Saturn-Jupiter conjunction, a rare celestial event to occur on Dec 21

Described as conjunction of the two planets, the last time both came so close was 387 years ago in 1623

Hyderabad: Two major planets of our solar system, Saturn and Jupiter will reach so close to each other on December 21 that such a celestial event will not happen again for another 60 years.

Described as conjunction of the two planets, the last time both came so close was 387 years ago in 1623. Amateur astronomers point out that the Saturn and Jupiter conjunction can be spotted about 30 minutes after sunset towards the south-western direction of the sky on December 21.

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In fact, both the planets, which largely comprise of hydrogen and helium, can be spotted as bright stars and gradually moving towards each other till December 21, when the conjunction happens. Both will be so close to each other that they will be just 0.1 degree apart and it would be difficult to distinguish them from each other. Due to the proximity with each other, Saturn and Jupiter would appear as an elongated star or some even describe the combination as a double planet.

Since a similar celestial event is expected to happen in 2080, the Saturn and Jupiter conjunction is also being described as the ‘Great Conjunction’. According to amateur astronomers, both the planets will be bright enough and can be spotted with naked eye and visualised even better with a telescope.

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