AN extraordinary stargazing event is happening this evening and Nasa has provided tips so you don’t miss out.

Jupiter and Saturn are about to come so close together in the sky they’ll form a once in a lifetime ‘double star’ phenomenon.

Nasa said: “Monday evening, the bright planet Jupiter and the fainter planet Saturn will appear nearest to each other, about one-tenth of a degree apart.

“As evening twilight ends (at 5:53 p.m. EST for the Washington, D.C. area) they will appear about 12 degrees above the southwestern horizon.

“This should be a spectacular view with either the naked eye, or with a backyard telescope.”

Viewers around the world should hope for clear skies and look for the planets just after dark.

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The US space agency also said: “Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park.

“Jupiter and Saturn are bright, so they can be seen even from most cities.

“An hour after sunset, look to the southwestern sky. Jupiter will look like a bright star and be easily visible.

“Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and they will reverse positions in the sky.

If you have binoculars or a telescope you may even be able to see some of Jupiter’s moons.

What is the Jupiter and Saturn Great Conjunction?

Some people are referring to the event as the forming of a “Christmas Star” or “Star of Bethlehem”, while others are linking it to the apocalypse.

Jupiter and Saturn have been getting closer together over the last few months and you won’t even need a telescope to spot the phenomenon.

The last time stargazers could observe this event was back in the Middle Ages on March 4, 1226.

The two planets did also come close together in the 1600s but this wasn’t said to be visible from Earth.

The celestial event is called the Great Conjunction and will be taking place for people all over the world on December 21, just in time for Christmas.

So the event has also been called the Star of Bethlehem due to the event happening in the run up to Xmas Day.

Jupiter and Saturn will come just 0.06º away from each other this evening.

That’s about 1/5 of the diameter of a full Moon.

To the naked eye this will look like one big bright star.

What does Jupiter and Saturn Great Conjunction mean?

As if 2020 hadn’t been bad enough, some conspiracy theorists think the Saturn and Jupiter meet up could spell the end of the world.

This is due to some interpretations of the Mayan calendar.

According to the Daily Express, doomsday predictor Pastor Paul Begley said: “It will be the closest Jupiter and Saturn have been since 1623 and it won’t even come that close again for another 500 years.

“So this is so rare and it’s going to be on the winter solstice. It’s going to be on December 21, 2020.

“The Mayans are now reorganising and saying this could certainly be the end of the world as we know it.”

Jupiter can be seen here as the bright star to the right of the image

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Jupiter can be seen here as the bright star to the right of the image

Of course, there is no hard evidence to suggest this is correct.

According to Astrology.com, some astrologists believe Jupiter and Saturn coming close together leads to old forms dying and new growth beginning.

What we know for sure is that some stargazers across the planet will be in for an interesting visual treat next week.

How far away is Jupiter from Earth?

Learn how long it takes to get the largest planet in the solar system…

  • At the closest point in their respective orbits, Jupiter and Earth are around 365 million miles apart.
  • But because neither planet spins around the sun in a perfect circle, nor at the same speed, this number fluctuates dramatically.
  • When they are furthest apart the planets are 601 million miles apart, more than two thirds farther away than they are at their nearest.
  • As it is further away Jupiter takes 11.86 Earth-years to complete one orbit of the sun.
  • While we travel around our star we catch up with the gas Giant once every 399 days, causing the gas giant to appear to travel backwards in the night sky.

In other space news, alien hunting astronomers are investigating a strange radio wave emission that seems to have come from a nearby star.

ESA researchers think they’ve spotted an angel on Mars.

And, China’s Moon capsule landed on Earth last week carrying the first lunar samples in over four decades.

Will you be stargazing this evening? Let us know in the comments…


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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk

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