Say, are you free on Monday evening, 21 Dec, at around 8pm?
If you’re not, you might want to take some time to clear away any appointments because on this special day, at this special time, you’re going to witness something that hasn’t happened since 1623.
And before that, it was 1226.
Everything About Jupiter & Saturn’s ‘Great Conjunction’ That’ll Occur on 21 Dec
Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in our solar system, and on 21 Dec 2020, they’ll come together and appear to merge in the sky.
Over the past few months, the two gigantic plants have been inching closer and closer to each other.
Jupiter orbits the sun every 12 years while Saturn takes 29 years.
Great Conjunction
This means that every 20 years or so, the two planets will cross paths in their orbits, resulting in what people call, a conjunction.
However, this time, experts are calling it a “great conjunction” because of how close the two planets will be.
According to Dr Abel Yang from NUS, the two planets’ orbits are slightly tilted with respect to each other.
Meaning that when they align, they’re not close to each other.
This year’s conjunction, however, takes place when they’re about to cross each other’s path, leading to them appearing to merge into one entity in the sky.
Think of it as an eclipse, except instead of the sun and the moon, it’s two planets and can be seen by everyone in the world.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that the two planets will only be “0.1 degree apart” during the great conjunction and a spokesperson for the Centre for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian said it’ll look like a tipped over snowman in the night sky when it happens.
Where To See It
Now, the most important question of the article: where do you get to witness this historical event?
The good news is, you can see the phenomenon even with your eyes, although binoculars and telescopes will greatly enhance the viewing experience.
Both planets can be seen in the few days before, and after, 21 Dec 2020, in the western-south-western sky although they won’t be as close to each other.
Look towards where the sun is setting and you’re looking at the western-south-western sky.
They will be visible from 30 minutes after sunset to around 8.45pm.
The great conjunction will take place on 21 Dec 2020, and it’s recommended that you catch the phenomenon from car park roofs, HDB rooftops, higher floors of buildings, open fields or at the seaside.
Basically, anywhere with an unobstructed view of the night sky.
If you’re viewing with your naked eyes, both planets will appear as bright, steady lights that don’t twinkle.
Jupiter, which is closer to the earth, will appear brighter.
It was added by Dr Yang that the best time to view the merging would be at 8pm.
In Singapore, some astronomy clubs in tertiary institutions are organising socially-distanced star-gazing sessions on that day while 15 ITE College East students will use professional-grade telescopes to witness the celestial phenomenon.
The Science Centre Observatory also says they’ll attempt to live-stream the phenomenon on Facebook if the weather is clear enough for it.
A spokesperson for the observatory says the phenomenon would be like a “gift” for a year such as 2020.
If you’re going out to try and catch this phenomenon for yourself, make sure to obey safe management measures, yeah?
Featured Image: Tang Yan Song / Shutterstock.com
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