The sky over the Northern Hemisphere featured a once-in-a-lifetime light show on the night of December 21, 2020, as the solar system’s two biggest planets race across the firmament and appear to meet in a celestial event that astronomers call the “Great Conjunction”. The spectacle is a near convergence of the orbits of Jupiter and Saturn that coincides with the shortest day of the year. The conditions made the two frozen-gas spheres appear closer and more vibrant than at any time in 800 years, assuming the skies are clear. The conjunction of the two planets takes place about once every 20 years. But the last time Jupiter and Saturn were this close was in 1623. The next Great Conjunction between the two planets comes in November 2040.

Geshna

Updated At : 01:01 AM Dec 28, 2020 IST

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