Jupiter and Saturn ... on a date with the greatest conjunction on December 21 next

Weather of Arabia - Astronomers use the term Planetary Conjunction to describe the meetings of planets in the dome of the sky, and with the approaching end of 2020, and in accordance with the day of the winter solstice on December 21, the world will witness an exceptional event in what is called the Great Conjunction ( The great conjunction ) between the two largest planets in our solar system, as Jupiter and Saturn approach each other to arrive at the closest point of each other, so the two planets appear as one double planet, and this is the first great conjunction that occurs between the planets since scientists began to monitor the alignment of planets nearly 800 years ago.

Saturn is known as the sixth planet among the planets of the solar system in terms of its distance from the sun, and it is the farthest and slowest planet, as it takes Saturn 30 years to complete its orbit around the sun, while Jupiter is the fifth planet in the solar system, and the second slowest planet after Saturn, where Jupiter completes Its rotation around the sun every 12 years, and when their orbits coincide every 20 years, Jupiter and Saturn are close to each other, but this year's conjunction will be so great that a distance of only 0.1 degrees separates them, and this has not been observed between any of the planets since the Middle Ages.

How can one see the greatest conjunction?

The last conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn was in the year 2000 AD, during which the two planets appeared near the sun, so it was difficult to observe the event, but this time the vision will be clearer, as the greatest conjunction will appear bright shortly after sunset.

During the month of December, observers will also be able to follow the two planets over the coming weeks, and watch them get closer and closer in the sky, as Jupiter appears currently brighter than any star in the sky, while Saturn appears a little faded, but it is still remarkably bright. Featured.

The event can be observed from anywhere on Earth.