Jupiter and Saturn to align in the sky this month as 'Christmas Star'

llleopard

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Apr 12, 2017
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Apparently so @llleopard !

“Best of all, the spectacle, which will be visible from all over the world, can be enjoyed without any special equipment—just look southwest, as soon as the sky gets dark. Those with access to a telescope are in for an additional rare treat: With a typical amateur instrument set to low power, the two giant planets will fit within a single field-of-view. Jupiter, with its four bright moons, and Saturn, with its distinctive rings, will be visible all at once.”

We looked last night but it was too cloudy. Hoping for a better view tonight! My brother in law is an astronomer with his own little observatory, so he will be taking awesome photos. Exciting! The last big thing I remember seeing was Haley's Comet.
 

Red Sky at Morning

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A lot of people are looking into the significance of this conjunction. On the one hand, it may simply be the random alignment of a couple of planets on a day which we regard as significant. Confirmation bias may be giving this chance event significances that are more to do with our internal beliefs than any external reality. On the other hand, the one who made the planets and set them in motion may have some purpose in it.



 
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SkepticCat

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Mar 14, 2017
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What is the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, and what does it have to do with this year's winter solstice?
By chance, 2020's winter solstice falls on the same day as what is known as the great conjunction of the two planets in our solar system. Jupiter and Saturn align with one another (from our earthly vantage point) around once every two decades. But this time they will be passing closer than they have in nearly four centuries. What's more, this is the first time Saturn and Jupiter have aligned at night in 800 years. That means it will be visible almost anywhere on Earth according to NASA.


Due to its proximity to Christmas Day on December 25, the event has been dubbed the "Christmas star."


NASA astronomer Henry Throop said in a statement: "Conjunctions like this could happen on any day of the year, depending on where the planets are in their orbits.


"The date of the conjunction is determined by the positions of Jupiter, Saturn, and the Earth in their paths around the Sun, while the date of the solstice is determined by the tilt of Earth's axis. The solstice is the longest night of the year, so this rare coincidence will give people a great chance to go outside and see the solar system."
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/winter-solstice-time-and-meaning-as-it-falls-on-great-conjunction-of-jupiter-and-saturn/ar-BB1c6JcY
 

Cintra

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Who got to see it?

I saw it after sunset on the 20th, they were really close.
But it had all clouded over by the night of the 21st.
 
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