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Exciting news for all astronomy buffs out there or those who want to witness a celestial event that last took place in 1623 and will happen again in sixty years! I'm thinking of grabbing my telelens and the tripod and catching some shots.
Saturn, upper right, and Jupiter, below Saturn, are seen shining behind Tokyo Skytree from
Katsushika Ward as the thin crescent moon forms a beautiful shape on the evening of Dec. 17, 2020.
(Mainichi/Koichiro Tezuka)
Saturn, upper right, and Jupiter, below Saturn, are seen shining behind Tokyo Skytree from
Katsushika Ward as the thin crescent moon forms a beautiful shape on the evening of Dec. 17, 2020.
(Mainichi/Koichiro Tezuka)
Jupiter orbits the Sun about every 12 years, and Saturn around every 29.5 years, and when viewed from Earth, the planets appear to line up almost every 20 years. According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, both planets will approach each other by about a quarter of the moon's diameter at around 3 a.m. on Dec. 22. The last time the planets came so close was in July 1623, and the next time will be 60 years from now. In Japan on the evening of Dec. 21 and 22, it's projected it will be possible to see the two planets shining side by side with the naked eye or with binoculars.
Jupiter, Saturn appear their closest in 397 years in spectacle behind Tokyo Skytree - The Mainichi
TOKYO -- Jupiter and Saturn are nearing their first
mainichi.jp