Many of you know I have a keen interest in astronomy, so I wanted to share some details about an upcoming event that anyone in the general public can enjoy. This month there’s an exciting event happening in the skies overhead. The planets Jupiter and Saturn are appearing closer together each night, as we view them from earth. Their true distance apart in depth is still the same of course, but their proximity in the night sky is getting closer each evening. They will be their closest, low in the southwest just after sunset, on Monday, December 21st, the winter solstice. This is their closest conjunction since 1623.
As weather can be bad the night of any sky event, try watching the progression on a series of evenings both before and after this date, as the planets move gradually nearer each other. They reach their closest point on that night, but are still great to view on either side of the ”super conjunction.” In fact, the waxing crescent moon ads a nice element on December 16th and 17th, joining the two planets in close proximity. Jupiter is brighter than Saturn as you view them.
While these events are great “naked eye,” binoculars add another level of detail. And if you have even a small telescope, you can get both planets and their moons in the eyepiece the night of the closest conjunction for a truly spectacular view! For more information be sure to visit our Astronomy Club of Asheville website, source of the following diagrams. Although all our club activities have been suspended due to Covid-19, there’s still a ton of useful and fun information on the website as well as the opportunity to enjoy our monthly speakers programs online.
