Super Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn
December 24, 2020
Photographers: Antonio Gonzalez; Jose Fernández Arozena
Summary Authors: Jose Fernández Arozena; Antonio Gonzalez; Jim Foster
Shown above are two views of the super conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn as observed from La Palma in the Canary Islands (Spain), about an hour after sunset. Separated by but 0.1 degrees at their closest (the width of your little finger at arm’s length is around 1.0 degree), Jupiter and Saturn appeared as one in the southwestern sky on December 21, 2020. Though the gas giant and ringed planet are in conjunction approximately every 20-years, they’re rarely in such close proximity; the last time they were this close was nearly 400-years ago. Look for them the next several nights. They're gradually drawing away from one another but will be an interesting pairing, low in the southwest, through the first week of January. Top photo taken on December 20, 2020; bottom photo taken on December 17, 2020.