Today’s grand conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn is very conspicuous in the west after sunset. At the exact moment of the conjunction, the pair will be only 0.1 degrees apart. Some say they will look like an elongated star.
Astronomers use the term “conjunction” to describe the meeting of planets and other celestial bodies in the dome of our sky. They use the term “grand conjunction” to describe the encounter of Jupiter and Saturn because they are the two largest planets in our solar system. Although the two planets would look spectacular in the dome of the sky right now, Jupiter and Saturn are actually 456 million miles (734 million kilometers) apart. Saturn is almost twice as far away from us as Jupiter is.
Conjunctions of Jupiter and Saturn occur every 20 years, the last one being in 2000. But not all conjunctions are the same. 2020’s grand conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest since 1623, and the closest observable since 1226! The ultra-close conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in 2020 will not be matched again until the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction on March 15, 2080.
Recent Comments