Seeing The Jupiter-Saturn Planet Congjunction, The Christmas Star

JAKARTA - Tonight the rare conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn will soon occur, and interestingly this phenomenon can be seen with the naked eye in the Indonesian sky.

The Jupiter-Saturn conjunction is the merging of the paths of the Planets Jupiter and Saturn when viewed from Earth. Jupiter orbits the sun in 11.86 Earth years. Meanwhile, Saturn orbits the sun in 29.4 Earth years.

That's why Jupiter will overtake Saturn every 20 years. This event is known as the Great Conjunction. This conjunction occurs on a different date, but is considered the most special one that appears during the Winter Soltice because it is related to Christmas celebrations.

"Position under the crescent moon. On Monday night, the position of Jupiter and Saturn closest, seemingly close together, after nearly 800 years. The previous incident in 1226. So, the Great Conjuction is a rare event for astronomy enthusiasts," said the head of the National Space Agency ( LAPAN) Thomas Djamaluddin.

According to the Space page, the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction is right at the Winter Soltice or the winter solstice. This is a very rare occurrence that occurs every 400 years.

That is why the Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction is also associated with the Christmas Star or the Star of Bethlehem, the bright star leading up to the birth of Jesus Christ. Therefore, many people want to see this natural phenomenon.

To see it in the countries of the northern hemisphere, the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be clearly visible. Both of them will shine brightly in the sky tonight.

When viewing using a telescope, Jupiter and Saturn will only be 1 degree apart. Meanwhile in Indonesia, people can see it with the naked eye in the southwestern sky.

Man! Monday, December 21, 2020, the planets Jupiter & Saturn will be locked in a hug. The two of them seemed to unite as a brilliant white ball in the sky. This romantic spectacle is called the Great Conjunction. Don't miss it, bro, #spacemin, give me the invitation undangan pic.twitter.com/j0TZ9GZnut

- LAPAN (@LAPAN_RI) December 19, 2020