Night Sky

Look up at night. Do you ever notice the stars and planets? If you have not looked up recently, now is a perfect time to catch a spectacular event - the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, which can be seen very easily just after sunset for about 1-2 hours before the planets set. The actual meeting of the planets is December 21, but many days before and after is a visual feast of cosmic wonder. It has been for weeks already. 

The largest planets on our solar system, the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn have not come together like this in our sky view since 1623. So, this is a 400 year wait for this beautiful and mysterious sight in the sky. 

This special event is coming to be called the Christmas Star. There is a wondering if this occurrence is what happened at the time of Christ's birth. The bright star at the incarnation, creating the guide for the Magi to come visit Bethlehem. What if it was the conjunction of the planets and not a star at all? That question invokes wonder and delight in my imagination. Could it be that we shall witness in the sky what announced Christ's birth more than 2,000 years ago in 7 BC, which was also a year of a great conjunction? Even if it is not, it still creates awe in me. The next viewable event won't happen for another 60 years, so this may be your only chance to see the friendly meeting of Jupiter and Saturn in the sky. Don't worry, they are still millions of miles distant from each other, so they are keeping their social distance.

This is the view from my front door a few nights ago (terrible quality I know) - Saturn is smaller on the left, Jupiter is larger on the right. Pull out your telescope or binoculars for an amazing view.

Look up in wonder each night!