“Christmas Star” is what they are calling the alignment of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21st. This day is also The Winter Solstice, which is the longest night of the year in the northern hemisphere. This has not happened in nearly 800 years!
The coming together of these planets is often referred to as “The Star of Bethlehem” or “The Christmas Star”
Planets aligning happens every 20 years or so. This occurrence is so rare because of how close they will be appear to be. They will seem pretty close to one another, giving the illusion that they will collide. Instead of colliding into each other they will align into a radiant spectacle of light.
according to many sources this will be visible on the western horizon instead of near the moon higher in the sky. They say it should be about an hour after sunset but others are saying to look 45 minutes after sunset.
Just to be safe my Floridian ass will be out there as the sun is setting because I don’t want to miss it!
The further north, the harder it will be to see. So those in New York may miss out since it could be obstructed by the sunset itself.
NASA says that “you will need to look fast as both planets will set shortly after sunset”
Jupiter will appear first once it starts to get dark, then Saturn on the left.
Hopefully we will get a good glimpse of this happening since it is definitely a once in a lifetime thing!
Photographing The Star:
Honestly unless you have the right equipment and knowledge to take a proper picture, don’t bother. A cell phone won’t capture the moment clearly at all. So just enjoy it.
If you’re so compelled to snap a picture then do not waste time on it. snap one or two then put the phone away and try to enjoy the moment because it won’t be long. Wouldn’t want to miss such a crazy moment in time because you’re distracted with a phone.
I love stuff like this! Every eclipse, or any meteor shower happening I will do my damnedest to see it! The last truly awesome one I remember was the super blood moon eclipse in 2018. busted the camera out and got some very blurry photos. It kept me from totally experiencing the moment.
If you want to do it correctly then you would need a tripod, and a DSLR camera with a telephoto lens. Like a really good telephoto lens. I beleive mine was 300mm and I thought I would be fine.
Even with the right equipment there’s a lot to getting the right picture. Its been years since I’ve professionally taken pictures but night sky pictures require a timed exposure. You don’t want to touch the camera at all. Even just the shake from pressing the camera button can throw off the picture. A remote to take a photo would be best.
