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Credit & Copyright: Sebastian Voltmer
Explanation:
It's happening.
Saturn and
Jupiter
are moving closer and will soon appear in almost exactly the same direction.
Coincidentally, on the night of the
December solstice
-- the longest night of the year in the north and the longest day in the south --
the long-awaited
Great Conjunction will
occur.
Then, about six days from now,
Saturn and Jupiter will be right next to each other --
as they are every 20 years.
But this juxtaposition is not just any
Great Conjunction -- it will be the closest since
1623
because the two planetary giants will pass only 1/10th of a
degree from each other --
well less than the apparent diameter of a full moon.
In the next few days a
crescent moon will also pass a few degrees away from
the
converging planets
and give a preliminary
opportunity
for iconic photos.
The featured illustration shows the approach of
Saturn and Jupiter
during November and December over the French
Alps.
Growing Gallery:
Notable images of the Great Conjunction submitted to APOD
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Saturn - Jupiter
Publications with words: Saturn - Jupiter
See also: