Jupiter And Saturn Will Appear Together In December, First Time In 800 Years

Earth¡¯s skies are going to witness a rare occurrence that was last spotted in the middle ages -- as claimed by astronomer Patrick Hartigan from Rice University.

On December 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will appear as if they¡¯ve fused together, as winter solstice rolls on.

Artist Representation

Hartigan explains, ¡°Alignments between these two planets are rather rare, occurring once every 20 years or so, but this conjunction is exceptionally rare because of how close the planets will appear to one another. You¡¯d have to go all the way back to just before dawn on March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky.¡±

Astronomers have been seeing the two gargantuan planets approach one another in Earth¡¯s sky since summer this year. However, from December 16 to December 25, the two would be separated with a distance less than the diameter of a full moon -- in case you didn¡¯t know, that¡¯s really close.

Hartigan added, ¡°On the evening of closest approach on December 21 they will look like a double planet, separated by only 1/5th the diameter of the full moon. For most telescope viewers, each planet and several of their largest moons will be visible in the same field of view that evening.¡±

In case you were wanting to catch a glimpse of this rare celestial event, you¡¯re in luck. While this would be spotted the best from regions closer to Earth¡¯s equator, the fusion of the two planets will be visible from anywhere around the world.

Artist Representation

Hartigan does state that the further north someone is from the equator, the lesser time will they get to see the planets in action. However, the planets will be bright enough to be visible in the twilight. ¡°By the time skies are fully dark in Houston, for example, the conjunction will be just 9 degrees above the horizon. Viewing that would be manageable if the weather cooperates and you have an unobstructed view to the southwest,¡± says Hartigan.

In case you do miss this event, the next time you¡¯ll see something like this is 60 years later in 2080, and after that, these two planets won¡¯t come together like this until year 2400.