How To Watch The Christmas Star Tonight

Christmas 2020 is bringing something extra special to the world this year - as least as far as the heavens are concerned. An event called a "great conjunction" (aka the "Christmas Star") will be occurring tonight, Monday, December 21st, as Jupiter and Saturn will appear in closer proximity to one another than they have since the Middle Ages. The two planets are the biggest in our solar system, and their convergence is being treated like a major astrological event - and even a holy omen, by those who associate the planetary convergence with biblical events like the Star of Bethlehem, which guided the Three Wisemen to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Don’t miss this glorious sight in the western sky after sunset!

Jupiter and Saturn are getting closer as they near their once-in-20-years #conjunction on Dec 21. Jupiter is brighter, outshining Saturn by 12 times, although Saturn shines as brilliantly as a 1st-magnitude star. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/ATYspyzXSR

— EarthSky (@earthskyscience) December 5, 2020

In Astronomy, a "conjunction" occurs when two astronomical objects (or spacecraft) have the same right ascension or ecliptic longitude as they pas in close proximity to one another, as observed from Earth. The rarity of great conjunctions have indeed led to the astronomical phenomenon being mashed-up with biblical myth. The "Christmas Star" label should be proof enough of that,

Preston Dyches, writer and producer from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory released a statement on the "great conjunction," in order to get star-watchers (and mainly the general public) excited for the event:

"This is the 'greatest' great conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn for the next 60 years, with the two planets not appearing this close in the sky until 2080," said Dyches in a NASA video. "Step outside after sunset to find (the planets) in the southern sky. A binocular is helpful; the pair is visible to the unaided eye as Jupiter overtakes and passes Saturn. On conjunction evening, the planets fit into the eyepiece of a spotting telescope or small telescope at low power."

The convergence of Saturn on Jupiter will also offer some additional visual treats, including Saturn's rings and Jupiter's four largest and brightest moon. If you have a set of binoculars and a telescope, you should be able to set up shop and do some pretty exciting star-gazing tonight. Astronomers also let people know that they can photograph the phenomenon with a tripod-mounted camera with exposures up to 10 seconds. That should be enough to capture the planets and stars form just about any viewing position on Earth.

Christmas 2020 is going to be a very different all around the world, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As families search for ways to do things differently this year, observing a rare (and mythic) celestial event is a pretty easy, social-distancing solution.