Skywatch: Conjunction Of Jupiter - Saturn Later This Month -- December 3, 2020

This is really, really cool. Link here.

Sophia and I follow the night sky almost every evening. We have been following the moon, Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter for the past several months. 

Early on, the moon was in the lead as the four crossed the night sky on successive evenings. But like the hare and the turtle, gradually, Saturn/Jupiter overtook the moon and are clearly in the lead. Mars is still lagging. 

Sophia and I can spot Jupiter and Saturn almost immediately every evening. Mars takes a few more seconds. LOL. But easy to find. And we confirm them on our "skywatch" app on the iPhone.

A reader sent me this: "Christmas Star" to light up December sky for first time in 800 years. Wow, Jupiter and Saturn have been separated by about one outstretched hand-width. Jupiter is already one of the brightest "stars" if not the brightest just after sunset. Saturn is not nearly as bright but it's so close to Jupiter it is easy to find. 

From the linked article:

On Dec. 21, humans can witness something not seen in nearly 800 years. That’s right, during the upcoming winter solstice, Jupiter and Saturn will line up to create what is known as the “Christmas Star” or “Star of Bethlehem.” 

Of the many "theories" / speculations about the "Christmas star," the conjunction of Saturn - Jupiter is only one of many and appears to be one of the least likely. That doesn't make the skywatch any less interesting, it's just important to make sure that this doesn't become "fake science." Especially when Sophia is involved. LOL.

Like most Christian holidays, the origin of December 25th as Christmas also has a long, long pre-Christian history.