The two largest planets in the solar system fall within the realm of a planetary kiss, a close connection that will not happen again until 2080.
The two largest planets in the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, came within the range of a planetary kiss in the sky on Monday afternoon, a close connection that will not happen again until 2080.
This “Great Conjunction”, as astronomers know it, happened fortunately at the winter solstice for those in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the southern hemisphere.
The two planets were, in fact, more than 730 million kilometers (400 million miles) apart. But because of their Earth orientation, they seemed to be closer together than at any time in nearly 400 years.
The best connection occurred at 18:22 GMT.
Saturn and Jupiter put behind a church in New Jersey, USA ahead of their connection called The Christmas Star, pictured 18 December 2020 [Gary Hershorn/Getty Images]
Monday’s best viewing conditions were in clear skies and near the equator, while people in western Europe and across Africa had to train the view to the southwest.
But hundreds of space fans gathered in the Indian city of Kolkata to watch through a telescope at a technology museum in the city, or from rooftops and surrounding open spaces.
And in Kuwait, an astrophotographer traveled into the desert west of Kuwait City to capture the once-in-a-lifetime event.
Looking through a telescope or even a good pair of binoculars, the two gas giants were separated by a fifth of the diameter of a full moon.
But with the naked eye, they would merge into a “very light” double planet, said Florent Deleflie of the Paris Observatory.
“The Grand Conjunction refers to a time when two planets are at the same position on Earth,” Deleflie said.
“With a small instrument – even a pair of binoculars – people can see Jupiter’s equatorial bands and Saturn’s key satellites and rings.”
Jupiter and Saturn’s last erection was closed in 1623, but the weather in areas where the reunion can be seen obstructed the view.
Visibility of the period prior to that time appeared to have been better in the Middle Ages, on 4 March 1226, to be precise.
Jupiter, which is on the largest planet, will take 12 years to orbit the sun, while Saturn will take 29 years.
Every 20 years or so, observers on Earth seem to be coming closer together.