This year, there will be a striking celestial event on Christmas Eve. The planets Venus and Mercury will hang together—along with a gorgeous crescent Moon—just after sunset. We are calling it the “Christmas Eve Trinity.”
View our December Night Sky Guide to learn more! Otherwise read on for information on the Christmas Star of 2020.
In December 2020, there was a “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn that occurred a few days before Christmas. The bright planets were so close together that they appeared to be one dazzling star. We dubbed it the “Christmas Star.”
Published on December 15, 2020:
On December 21, 2020, just hours after the official start of winter, an exciting event is going to take place in the night sky—a long-awaited “Great Conjunction” between Jupiter and Saturn. This event is a rare close encounter of the solar system’s two largest planets! What makes this astronomical occurrence even more special is that it will show you one of the theories attributed to the “Star of Bethlehem.”
When And Where To View
On the evening of December 21st, about 45 minutes after sunset (local time), look low toward the southwest horizon. Jupiter will appear to Saturn’s lower left. Both planets will be close enough to see in the same field of view of a high-power eyepiece. By month’s end, the two planets, having separated to 1.2° apart, will be setting about 1 hour and 45 minutes after sunset, right at the end of evening twilight.
All through the summer and into the fall, these two gas giants of the solar system have been calling attention to themselves in the southern evening sky. Jupiter of course, always appears brilliant and is usually one of the brightest nighttime objects, but in recent months it has stood out even more than usual because of the presence of bright Saturn trailing just off to its left (east). Appearing about one-seventh as bright, Saturn has, in a way, served as Jupiter’s “lieutenant” this year.
A Rare Sight
Whenever Jupiter and Saturn are in conjunction, that is, when they have the same right ascension or celestial longitude, it is referred to as a “Great Conjunction,” primarily because unlike conjunctions with the other bright planets, these two don’t get together very often. On average, they are in conjunction once in about 20 years.
Most of the time, they are separated by more than a degree. But come December 21, they will be separated by just about one-tenth of a degree, or 6.1 arcminutes. To gauge how close that is, on the next clear night, check out Mizar, the middle star in the handle of the Big Dipper. A fainter star, Alcor, is positioned only 11.8 arc minutes away and the ability to perceive the separation of these two stars, was once considered a test of good vision.
And yet Jupiter and Saturn will approach to within about half that distance! This means, under high magnification in your telescope you’ll be able to see both planets—Saturn with its famous ring system and Jupiter with its cloud bands and Galilean satellites—simultaneously in the same field of view!
How Often Do These Two Planets Come This Close?
Some astronomy websites indicate it has been nearly 400 years, while others say it’s been almost 800 years. Indeed, the last time these two planets appeared so close was on July 16th, 1623, when they were only 5 arcminutes apart; that’s actually 397 years ago.
However, visibility of this rare alignment was only visible from the tropics around the equatorial regions. For those in temperate latitudes, such as New York, London, or Tokyo, the two planets were not visible because of their close proximity to the glare of the Sun and low altitude above the horizon. But assuming you were not among those living in northern South America, central Africa or Indonesia, who had a brief view of a similar sighting of these two planets in 1623, the last time most of the world’s population had a favorable view of these two planets coming so close to each other was on March 5th, 1226—800 years ago—when they were a trifle closer together than what we will see on December 21st.
The star of Bethlehem?
Some have suggested that these two planets might have been the legendary Star of Bethlehem. Actually, one of many theories for the Star of Bethlehem was a close conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC. However, in that year Jupiter and Saturn met not once but three times that year (in May, September, and December).
The first conjunction (in May) presumably started the Magi on their way to Bethlehem from the Far East. The middle conjunction (in September) strengthened their resolve in the purpose of their journey, while the third and final conjunction (in December) occurred just as they arrived in Judea to meet with King Herod, who sent them on to Bethlehem to “go and search diligently for the young child.”
But while single conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn occur once every 20 years, triple conjunctions are far less frequent, occurring about once every 180 years on average; the last time was in 1981, but the next won’t happen until 2239. For the Magi, Jupiter, pacing back-and-forth with Saturn in 7 BC would have been looked upon as something unique.
But this year, Jupiter and Saturn will only have a single meeting, on December 21st. Whether from an astrological point of view that one single “celestial summit” might have a been significant enough sign in the sky for the Magi to begin their trek to Judea is unknown.
Back on June 5, 1978, Mars and Saturn were separated by a similar distance, and both planets were clearly separated as viewed the naked eye. However, those who are near-sighted might see Jupiter and Saturn appear as one merely by removing their eyeglasses.
Watch Them Grow Closer Each Night
It will be interesting to watch how the gap between these two planets will gradually close the coming nights. On December 1st, they were separated by 2.2°, but by the 15th that gap will be down to just 0.7°. Then they will get 0.1° closer each night thereafter until their long-awaited meeting on December 21st.
We will be treated to another 6-arcminute separation on March 15th, 2080.
JR
Joe Rao
Joe Rao is an esteemed astronomer whowrites for Space.com,Sky & Telescope,andNatural History Magazine. Mr. Rao is a regular contributor to the Farmers' Almanac andserves as an associate lecturer for the Hayden Planetarium in New York City.
