The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn December 21, 2020

You’ve probably heard by now of the Great Conjunction, being called by some the “Christmas Star”. We’re here to help you get a good view of it!

So what should you do if you want to view the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn?

Practice finding Jupiter and Saturn now!  Go outside as the sky starts to get dark and find a spot where you have a clear view to the southwest. If you aren’t sure which direction is southwest, here’s how you find it: o Face where the sun is setting, that is west. o When you face west, your left shoulder is facing south. o Half way between where your face is pointed and where your left shoulder is pointed is southwest. That’s about where you’ll find Jupiter and Saturn.  Jupiter will be the brightest object that looks like a star in the sky in the southwest as it gets dark. Saturn will be just to the left of it. This view will change a little each night, and watching this change is fun!  Don’t wait too late to go out. For people living in western North Carolina, we recommend going out around 6:30pm.

What is it going to look like?

Here are some examples of what you’ll see when you go outside. These images are simulated with software called Stellarium. With Stellarium you can choose a location, date, and time, and see what the sky would look like, as well as a lot of other things. You can try it out yourself at www.stellarium.org.

Above: Simulated view on December 13, 2020, 6:30pm, from western North Carolina.

Above: Simulated view on December 16, 2020, 6:30pm, from western North Carolina. This is a unique view because the Moon will be quite near as well.

Above: Simulated view on December 18, 2020, 6:30pm, from western North Carolina.

Above: Simulated view on December 21, 2020, 6:30pm, from western North Carolina.

How can I get a closer look?

You can use a telescope if you have access to one, but a set of binoculars will work too!  Practice looking at Jupiter and Saturn with the instrument you choose on the nights leading up to the conjunction. You don’t want to be trying for the first time on the 21st.  If you use binoculars it’s helpful to rest your elbows on a railing or table to help keep them steady.  Don’t forget to adjust the focus. Practice this ahead of time too. If things look blurry or fuzzy, it’s probably the focus. This will be set differently than what it’s likely on for looking at things close by here on Earth.

Can I take pictures?

Astrophotography takes practice and patience, but now is a great time to get some experience!  The camera needs to be steady! Regardless of what kind of camera you use, make sure to attach it to some sort of tripod or stand. Even most phones have adapters or tripods that can do this.  The longer the exposure, the better. Explore the options on your camera or phone ahead of time. Some have settings for night or low light mode. Others let you manually let an image expose longer. Get familiar with what yours can do ahead of time, and practice on nights leading up to the conjunction.  Some cameras and phones have lenses that will let you zoom in, or adapters that let you attach them to a telescope or binoculars. If this is available for your equipment, give it a try.  Remember, the Earth is moving! Jupiter and Saturn might look still in the sky, but as the Earth turns, they will move across the sky. If your exposure is too long, they’ll be blurry ovals in your picture.

What makes this so special anyway? Will it really not happen for another 800 years?

Jupiter and Saturn line up in the sky, a conjunction, every 20 years. But, they aren’t always visible. Conjunctions often happen when Jupiter and Saturn are too close to the Sun for us to see them. So, while conjunctions themselves happen regularly, one we can see this well is truly rare, and this exact configuration only happens every 800 years. Here is a look at why some conjunctions can’t be viewed. When Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn are in a conjunction, and are on the same side of the sun, we can look away from the Sun to see them lined up. This is a great configuration to view a conjunction.

*This image is not to scale

When Earth, Jupiter and Saturn are in a conjunction, but are on opposite sides of the Sun from one another, the Sun is in the way. We’d have to almost look through the Sun to see the planets lined up.

*This image is not to scale