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As Saturn and Jupiter come mighty close, how to watch the Great Conjunction from India

21 Dec 2020, 11:44 AM IST



Saturn, Jupiter come close


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Saturn, Jupiter come close



According to a report by NYT, the last time Saturn and Jupiter, the largest planets in our solar system, orbited as closely as they will Monday and were visible in the sky, the year was 1226. Almost 800 years later, these titanic orbs will once again appear in the heavens just one-tenth of a degree apart — about the thickness of a dime held at arm’s length, according to NASA.

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Christmas star


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Christmas star



Astrophiles of all stripes are excited, to say the least. Astronomers and other sky watchers could witness a once-in-a-lifetime event. Astrologers are heralding it as a time of rebirth. (The conjunction falls on the winter solstice.) And holiday aficionados are calling this bright conjunction, happening so close to Christmas Day, the “Christmas star.”

PTI




How to watch it from India


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How to watch it from India



In India, the conjunction is likely to be visible between 6.30pm and 7.30pm. The Nehru planetarium has initiated a very interesting activity for those interested in the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on the 21st of December 2020, through measurement of the changing angle between Jupiter and Saturn leading up to the conjunction. The planetarium will be webcasting the event from 19th December to 22nd December from 6 PM to 7 PM. The links for the webcasts can be found on its website.

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Cosmically poetic


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Cosmically poetic



“The winter solstice is a really great time to set an intention because symbolically you’re setting intention with the sun returning,” Chani Nicholas, an astrologer who lives in Los Angeles said. “With the conjunction there is a sense of gravity that comes with that moment.” Of Jupiter and Saturn, Nicholas said: “To have these two be so beautifully placed to be so bright and enchanting in the night sky feels very cosmically poetic.” She added: “After this year of restriction and confinement and devastation, there is this feeling of there is some kind of renewal.”

AFP




Astronomical convergence


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Astronomical convergence



Some form of conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn happens about every 20 years. But “this one is particularly neat because they are getting very close in the sky,” said Henry Throop, an astronomer at NASA who has been watching the impending planetary convergence from his yard. (The planets inch closer every day.) “Go any place where you can see the sunset and a half-hour after it you will see Jupiter and Saturn 30 degrees up in the sky,” he said. “Jupiter will be brighter than Saturn because it’s closer to us.”

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As Saturn and Jupiter come mighty close, how to watch the Great Conjunction from India As Saturn and Jupiter come mighty close, how to watch the Great Conjunction from India Reviewed by TechCO on 12/21/2020 Rating: 5

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