FAYETTEVILLE, Ark — On Monday (Dec. 21), Saturn and Jupiter appeared so close in the sky, that it will be difficult to see them as two separate objects.
The two largest planets in our solar system aligned in a way that hasn't been done in centuries, and won't likely happen again during our lifetime.
All month, just after sunset, sky watchers have captured the pair of planets slowly coming together in the southwest sky.
Local astronomer Rick Marshall says he's been looking forward to this for a while, so much so that he decided to set up a zoom watch party for others to see the show.
“Normally if you look through a telescope you’re looking through an eyepiece but instead I replaced that with a video camera which is connected with my computer and then I can go on Facebook live or here I’ve got a zoom meeting going right now and I can broadcast through live image what you see through my telescope,” Marshall said.
Great Conjunction
The last "visible" conjunction this close was nearly 800 years ago in 1226.
This phenomenon falls on the winter solstice, like a star of Bethlehem for Christmas week.
“We don’t think it was actually Jupiter and Saturn because if you take that back with the models they aren’t together then but there are some other events during that time that it could be," Marshall said. "Like Jupiter and Venus together is one, a comet, or potentially something we don’t even know like a supernova. Which is where a star can explode and be super super bright in the sky."
If you missed the beautiful sight don't worry, you will have another chance Tuesday (Dec. 22) night.
“So just get out there around 5:30. They’ll set about 7 o’clock so just get outside around somewhere in that time frame and look to your southwest and it’ll be the brightest thing you can see,” Marshall said.