- Jupiter and Saturn will appear to align this December, creating a “double planet” in the night sky.
- It’s the first time since the middle ages the planets have aligned this close.
- You can see this planetary conjunction on the winter solstice, December 21.
For the first time since the middle ages, Jupiter and Saturn will become so close to each other in the night sky that they’ll appear as a brilliantly bright “double planet.” On the winter solstice, December 21, the solar system’s two largest planets will be visibly on top of each other in the western sky.
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If you live in the northern hemisphere, you can observe this planetary conjunction setting in the southwestern sky, shortly after sunset. If you’ve been waiting to take out your telescope, this may be the perfect opportunity. Even if you have an amateur telescope with the right eyepiece, you may be able to see the Galilean moons, the bands of Jupiter, and Saturn’s rings, all in one spectacular view.
?The Best Telescopes for Stargazing
Telescopes SEM Grid
BEST OVERALL
Gskyer 70mm Aperture Telescope
With over 1,000 positive reviews on Amazon and a 4.6/5 rating, it’s not hard to see why Gskyer’s telescope is the retailer’s bestseller. This option features a 70mm aperture and fully coated optimal lenses to offer a crisp, clear view of the night’s sky. Tech savvy stargazers will appreciate the smart phone adapter and wireless camera remote, making it possible to view constellations from your screen. Thanks to its adjustable, aluminum alloy tripod, this telescope is suitable for every member of the family.
BEST FOR BEGINNERS
Celestron 70mm Travel Scope
Beginner stargazers will find a lot to love about Celestron’s Travel Scope Telescope. Using Celestron’s telescope is easy: All you need to do is point the tube in the direction of the desired object and take a gander. With two high-quality eyepieces (20mm and 10mm) that provide low- and high-power views of celestial objects, you’ll be able to satisfy your stargazing wishes with ease.
BEST FOR KIDS
Telescope Star Finder with Tripod
Consider Merkmak’s Telescope the perfect option for avid adventurers or kids who are yearning to spontaneously stargaze. Clocking in at under two pounds, this option is lightweight enough to stow in your backpack or the trunk of your car. This telescope features a multi-coated, extra-low dispersion optical glass to ensure you’ll score a clear, perfectly contrasted view of the night’s sky.
BEST BUDGET
MaxUSee 70mm Refractor Telescope with Tripod & Finder Scope
As MaxUSee proves, it’s possible to find a great telescope for a bargain. This option features a wide, 70 millimeter aperture that will make stars and constellations appear bright and clear. With four eyepieces—which ranges from 16 to 200 times the magnification—it’s suitable for a range of stargazing experiences. It also has a smartphone adapter so you can view everything directly from your screen. To top it off, MaxUSee’s telescope comes with a tripod and finder scope, so you can buy everything you need for one fair, affordable price.
BEST FOR HOBBYISTS
Celestron 21023 Cometron FirstScope
Beginner stargazers will find a lot to love about Celestron 21023 Cometron FirstScope. Think of this option as a modern take on the elementary telescope Galileo Galilei created in 1609. The compact telescope can rest nicely on a flat surface, so you can avoid the rookie mistake of fumbling with a tripod. Using Celestron’s telescope is easy: All you need to do is point the tube in the direction of the desired object and take a gander. There’s also two eyepieces, making it possible to easily score a wide or narrow view of the sky.
BEST OVERALL
OYS 70mm Aperture Telescope
With hundreds of positive reviews on Amazon and a 4.8/5 rating, it’s not hard to see why OYS’s telescope is the retailer’s bestseller. This option features a 70mm aperture and fully coated optimal lenses to offer a crisp, clear view of the night’s sky. Tech savvy stargazers will appreciate the smart phone adapter and wireless camera remote, making it possible to view constellations from your screen. Thanks to its adjustable, aluminum alloy tripod, this telescope is suitable for every member of the family.
BEST FOR HOBBYISTS
Celestron NexStar 5SE Computerized Telescope
If you want to take your stargazing game up a couple of notches, Celestron’s NexStar 5SE Telescope is ideal for beginners and advanced hobbyists alike. With a four-inch primary mirror, this telescope is compact, but lets plenty of light in so you can see everything the solar system has to offer. Not only does this telescope have a computerized to-go mount that tracks your target’s movements, but it also comes with Celestron’s app so you can learn more about what you’re seeing. If you want to learn something new—even as an advanced stargazer—this one’s for you.
BEST FOR HOBBYISTS
Celestron NexStar 4SE Computerized Telescope
If you want to take your stargazing game up a couple of notches, Celestron’s NexStar 4SE Telescope is ideal for beginners and advanced hobbyists alike. With a four-inch primary mirror, this telescope is compact, but lets plenty of light in so you can see everything the solar system has to offer. Not only does this telescope have a computerized to-go mount that tracks your target’s movements, but it also comes with Celestron’s app so you can learn more about what you’re seeing. If you want to learn something new—even as an advanced stargazer—this one’s for you.
But don’t wait too long, because the planets will dip below the horizon only a couple hours after the sun sets. You won’t see a similar conjunction this close again until March 15, 2080.
In what astronomers are calling a great conjunction, or the meeting of the two biggest worlds in our solar system, the planets will appear perfectly aligned from Earth’s perspective and only be 0.1 degrees apart (that’s only one-fifth the diameter of the moon). The last time Jupiter and Saturn appeared this close was in 1623, just 14 years after Galileo made his first telescope and discovered the moons of Jupiter.
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The true solar system alignment of these two gas giants occurred a few weeks ago, but from Earth’s perspective as it quickly orbits the sun, Jupiter and Saturn will appear to inch closer and closer together over the coming weeks. If you take your telescope out early, the planets are already close together and setting later in the night, so you’ll have ample opportunities to track their progress.
Jupiter is five times the distance of Earth from the sun—a whopping 484 million miles away. Saturn is almost double that. Because of their great distances, the massive planets take ages to make a single revolution around our sun.
Your birthday on Jupiter would happen once every 12 years, and once every 30 years on Saturn. At this rate, Jupiter aligns with Saturn every 20 years in the orbital plane of the solar system, creating a conjunction viewed from Earth. But these conjunctions don’t always appear as close as they do this year.
The German astronomer Johannes Kepler suggested in 1614 that a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn occurring in 7 B.C. may be what the three wise men in the Nativity Story called the Star of Bethlehem. Whether the famed “Christmas Star” was a real astronomical event, like a planetary conjunction or comet, remains a mystery.
Jupiter and Saturn aren’t the only planets that regularly align. In 2015, Venus and Jupiter came within one-third of a degree apart.
The triple conjunction of Jupiter, Venus, and the Moon, viewed from ESO’s Very Large Telescope.
ESO/Wikimedia Commons
The best time to view the spectacle on December 21 will be around an hour after sunset, right near the constellation Capricorn. Get outside early for the matinee show.
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