NASA: 'Christmas Star' Viewing Culminates Tonight

Merritt Island, FL - The planets Jupiter and Saturn come as close as they have in almost 400 years tonight and the best viewing will be right after sunset in the southwestern sky. 

That's according to NASA, who says that what has become known popularly as the “Christmas Star” is an especially vibrant planetary conjunction easily visible in the evening sky, culminating tonight. The last time the two planets were this close was in 1623, and nearly 800 years since the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter happened at night.

With the astronomical event known as a “Great Conjunction” taking place at night, nearly everyone around the world will be able to see it.

“Conjunctions like this could happen on any day of the year, depending on where the planets are in their orbits,” said Throop. “The date of the conjunction is determined by the positions of Jupiter, Saturn, and the Earth in their paths around the Sun, while the date of the solstice is determined by the tilt of Earth’s axis. The solstice is the longest night of the year, so this rare coincidence will give people a great chance to go outside and see the solar system.”

Even though the closest alignment of Jupiter and Saturn will appear just a tenth of a degree apart , they remain hundreds of millions of miles apart in space. "Tonight they will appear so close that a pinkie finger at arm’s length will easily cover both planets in the sky. The planets will be easy to see with the unaided eye by looking toward the southwest just after sunset."

NASA says the conjuntion taking place on the winter solstice is merely a coincidence, based on the orbits of the planets and the tilt of the Earth. 

From NASA:

For those who would like to see this phenomenon for themselves, here’s what to do: 

• 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. Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and they will reverse positions in the sky.
• The planets can be seen with the unaided eye, but if you have binoculars or a small telescope, you may be able to see Jupiter’s four large moons orbiting the giant planet.

Other links to learn more about the sky from NASA.gov

Learn these tips and trick on how to photograph planets:
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1615/how-to-photograph-the-conjunction-of-saturn-and-jupiter/

Night Sky Network:
https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/

Visitors to Both Jupiter and Saturn:
https://nightsky.jpl.nasa.gov/news-display.cfm?News_ID=931

Want to learn more about planetary conjunctions? Take a look at some of these resources: 
https://blogs.nasa.gov/Watch_the_Skies/2015/06/30/jupiter-and-venus-conjunction/
https://youtu.be/sofRYcfaqy0

Read these skywatching Tips from NASA: 
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/whats-up-skywatching-tips-from-nasa/