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Big stargazing event today
Last time Jupiter and Saturn were this close was on March 4, 1226
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Posted on Dec 21 2020
It would be hard to beat a better stargazing event to end the year 2020 with than the one that will take place this evening. The conjunction of the two bright planets, Jupiter and Saturn, will take place starting in the early evening hours of Monday, Dec. 21. The two planets will be so close together in the early evening western sky that it will be a challenge to separate them with the unaided eye. In fact, there hasn’t been a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn like this one for over 800 years. The last time they were this close together was on March 4, 1226.
See the following link for the time table of the December 2020 Jupiter/Saturn great-conjunction: https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/planets/great-conjunction
A statue of a Kansa Indian atop the Kansas Statehouse stands in the foreground as Saturn, top, and Jupiter, below, are seen Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020 in Topeka, Kan. The two planets are drawing closer to each other in the sky as they head towards a “great conjunction” on Monday, Dec. 21, where the two giant planets will appear a tenth of a degree apart. (AP)
So grab your favorite lawn chair, binoculars and telescope and see a real stargazing treat from your front yard or apartment deck. Looking west in the Saipan early evening western sky, you’ll be able to see both the bright planets Jupiter and Saturn together in the same field of view in your binoculars and telescope eyepiece. If you’re using a telescope mounted on a rigid tripod and you have your cell phone handy, try holding your cell phone steady or mounted firmly with the cell phone’s camera centered over the telescope’s eyepiece. Using the telescope’s focusing knob, be sure to focus Jupiter and Saturn sharp, clear and centered on your cell phone screen via the telescope’s eyepiece field of view. Both Jupiter and Saturn are bright and are nearly at the same focus. Once you have the planets in focus, snap a pic. Try it several times until you get a pic or pics you really like. Use a low magnification telescope eyepiece for the best results. You can also take a pic(s) of the moon and its craters and mountain ranges through your telescope using the same focusing method when the moon is visible in the evening sky. This rare Jupiter and Saturn close conjunction has the potential to make a great astronomy science fair project for some enterprising Saipan high school students.
Be sure and mark today, the 21st of December, on your calendar to view the very close conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. This is one big stargazing event you don’t want to miss.
Keep looking up!
