Jupiter and Saturn will have their closest encounter in almost 800 years on the last solstice of 2020
They will form a celestial beacon in the sky tonight which has been compared to the ‘Star of Bethlehem’ or an early “Christmas star” because of its occurrence hear the holiday.
The two largest planets in the solar system have been slowly getting closer since the summer, and will now appear like a double planet system in a conjunction can be viewed by eye from anywhere on Earth.
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According to NASA Jupiter and Saturn will not appear this close in the sky again until 2080 when they will be higher in the sky and visible for longer.
The next conjunction of the two bodies after that will not be until sometime after the year 2400.
Today reports: The last time this is believed to have been witnessed was in the year 1226, according to Michael Shanahan, the director of the Liberty Science Center Planetarium in New Jersey.
“The interesting thing about these long cycles in astronomy is that they come back at very different epochs of human history,” Shanahan told TODAY. “The event that happened in the Middle Ages in 1226 occurred before dawn, so there was about an hour and a half before the sun rose to see it.”
The last time astronomers believe it was possibly visible was in 1623, but it occurred right at sunset and Shanahan said there is no record of anyone having noticed it because the two planets were lost in the light of the setting sun.
There also has been speculation that the conjunction of the planets formed the “Christmas Star” or Star of Bethlehem that the three wise men in the Nativity story in the Bible were thought to have seen that inspired them to ultimately travel to Bethlehem for the birth of Jesus.
“One possibility is that these two planets did join together in 7 B.C., about a year before the earliest possible time of the birth of Jesus, so that it could’ve been a conjunction of the two planets,” Shanahan said. “If the wise men were, as we think, in fact astrologers, that could’ve been a thing they saw in 7 B.C. and said, ‘Oh, there’s a big event happening, let’s go to Bethlehem and check it out.”
Alignments between Jupiter and Saturn occur about every 20 years, but normally they are no closer than the width of two full moons. On Dec. 21, they will appear — emphasis on appear, as the planets are still millions of miles away from each other — just a tenth of a degree apart, which about the thickness of a dime held at arm’s length, according to NASA.
The two planets will appear close in the sky for this whole month, which people can see by looking southwest just after sunset, NASA astronomer Henry Throop told TODAY in an email.
“For people who see it a few times during the period, it is a great chance to see the motions of the planets,” Throop said. “You can imagine Jupiter and Saturn as runners on a track. Jupiter is moving faster, and looking from one night to the next, people will be able to see Jupiter approaching and passing Saturn in their paths around the sun.”
Shanahan had some tips for the best way to view the rare planetary alignment on Dec. 21, which is the winter solstice, meaning it’s the shortest day of the year in terms of sunlight in the Northern Hemisphere.
Make sure you have a view to the southwest unobstructed by trees or buildings for a little over an hour after sunset. Viewers will also have to hope for clear weather on that night as well.
Niamh Harris
Christ was not born in December or even in the winter.
Unreal, i was just writing the same thing. Great minds think alike Christian!!
True story, when i made a decision to walk as close as possible to God, things just started happening to me. I stopped wanting to buy a christmas tree, had no desire for this holiday, and i was not sure why. later I learned the origins of the tree, and that Christ was not even born in the winter, and learned that the whole buying presents for people was a very selfish thing to do. we give gifts to our neighbors of things like home grown food and such. we make pickled eggs or other pickeled vegetables and give jars out to neighbors, but we do that all year long. not just in december. As i told you before, i just lost all interest in TV and movies. I cancelled my cable and just don’t miss it at all.
instead i have a metal fabrication shop in my garage and I make things.
i also learned that Christ’s birth is not near as important as his death. of course his birth is important, but you know what i mean.
NTD and Newsmax are news you might enjoy They arent corrupt like the others Especially NTD I find to be normal people. .
Superb comment! Thank you for sharing my friend! You are spot on and sound like a great person! You couldnt be more correct about what you said about giving all year long. Its amazing what can happen when you humble yourself to Jesus and let him guide you. Having a PERSONAL relationship with him is key! I used to be an average Joe caught up in vanity and sexual lust, a sheep without a shepard, then i became a born again Christian, now Ive read the bible 4 times in its entirety, certain verses countless times, study the history of babylon, assyria, persia, greece, rome, egypt and the antiquity or in those cases paganism that shaped the world today. I also know more about the occult than most satanists themselves, tho i certainly dont practice i expose. This isnt about me tho, its about becoming a servant of Jesus (I prefer the hebrew Yahshua, the letter j wasnt invented until after the original king james was written in 1600s). When you become a servant of Jesus our path to the father, how far he can raise you up is boundless
They arent a star and Saturn is the basis of Saturnalia ,so they’re making a big deal of it already ,and is in fact Satan worship really And they made xmas time concur with pagan sun worshipping Saturnalians be cause from tomorrow the sun rises in the same point in the horizon for 22 23 and 24 and then moves again on the 25 th every year They have never been really Christian Ever Its all a big lie from Satan tbe great deceiver.
And that’s why they made the Sun Calendar by Pope Gregory and why they made the Sabatth Sunday To serve their real religion Not God And that’s why they built all the churchs on pagan sites too .To deceive.
It’s all topsy turvy relative rubbish For a start it’s only the winter solstice up north sits summer down south And it’s the 22 nd here but it’s the 21 there and somewhere it is or soon will be the 23 rd Three days in one from a spacemqns view point a d simmer and winter simultaneously Like in a mirror upside down and bqck to front Like day and night ,both happening at the same time but just relative to your location on a tiny speck of dirt ,a blob of iron with some carbon , spinning endlessly ,as a perpetual motion machine an electromanetic induction motor , lost in infinity of no beginning and no end.