One of the most happiest moments for the entire world in the current Coronavirus affected year 2020 is today’s “Great Conjunction Of Jupiter and Saturn”.
Earlier in the year 1623, the solar system’s two giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn, traveled together across the sky. Jupiter caught up to and passed Saturn, in an astronomical event known as a “Great Conjunction.”
The planets regularly appear to pass each other in the solar system, with the positions of Jupiter and Saturn being aligned in the sky about once every 20 years.
It’s been nearly 400 years since the planets passed this close to each other in the sky. But after nearly 800 years since the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter occurred at night, it is happening now. The planets will be easy to see with the unaided eye by looking toward the southwest just after sunset.
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From point on Earth, both the huge planets appear very close together, they will remain hundreds of millions of miles apart in space in reality.
For those who would like to see this phenomenon for themselves, here’s what to do:
- Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park. Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even from most cities.
- An hour after sunset, look to the southwestern sky. Jupiter will look like a bright star and be easily visible. Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and they will reverse positions in the sky.
- The planets can be seen with the unaided eye, but if you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter’s four large moons orbiting the giant planet.
Watch Live: The Great Conjunction Of Jupiter and Saturn
Source – StarEisLive
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.