Great Conjunction: Jupiter-Saturn to come together in rare celestial event on Dec 21
This year's winter solstice will bring a rare sight to our night skies. In a rare celestial event, Jupiter and Saturn will be seen very close to each other appearing like one bright star in the sky on December 21. This is a rare conjunction because of the closeness of the two planets, which is a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. The two planets won't appear this close to each other again until 2080.
Saturn has been trailing Jupiter across the night sky over the past few months.
The two planets have never been so close since 1623, and hence, the term "a great conjunction", Director of M P Birla Planetarium, Debi Prasad Duari, said in a statement.
"If two celestial bodies visually appear close to each other from Earth, it is called a conjunction. And such conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter is at times called a great conjunction," he said.\
This event, known as the grand conjunction, happens about once every 20 years.
The planets will next come comparably close on March 15, 2080.
On the night of December 21, their physical distance will be around 735 million km, Duari said.
In the run-up to the date, both planets will appear to progressively come closer to each other, with every passing day, he said.
In most major cities across India, the conjunction could be seen just after sunset.
(With Inputs from PTI)
