Going to pack a big show on the smallest day of the year.
On Monday, the onset of winter in the Northern Hemisphere brings us into a rare and beautiful view of the sky as winter approaches: Great combination.
During the show, Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system, will appear very close to each other, as they overlap to form a twin planet. We were last treated to such a view in the Middle Ages – about 800 years ago.
Some link it to the Bethlehem myth that led up to the three judges in the Bible’s Nativity story.
To celebrate the first day of winter and the great combination of things that happen on the same day, Google created an animated doodle that gives Jupiter a high-five as Saturn orbits its solar system.
A fusion occurs when two astronomical objects appear in the sky opposite each other as observed from Earth. From our point of view, the two giant planets are about 450 million miles apart, but only one tenth of a degree is visible.
The fusion of the two planets occurs every 19.6 years, but for the first time since 1226 the pair are deployed at night, as Earthlings have witnessed.
The next alignment is easily visible to the naked eye as you look up at the southwest sky just after sunset.
Prone to fits of apathy. Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Internet advocate. Avid travel enthusiast. Entrepreneur. Music expert.