Jupiter and Saturn sit just above the horizon on Saturday, two days before their Great Conjunction, the moon shines in the top left. (Facebook/Valerie Joy)

By Alison Sandstrom

Celestial show

P.A. photographer offers tips on how to see Monday’s ‘Great Conjunction’

Dec 21, 2020 | 3:42 PM

Sky watchers will have the chance to see a rare astrological event Monday as Saturn and Jupiter – the solar systems’ two largest planets – appear to merge in the night sky. The last time the two planets appeared this close together at night was nearly 800 years ago.

Prince Albert photographer Valerie Joy captured the two celestial bodies on Saturday as they neared what astronomers call the “Great Conjunction.”

“It was awesome in the literal sense,” Joy, who took the photo around three kilometer south of P.A., told paNOW. “You think they’re just rocks, they don’t even have their own light, they’re not stars, but to see them one after the other like that was really really beautiful.”

Monday’s celestial alignment is made all the more special because it occurs on the winter solstice, the longest night of the year.

Joy said while some people see that as a coincidence, she doesn’t think of it that way.

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“I like to think it’s a gift,” she said. “These are dark times in many ways, and so the fact that we have three things happening, advent, the winter solstice and the ‘Great Conjunction,’ I think things are lining up just to give us some hope.”

(NASA)

How to see the ‘Great Conjunction’

As for anyone interested in seeing the alignment for themselves, Joy advised heading out of the city to find some dark sky between 6:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. The planets will set below the horizon at around 7:15 p.m. on Monday, but go too much earlier and the residual light from the sunset will make them difficult to see.

“Look where the sun has set and then where the moon is and follow an angle down to the right [to the horizon] at about a 45 degree angle,” she explained.

If you have binoculars or a camera with a telephoto lens, you may be able to see the outline of both planets or their distinct colours. To the naked eye, they will likely appear like one bright star.

Although Monday evening’s forecast calls for less than optimal star-gazing conditions, Joy encouraged people not let that stop them from seeking out a firsthand view of the celestial show. She explained Saturday evening was actually “very cloudy,” but the veil began to lift at the horizon as she got in her car to go look for a place to capture a photograph of Saturn and Jupiter.

“Even if it is cloudy, I encourage people to go out,” she said. “Take a chance because you never know.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom