2020’s Rare Great Conjunction
Throughout the year, the bright planet Jupiter and the distinctive planet Saturn have been approaching each other in the night sky. On December 21st, the Winter Solstice, these two planets will be so close to each other that they will appear to be a singular point of light to our eyes; this event is known as a Great Conjunction.
Is this a rare event? Yes and No.
Great Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn occur about once every 20 years; the last one occurred in May 2000 but it was almost impossible to see and the planets have not appeared this close since the Great Conjunction of 1623.
What makes this year’s Great Conjunction exceptionally rare is that it is taking place on the same day as Winter Solstice. Be sure to enjoy this wonderful celestial show since Jupiter and Saturn will not be this close again until 2080!
Watch the video below to learn more about this rare alignment…
The image below was taken with Canada France Hawai'i Telescope's Cloudcam on December 12, facing south. As the week goes on we will see Jupiter and Saturn get closer until they appear to merge on December 21st, the Winter Solstice.
