NASHVILLE, Tennessee (WTVF) – Watch the sky this week. We will get a delight as Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest to heaven in four centuries.
Appearing as a “Christmas star”, the “big conjunction” happens next Monday, December 21, which is also the winter solstice, which marks the beginning of the winter season.
A conjunction occurs when the planets appear near the night sky and align with the Earth’s orbits. The last time Jupiter and Saturn were so close was in 1623, about 14 years after Galileo invented the telescope. But that year, the conjunction was too close to the sun to see it.
The last time Jupiter and Saturn were so close and visible to Earth was during the Middle Ages in 1226.
To see the conjunction, you’ll want to look southwest just above the horizon. If you want to do a fun activity with your kids, grab a dime and hold it with open arms to the sky between your fingers. The angular distance from Jupiter and Saturn is almost equal to the thickness of a penny.
Here’s a good way to remember how far up on the horizon you need to look up: the conjunction will be about 15 degrees above the horizon, about the length of an inch up.
Watch the full account in the video above.