December 21 will see the Great Conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter, where they will appear to be as one in the night’s sky, forming what appears to be a bright star. However, the two are very close together now, appearing alongside the Moon. Thankfully, tonight the Moon appears “exquisitely slender” tonight, giving stargazers the perfect opportunity to see the planets.
To see the trio of celestial bodies, just look at the Moon.
Slightly above our lunar satellite will appear to be two stars which look as if they are almost touching – these are Jupiter and Saturn.
Astronomy site Space Weather said: “When the Sun goes down tonight, step outside and look southwest.
“An exquisitely slender crescent Moon is approaching Jupiter and Saturn on the eve of their Great Conjunction.
“They form a must-see trio on December 16 and 17, followed by the Great Conjunction itself on December 21. No telescope is required!”
According to EarthSky, the trip will be most visible 45 minutes after the Sun sets.
EarthSky said: “On December 16, 17 and 18, think photo opportunity as the young crescent moon moves past Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system.
“Jupiter is the larger and brighter of these two brilliant beauties, outshining Saturn by 11 times.
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Coincidentally, December 21 is also the Winter Solstice, hence why it has been dubbed the ‘Christmas Star’.
Astronomy.com said: “Jupiter and Saturn will form rare ‘Christmas Star’ on winter solstice.
“During the event, Jupiter and Saturn will sit just 0.1 degrees apart, or a mere one-fifth the width of the Moon.
“In fact, Jupiter and Saturn will be so close that you will be able to fit them both in the same telescopic field of view.
“That’s an incredibly rare occurrence. The last time Jupiter and Saturn were this close together was in 1226 A.D., at a time when Genghis Khan was conquering large swaths of Asia, and Europe was still generations away from the Renaissance.”