together on our Night Sky Map for this date, although a careful observer should be able to separate them in the sky with the naked eye.   The pair of planets will become visible at twilight, close to the southwestern horizon in the Northern Hemisphere, or the western horizon in the Southern Hemisphere. They will set within a couple of hours or so, so it is important to have a clear view toward the horizon.

As Jupiter and Saturn will rendezvous just a few days before Christmas, forming what will look like a single bright object in the sky, the 2020 great conjunction is sometimes also called the “Christmas star” or “Bethlehem star.”  In fact, some scholars have theorized that the original Christmas star, known as the Star of Bethlehem, might also have been a great conjunction.

The December 21, 2020 conjunction will be the closest great conjunction since July 16, 1623. At the great conjunction of 1623, Jupiter and Saturn were slightly less than 0.1 degrees apart. However, this event would have been difficult—although not impossible—to observe since the two planets were near the Sun.  The last time that the two planets were easily observable when separated by less than 0.1 degrees was almost 800 years ago, during the great conjunction of 1226.

There is more on the site linked above, so check it out and get outside after sunset to see the Christmas Star.

Update:  A friend who lives on "Panoramic Heights" in San Carlos and is very capable with a telescope and camera sent me this picture (taken with a 1200 mm lens)!  Enjoy!

Comments

[Handle Bard]

What a great show this was tonight. The fog came through at sunset and I thought it would all be a big bust but it cleared and looked awesome. Saturn is one million miles away!

[Joe]

I just added a spectacular photo that a friend in Belmont sent me.