And no, we don’t mean the tree topper.
Making a special appearance for Christmas 2020, Jupiter and Saturn are set to wave their magic wand this year – creating the first ‘Christmas Star’ in 800 long years.
The cosmic event, which will mark the first “Great Conjunction” that is visible to the naked eye in eight centuries, will involve both planets appearing to collide, creating a large bright spot in the skies tonight (December 21). And not only will the event occur during one of the strangest years of our time – but also on the very night of the Winter Solstice, giving stargazers the ultimate backdrop to experience the Christmas Star.
According to astronomers, the last visible Great Conjunction happened way back in 1226 – with the next one not predicted until 2080. The fabulous star show will be best viewed by telescopes now that Jupiter and Saturn have “gradually moved closer to each other”, however, NASA has added to “Keep in mind that while the two gas giants may appear close, in reality they are hundreds of millions of miles apart,”
“This will be quite a striking sight, but you will need to look fast as both planets will set shortly after sunset […] Look above the western horizon after sunset for these bright, close planets – a clear view will help!”
It’s said that great conjunction events happen every 20 years, however, atmospheric conditions and the positions of other heavenly bodies are to blame for the lack of visibility of these from Earth.