The two gas giants approach in the sky. On December 21, they will be the closest they have been observed in almost 800 years.
Those who lifted their eyes to the sky on this morning of March 4, 1226, had the chance to see a unique spectacle during their lifetime.
Jupiter and Saturn shining together, so close that it was difficult to distinguish them from each other..
Since then, no human has had the opportunity to admire this phenomenon. It reproduced well in 1623, when the English were just beginning to establish colonies in North America, but the two planets were then obscured by sunlight, so no one got to enjoy the spectacle.
Long before that, Saturn and Jupiter had found each other in the sky in the year 7 BCE. Renaissance astronomer Johannes Kepler even considered the hypothesis that this stellar encounter could have been the legendary Star of Bethlehem guiding the Three Wise Men. That is to say the rarity of the event.
After sunset, at 6:22 p.m. GMT, the two gas giants will appear in the same field of view of an observational instrument, giving the impression of brushing against each other while in reality at several hundred million kilometers from each other.
To enjoy the show, we will have to bring a small instrument of observation, find a very clear sky, and look towards the South-West, on a band of territory encompassing the West of Europe (Ireland, Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal) and a large part of Africa.
Those who lifted their eyes to the sky on this morning of March 4, 1226, had the chance to see a unique spectacle during their lifetime.
Jupiter and Saturn shining together, so close that it was difficult to distinguish them from each other..
Since then, no human has had the opportunity to admire this phenomenon. It reproduced well in 1623, when the English were just beginning to establish colonies in North America, but the two planets were then obscured by sunlight, so no one got to enjoy the spectacle.
Long before that, Saturn and Jupiter had found each other in the sky in the year 7 BCE. Renaissance astronomer Johannes Kepler even considered the hypothesis that this stellar encounter could have been the legendary Star of Bethlehem guiding the Three Wise Men. That is to say the rarity of the event.
After sunset, at 6:22 p.m. GMT, the two gas giants will appear in the same field of view of an observational instrument, giving the impression of brushing against each other while in reality at several hundred million kilometers from each other.
To enjoy the show, we will have to bring a small instrument of observation, find a very clear sky, and look towards the South-West, on a band of territory encompassing the West of Europe (Ireland, Great Britain, France, Spain, Portugal) and a large part of Africa.
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