As 2020 came to a close, the solar system decided to grace us with a cosmic Christmas miracle that hadn't been witnessed in nearly 800 years, often referred to as the "Star of Bethlehem" or the "Christmas Star." Unfortunately, we won't see it again in 2021, but on Dec.
Christian tradition explains that this star guided the Three Kings to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. The Star of Bethlehem will be visible to the southeast for 45 minutes on the winter solstice, which is December 21.
Look Southwest after sunset and near the horizon, and you will be able to spot Venus, as it will easily be the brightest looking “star” in the sky at that point. To the left of that as well, a train of visible planets will be visible, including Jupiter and Saturn.
Initially, they estimated this would take place between 2018 and 2020, but have since placed the date at 2022. In addition, they predict that the burst of light it will cause will be bright enough to be seen from Earth.
The Star of Bethlehem, or Christmas Star, appears in the nativity story of the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2 where "wise men from the East" (Magi) are inspired by the star to travel to Jerusalem.
Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park. Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even from most cities. An hour after sunset, look to the southwestern sky. Jupiter will look like a bright star and be easily visible.
The story of the Star of Bethlehem appears only in the Book of Matthew. The gospel tells us that a bright star appeared in the eastern sky when Jesus was born, famously seen by a group of wise men. These biblical "Magi," sometimes called kings, now adorn nativity scenes around the world.
The World English Bible translates the passage as: They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold,the star, which they saw in the east, went before them,until it came and stood over where the young child was.
If you missed out on Monday night's main event, the rare "Christmas Star" won't appear again until 2080. As a consolation, you can still see Jupiter and Saturn close together for the entire month of December.
Best time: 45 minutes to one hour after sunset begins tonight, Monday, December 21. Best place: Any place that has an unobstructed view of the sky—so avoid areas with tall buildings.
Astronomers are calling the event “The Great Convergence of 2020,” when the planets Jupiter and Saturn will appear the closest they've been since the year 1623. Simply look out into the night sky between 6 and 7 p.m. (binoculars and telescopes are not necessary) and make a Christmas wish.
The period of the variations in KIC 9832227 has been observed to be growing shorter since 2013, leading to the prediction of the merger in or around 2022.
A bright red supergiant star in our galaxy that's near the end of its life, Betelgeuse likely will explode as a supernova and be visible in the daytime sometime in the next 100,000 years. A supernova hasn't been seen in our galaxy since the 17th century.
Explanation 1: the Christmas star was a nova or supernova explosion. The idea that the Magi saw a nova or supernova explosion was hinted at by 17th century astronomer, Johannes Kepler, and has had many supporters since. However, there is no Western record of such an event.
The Star of Bethlehem, a five-pointed star, is unique in that it is only referenced in the Gospel of Matthew's nativity story. The star signifies the birth of Christ (or Messiah).
The Star of Bethlehem, also called the Christmas Star, is a star in the Bible and Christian tradition that let the Magi know that Jesus was born, and later helped them go to Bethlehem. According to the Gospel of Matthew, the star made the magi travel to Jerusalem.
Star of Bethlehem, celestial phenomenon mentioned in the Gospel According to Matthew as leading “wise men from the East” to the birthplace of Jesus Christ.
The Virgin Mary, pregnant with the son of God, would hence have given birth to Jesus nine months later on the winter solstice. From Rome, the Christ's Nativity celebration spread to other Christian churches to the west and east, and soon most Christians were celebrating Christ's birth on December 25.
The Magi also lost sight of the star, before seeing it come to rest in the place where baby Jesus lay in the stable. This could have been the result of the retrograde motion of Jupiter, which means that it appears to change direction in the night sky as Earth's orbit overtakes it.
Although the cosmic “Christmas Star” or “Star of Bethlehem” was visible for people to see for the first time in 800 years last year in 2020, we will not be able to see it this year. The spectacularly rare shining 'star' -- really a conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter -- will not appear again until March 15, 2080.
Birthplace of Jesus: Church of the Nativity and the Pilgrimage Route, Bethlehem. The inscribed property is situated 10 km south of Jerusalem on the site identified by Christian tradition as the birthplace of Jesus since the 2nd century.
The symbolic Christmas Star will be visible from December 16 to 21, and can be observed anywhere in the world, although in better conditions in areas near the equator. The phenomenon can be seen one hour after sunset.
In the evening, the gas giant planets Jupiter and Saturn dominate the southern sky as night falls, with Mars rising before sunset and visible all night.
Two of our solar system`s largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, will look like double planet just after sunset on the evening of December 21, the beginning of the winter solstice. The two planets will line up to create what is known as the "Christmas Star" or "Star of Bethlehem".
The story of the Star of Bethlehem appears only in the Book of Matthew. The gospel tells us that a bright star appeared in the eastern sky when Jesus was born, famously seen by a group of wise men.
The star failed to catch the attention of the general public. After the star appeared to the Magi to lead them to Bethlehem, it disappeared and reappeared.
The date of birth of Jesus is not stated in the gospels or in any historical sources but most biblical scholars assume a year of birth between 6 and 4 BC.
Explanation 1: the Christmas star was a nova or supernova explosion. The idea that the Magi saw a nova or supernova explosion was hinted at by 17th century astronomer, Johannes Kepler, and has had many supporters since. However, there is no Western record of such an event.
Introduction: My name is Msgr. Refugio Daniel, I am a fine, precious, encouraging, calm, glamorous, vivacious, friendly person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
