When to See the Christmas Star in San Antonio |

SAINT ANTHONY – Every 20 years or so, the orbits of Saturn and Jupiter line up to give pleasure to those we observe from Earth, seeing the two planets together in the night sky. This year, however, the “big conjunction” is getting some extra publicity for some reason.

The first is that this year’s conjunction will be the closest “union” of the two planets since 1623. When the phenomenon reaches its maximum on Monday, December 21, the two planets will appear separated by only 0.1 °. As a reference, that is, about one-fifth of the apparent diameter of the moon.

It is also a happy coincidence that the conjunction is at the peak of Christmas week, which led many to call the conjunction “Christmas Star” or “Star of Bethlehem.”

So how can you see this rare event of St. Anthony’s Christmas week and around? Here are some tips:

• Look southwest about 40 to 45 minutes after sunset. This is calculated around 18:20 to 18:25
• While the phenomenon peaks on Monday, December 21, the best night to see it will be Sunday, the 20th. On Sunday night we will have clear skies, while on Monday evening there will be some clouds.
• The conjunction will be visible during Christmas week. However, every night after Monday the planets will be visible closer to sunset time, which will make it harder to see.
• The weather should be a little cool every night. For more information on the forecast, see our weather page.

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