Jupiter and Saturn Conjunction

[philip964]

Tonight at 6:00pm.

[mr surveyor]

at least the moon will be 45 minutes later tomorrow night .... that extra mass of light sure takes away from the view of that area of the sky


jd

oh .... Mars is almost straight over head about the same time under consideration

[Flightmare]

For those who have Android, Sky map is a great app to find planets in the night sky.

[BigGuy]

For those who have Android, Sky map is a great app to find planets in the night sky.

Available on iPhone also. LOVE that app.

[Rafe]

One of those "don't miss it" events. The last time Jupiter and Saturn passed this close to each other in their orbits was about the same time the Mayflower set sail from Plymouth, England, bound for the New World. And the last time the full alignment of Saturn and Jupiter occurred at nighttime in the western hemisphere was in the early hours before dawn on March 4, 1226 AD. And this time it's a "Christmas star" happening on the night of the winter solstice.

https://www.nasa.gov/feature/the-great- ... and-saturn

[chasfm11]

You will have to be in a position to see very low on the Southwestern sky. This happens between 5-10 degrees above the horizon.

[RoyGBiv]

Thanks for the reminder.

Planning to view from the top deck of a mall parking garage.

[oohrah]

I'm setting up my telescope in my driveway for my neighbors. Looked at it last night, it is very bright so don't need to worry about city lights so much, but the darker the better. You will need at least binoculars to see both planets, otherwise it will just look like one bright object to the naked eye.

[Rafe]

In 2006, my two brothers and I went to Big Bend Texas to camp, climb, and star gaze. On that first evening, I had just finished setting up my telescope when the sun went down and blackness set in. An older couple approached me and the man asked “what do you have there” and I said it is an 8” Meade LX200 GPS with Ultra-High Transmission Coatings and a Nagler eyepiece. And he said, “it’s a telescope, right?” They walked off and one minute later, another older couple came over and the man asked, “what do you have there” and I said, it’s a telescope, and he said, “I know, what kind?”

There's an eternal life lesson in communication in those few sentences. One that I never learned to grasp and at which I continually fail. I asked a long-time friend if she knew about the event tonight. Her immediate email reply was that yes, she did, "and it does NOT require that you send me paragraphs of scientific info on the likelihood of this or that phenomenon resulting in the 'Christmas star'. Please."

[powerboatr]

we can see it really good out here in east texas. nasa said 10 degrees above horizon, but its closer to 20. to the south by southwest
awesome

[jason812]

I only have a 45x spotting scope. I think I can see this. 1 dor no scope. 2 like the picture above when looking through the scope. I got the carpet critters out to see even though they won't remember.

[KC5AV]

Tonight at 6:00pm.

What did you use for that view?
I took a few shots at between 24 and 105mm, and a couple with my 200mm. None of them came out very well. I know 'the big event' was tonight, but I'll try a few more shots over the next several evenings.