Look up at the night sky on December 21st and you might see something spectacular.
The planet Jupiter And Saturn At the sign of winter (weather-permitting) to be so close to Earth, they will appear as a giant shining star, even though they are actually 450 million miles away.
The so-called “Great combinationThe last time was in 1623 but could not be seen from the earth. Earlier, the phenomenon first occurred on March 4, 1226.
With Christmas approaching, some scientists have identified the 2020 celestial celebration as the “Christmas Star” or “Star of Bethlehem.”
“Consistency between the two planets is very low, once every 20 years, but this combination is rare because of how close the planets will be to each other,” he said. Patrick Hartigan, Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Rice University.
“On the evening of approaching December 21, they will look like a double planet. The full moon will be separated by only 1/5 of the diameter,” Hertigan said. In a statement. “For most telescope viewers, every evening and many of its larger moons will appear in the same evening view area.”
“Look at them low in the southwest at sunset.” Recommended by NASA on its website. “And on December 21, the two giant planets will appear only one tenth of a degree – this is about the thickness of a dome at arm’s length!”
Visual conditions improve people close to the Mediterranean.
“The smaller a viewer to the north, the less likely it is that the planets will sink below the horizon before they can be seen to be aligned,” Rice said. “Fortunately, the planets will be bright enough to be seen in two lights, which may be the best time for many US viewers to see the combination.”
It also depends on the weather how the combination will look.
Nahum Arv, A professor of physics at Virginia Tech, described the “rare phenomenon” as “especially because of how bright the planets would be and how close they would be to each other in the sky.”
He said in a statement that the two planets would be “easily” seen with the naked eye. “They will be very close to each other, one-fifth the diameter of the moon. In their near future, some people will need binoculars to get away. ”
The spectacle will reportedly take place on March 15, 2080.
after that? Well, it’s a long wait – from the year 2400.
check out NASA tips on combining photography.
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