Jupiter, Saturn Will Align To Form Christmas Star

It will be like a Christmas miracle. On dec 21, the planets Jupiter and Saturn will appear in the sky. The planets will align in a way that will appear like a single bright light. This rare occurrence is called the “Christmas Star.”

The planets coming close like this, is something that happens every 19.6 years. But it is after 397 years that these planets will come so close to each other. According to the scientists, the last time this happened was in 1623.

A researcher-programmer at the Ontario Science Centre, Rachel Ward-Maxwell said that this is a very rare opportunity. We are lucky as this is once in a lifetime opportunity; technically, once in a generation.

When this happened in 1623, chances are that the planets must have been so close to the sun, that it was not visible at all. It can be even before that. Back in 1226 or so, this occurrence most probably was seen by people. The Christmas star was visible to naked eyes.

You will be able to see the planets moving closer to each other, although it will not be very clear. This although it requires a telescope. Also Jupiter’s four largest moons and Saturn’s ring can be seen with the help of the telescope binoculars.

The story behind the name of this great conjunction is very simple. Due to its occurrence during the Christmas season, it got the name “Christmas Star.”