Thom Allen prepares a telescope to view the “Great Conjunction” of Saturn and Jupiter, visible in the center of the image, in the West Desert on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Also dubbed the Christmas Star, the conjunction is the closest together the two planets have passed in Earth’s sky in nearly 400 years. Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Thom Allen prepares a telescope to view the “Great Conjunction” of Saturn and Jupiter, visible in the center of the image, in the West Desert on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Also dubbed the Christmas Star, the conjunction is the closest together the two planets have passed in Earth’s sky in nearly 400 years. The planets aren’t actually close, of course. They are just lined up from our perspective in a way they won’t be for another 800 years. In actuality, they are about 450 million miles apart. Jupiter is 544 million miles from Earth while Saturn is 993 million miles from our planet.

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Jupiter, left, and Saturn are pictured from the West Desert during the “Great Conjunction” on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Also dubbed the Christmas Star, the conjunction is the closest together the two planets have passed in Earth’s sky in nearly 400 years. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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A group gathers to view the “Great Conjunction” of Saturn and Jupiter in the West Desert on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Also dubbed the Christmas Star, the conjunction is the closest together the two planets have passed in Earth’s sky in nearly 400 years. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Clark Allen prepares a telescope to view the “Great Conjunction” of Saturn and Jupiter, visible in the center of the image, in the West Desert on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Also dubbed the Christmas Star, the conjunction is the closest together the two planets have passed in Earth’s sky in nearly 400 years. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Saturn, right, and Jupiter, with several of its moons, are pictured from the West Desert during the “Great Conjunction” on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Also dubbed the Christmas Star, the conjunction is the closest together the two planets have passed in Earth’s sky in nearly 400 years. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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Stockton LaSalle uses a telescope to view the moon while the “Great Conjunction” of Saturn and Jupiter is visible in the top left of the image in the West Desert on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Also dubbed the Christmas Star, the conjunction is the closest together the two planets have passed in Earth’s sky in nearly 400 years. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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A group gathers to view the “Great Conjunction” of Saturn and Jupiter, visible in the top left, in the West Desert on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. Also dubbed the Christmas Star, the conjunction is the closest together the two planets have passed in Earth’s sky in nearly 400 years. | Spenser Heaps, Deseret News
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