Nearly 800 years ago in 1226 two planets were visibly “on the same oar” in the night sky. That was the connection of Jupiter and Saturn. In a rare event, they appeared very close together, 1/15 of the apparent width of the moon.
This happened on March 4, 1226 – just a few months before Francis of Assisi died to give you an idea of the time frame. It was also the 20th year of Genghis Khan ‘s reign and a year before his death in 1227.
Although 1226 was the last time a close connection between Saturn and Jupiter was seen, this is not the last time it happened. In fact, a communion between Jupiter and Saturn occurs every 19.6 years. Because of the angle at which Jupiter (1.3º) and Saturn (2.5º) both orbit the sun, when they meet up every 19.6 years they will be at different distances from each other, anywhere from 4º or less. Therefore, it is even rarer to see a correlation of less than 1º.
In 2020 we will see one of the rarest close coming across, related to the tenth degree. To find a close connection similar to the one in 2020, as well as 1227, you have to go back to the 17th century.
In the summer of 1623 Galileo enjoyed the telescope he had made 14 years earlier, in 1609. Little did he know that a connection of planets was taking place. Even if he knew, he would not have seen. This planetary alignment occurred within 13º of the sun and was therefore not visible from Earth. A sad day for Galileo.
Now, in 2020, we get to see this vision in the coming weeks. If you look every night you can see the two planets coming closer together each evening.
The so-called “Great Conjunction” finally takes place on a winter solstice night.
That’s right! At the same time, at the beginning of the longest night of the year we see two planets appear separated by a tenth degree (0.1º). That’s about one-fifth the apparent diameter of the moon!
When you look through a telescope or even binoculars you may see both Saturn and Jupiter in the same frame (something rare already) as well as their Moons!
In fact, even if these two gas giants “appear” close together, they will still be hundreds of millions of miles apart. Jupiter is nearly 545 million miles from Earth, and Saturn another 455 million miles beyond that.
Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system and will shine brighter. Saturn will have a golden hue.
When these two planets “meet” on December 21, be sure to look at twilight and just after sunset. These two planets also “settle” very quickly and you don’t want to miss it! Look to post.
Some have called this meeting the “Christmas Star” because the two planets together on December 21 will appear so big and bright. However, I note that both astronomers and biblical scholars have proved that the star of Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth could not have been a connection between Jupiter and Saturn because there would be no connection during of that time only about half a degree, or about the width of the moon, and so not so clear. Of course it’s not as clear as we’ll see in December 21. Also remember that this event can happen at any time of the year, not just through December. It all depends on the 19.6 year cycle.
While this event will also happen in 2040 and 2060, it won’t be until March 15 2080 that they’ll be so close to this again, or maybe even just a tad closer than we’ll see in 2020.
If you see Christmas Star on December 21st be sure to send us your photos via KOMU 8 Weather App!