The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn

[Mad Hatter]

Tonight, 12/21/2020 Jupiter and Saturn will appear to merge together into one star. I was waiting to see this for weeks and unfortunately, it's cloudy and overcast here.  

This evening, on the first day of astronomical winter, you may be able to see a rare phenomenon witnessed when the famous astronomer Galileo Galilei was alive: Jupiter and Saturn will appear so close to one another in the night sky, the gassy behemoths will look like one star: the Christmas star.

https://www.livescience.com/how-to-watch...aturn.html

[Dancefortwo]

It's pouring rain here in Portland.  Oh well.  Maybe next time.

[Fireball]

I went out on my front porch and saw it with my naked eyes (as augmented by my spectacles). It's pretty bright, and my wife got a pic of it on her cell phone, believe it or not.

[trdsf]

Completely socked in with clouds. There's a reason Ohio isn't a hotbed of observational astronomy...

[Bucky Ball]

Thar she blows.

[Inkubus]

I went out on my front porch and saw it with my naked eyes (as augmented by my spectacles). It's pretty bright, and my wife got a pic of it on her cell phone, believe it or not.

Jupiter is your chart ruler and the dominant effect. That's why you couldn't see it.

[Fireball]

I went out on my front porch and saw it with my naked eyes (as augmented by my spectacles). It's pretty bright, and my wife got a pic of it on her cell phone, believe it or not.

Jupiter is your chart ruler and the dominant effect. That's why you couldn't see it.

I did see it. What are you talking about?

[Astreja]

It was cloudy or partly cloudy all day, so viewing the conjunction in Winnipeg was no-go. A couple of people I know checked the satellite weather, jumped in their car, and found some clear sky a couple of hours west of here.

[Mad Hatter]

Completely socked in with clouds.  There's a reason Ohio isn't a hotbed of observational astronomy...

Ohio's where I'm at too. The weather totally sucks here. I was waiting for weeks to see 'The Great Conjunction' and all I got to see was dark clouds and rain. There'll be pictures and videos but it's not the same as seeing it in person. A Jupiter/Saturn conjunction happens once every decade but nothing this spectacular will be seen again for another 800 years. This totally sucked. Well, at least I got to see Hale Bopp, which won't be seen again from Earth in about 2,000+ years.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Tonight, 12/21/2020 Jupiter and Saturn will appear to merge together into one star. I was waiting to see this for weeks and unfortunately, it's cloudy and overcast here.  

This evening, on the first day of astronomical winter, you may be able to see a rare phenomenon witnessed when the famous astronomer Galileo Galilei was alive: Jupiter and Saturn will appear so close to one another in the night sky, the gassy behemoths will look like one star: the Christmas star.

https://www.livescience.com/how-to-watch...aturn.html

Cousins want to know if we'll see the "collision".

[Phaedrus]

Cousins want to know if we'll see the "collision".

Tell them yes, and that the ripple effect will engulf our planet within five light years.

[Mad Hatter]

Tonight, 12/21/2020 Jupiter and Saturn will appear to merge together into one star. I was waiting to see this for weeks and unfortunately, it's cloudy and overcast here.  

This evening, on the first day of astronomical winter, you may be able to see a rare phenomenon witnessed when the famous astronomer Galileo Galilei was alive: Jupiter and Saturn will appear so close to one another in the night sky, the gassy behemoths will look like one star: the Christmas star.

https://www.livescience.com/how-to-watch...aturn.html

Cousins want to know if we'll see the "collision".

I'll probably miss that one too with all the cloud cover here.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Cousins want to know if we'll see the "collision".

Tell them yes, and that the ripple effect will engulf our planet within five light years.

Meh, they already tell me I'm only interested in "outer space" for the parsex.

[Dancefortwo]

I didn't get to see it in real life but I can at least see it in photos.




This is a time lapse photo.  I don't know if this was taken over the last few days or what, but anyway.....







When I was in college getting my masters in theatre I was required  to take three science classes so I took two biology classes and one astronomy class.  Don't get too impressed, the astronomy class was basic stuff.  Anyway the professor had a fabulous telescope (at least it was fabulous to me) and one clear evening the class went out and looked at Saturn through his telescope.  I know that Saturn exists and it's out there and it has rings around it, I'd seen it in all the books.  But there's something almost shocking to see it in real time.  It sent chills up my spine.  It really IS out there.  It really DOES have rings around it.  Amazing experience.  I've never forgotten it.

[Dānu]

[Gawdzilla Sama]

I told the cousins not to watch it, they'd get conjunctivitis.

[Thumpalumpacus]

It was too cloudy last night for the viewing here, but the night before I was able to view the closing approach by naked eye with the two planets very close. Gave me time to think about the vast distances involved, and that's a good thing.

[Mad Hatter]

It was too cloudy last night for the viewing here, but the night before I was able to view the closing approach by naked eye with the two planets very close. Gave me time to think about the vast distances involved, and that's a good thing.

...and how big those two planets are, considering the vast distances between them at 450+million miles during the 'great conjunction'.