![]() ![]() (This work, "jupsat1," is adapted from Stellarium by Patrick Hartigan, used under GPL-2.0, and provided under CC BY 4.0 courtesy of Patrick Hartigan) The image is adapted from graphics by open-source planetarium software Stellarium. Hartigan said the planetary duo will appear low in the western sky for about an hour after sunset each evening.Ī view showing how the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction will appear in a telescope pointed toward the western horizon at 6 p.m. Though the best viewing conditions will be near the equator, the event will be observable anywhere on Earth, weather-permitting. "For most telescope viewers, each planet and several of their largest moons will be visible in the same field of view that evening." "On the evening of closest approach on Dec 21 they will look like a double planet, separated by only 1/5th the diameter of the full moon," said Hartigan, a professor of physics and astronomy. 16-25, the two will be separated by less than the diameter of a full moon. Jupiter and Saturn have been approaching one another in Earth's sky since the summer. "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." "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. ![]()
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