Jupiter and Saturn unite this Dec 21, closest observable in 800 years!

As we bid adieu to 2020 in a few days, the year which brought unprecedented changes (pandemic and all) is also going to bear witness to a very rare phenomenon of the 'great conjunction'.

Astronomers use the term 'great conjunction' to describe the meeting of the solar system's largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn. This winter solstice i.e December 21, we will see this rare phenomenon after 20 years.

However, not all conjunctions are the same. The 2020 great conjunction of the two planets would be the closest since 1623 and the closest observable since 1226! Hence, this is a rare opportunity for stargazers as this moment of the union of the mighty Jupiter and the glorious Saturn has come in the modern world for the first time.

Although these conjunctions occur every 20 years, the two planets won't appear this close in the sky until March 15, 2080. 

NASA also asked stargazers to look for them low in the south-west in the hour after sunset when "the two giant planets will appear just a tenth of a degree apart - that's about the thickness of a dime held at arm's length."

"Viewing is good all night for the Northern Hemisphere, with activity peaking around 2 a.m. local time, and after midnight for viewers in the Southern Hemisphere," said NASA.