This year's Winter Solstice on Monday, 21 December, coincides with another special astronomical event - the “Great Conjunction” of the Jupiter and Saturn. This is the first time the two gas giants will appear this closer to each other in nearly 800 years.
Although Jupiter and Saturn have been approaching one another in Earth's sky since the summer, the two will be separated by less than the diameter of a full moon from 16-25 December.
“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," Patrick Hartigan, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University in Houston, Texas, said in a statement.
If one views through a telescope, Jupiter’s four large moons orbiting the planet can also be seen. It will be visible nearly an hour after sunset in the southwestern sky.
Where and When to Watch the Great Conjunction in Person and Online
In India, the conjunction is likely to be visible between 6.30 pm and 7.30 pm.
Nehru Planetarium (https://nehruplanetarium.org/) has also opened registration for the viewing of the conjunction. Adhering to COVID-19 guidelines, it has started the skywatch from 20 December to avoid crowding, its website said. This will go on till 22 December. In addition, there will be webcasting.
“We have set up telescopes in our premises to watch the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on Monday evening if weather conditions permit,” said a planetarium official in a statement.
“Those unable to watch the event at the planetarium due to curbs on crowding, can see the conjunction of the two stars online at our website (www.taralaya.org) or Facebook and Youtube channel,”read the statement.
(With inputs from IANS)
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