JACKSON, Wyo. — Stargazers are in for a treat this winter solstice. The rare planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will occur on Dec. 21. The spectacle is also known as the Christmas Star or great conjunction.
Stargazers can begin looking for the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn days ahead of the alignment, “It’s going to be in the southwestern sky, looking southwest after sunset, there will be either one or two bright points of light in the sky,” said Samuel Singer, Ph.D., Executive Director of Wyoming Stargazing.
These bright lights will move closer together each night until they reach peak conjunction on Dec. 21, “They will be within .1 degrees of each other,” said Singer, “the closest observable conjunction since 1226.” In 1623, Jupiter and Saturn came into close conjunction but it was unobservable on Earth, maybe because it was below the horizon or it occurred during the day, explained Singer.
According to National Geographic conjunctions occur every 20 years but are separated by a couple of degrees. “With the naked eye, the two points of light will actually merge into one point of light,“ said Singer.
Although Jackson Hole is known for its stargazing It’s currently snowing and although the forecast looks good for the white stuff, the clouds carrying the snow could make the night sky less than ideal for stargazing.
“If we do end up missing this one because of the clouds, we will get another opportunity on March 15, 2080,” said Singer.
