Winter Solstice and the Great Conjunction

Today, December 21, is the Winter Solstice!  This means that one of the Earth’s poles has its maximum tilt away from the sun creating a day with the shortest period of daylight and the longest night of the year. Today is considered the first day of winter and the days will slowly start getting longer again until summer begins next year on June 20.  
But today isn’t just the winter solstice.  It’s also the Great Conjunction!  The great conjunction occurs when Jupiter and Saturn align in the night sky which hasn’t happened for almost 800 years.  True, the planets regularly pass each other and line up every 20 years.  But it’s been 400 years since they have been as close as they will be today and 800 years since they cozied up so close during the night for everyone to see.  
If you can find an unhindered view of the sky, you should be able to see this great moment, even in a city.  In Portland, you will want to start looking toward the southwest around sunset at 4:30 PM, before the planets dip below the horizon.  Jupiter will look like the brightest star in the sky and should be easy to find.  Saturn will be fainter and appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter. Jupiter will then overtake Saturn and just like that you will have a brilliant Christmas Star!

Of course, the weather isn’t looking so great for Portlanders. We might have to use our imagination a little while we look up at the clouds. But it’s still there even if we can’t see it, so let’s just go out and stare in the rain.  We can always google awesome pictures of it later! ​