Jupiter and Saturn will align in December to create a seemingly “double planet” in the night sky — and it’s going to happen just before Christmas.
What’s going on?
Popular Mechanics reports that Jupiter and Saturn will align for the first time in centuries. In fact, the two planets haven’t been this close since the Middle Ages.
- The two planets will appear as a double planet on Dec. 21 — the winter solstice.
- The two planets will be separated by less than the diameter of the moon from Dec. 15 to Dec. 25.
Key quote:
- “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,” said Rice University astronomer Patrick Hartigan, according to SciTech Daily. “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.”
When to see it?
The two planets will align after sunset in the Northern Hemisphere. Saturn and Jupiter will appear together in the southwestern part of the sky, according to Yahoo! Finance.
- “If you’ve been waiting to take out your telescope, this may be the perfect opportunity. Even if you have an amateur telescope with the right eyepiece, you may be able to see the Galilean moons, the bands of Jupiter and Saturn’s rings all in one spectacular view.”