P. Sarojini
Mumbai, India (CWBN)_ The spectacular view of the two planetary giants Jupiter and Saturn crossing each other at a closest distance will be seen in the sky tonight. This rare conjunction during the Christmas festival has given spirit to the celebrations ahead. It is widely believed by many that this conjunction of the two planets could be a mirror of the mythical Star of Bethlehem. While there are still speculations that Bethlehem star ever existed, one of the hypotheses asserts that in the year 7 B.C., in the same constellation, Jupiter and Saturn had three conjunctions and that may probably explain it.
December 2020 is a month of breathtaking heavenly events. We will be able to see the Ursid meteor shower during the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction after the Geminid meteor shower and a complete Solar Eclipse. Since December 17th, the Ursid meteor shower has been active and will highlight during December 21-22. Today, the Jupiter and Saturn will cross each other at a closest distance by just “0.1 degrees or about one-fifth the apparent width of the Moon”
As a normal astronomical event, Jupiter and Saturn cross each other once in every 20 years. But the experts say that this year’s Jupiter-Saturn conjunction is special as both the planets come too close to each other after 400 years and the heavenly event happens at night after 800 years. The American space agency NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) said, “It’s been nearly 400 years since the planets passed this close to each other in the sky, and nearly 800 years since the alignment of Saturn and Jupiter occurred at night, as it will for 2020, allowing nearly everyone around the world to witness this ‘Great conjunction”.
The scholars say that today’s Jupiter-Saturn conjunction is one of the rarest events of the space and symbolically a major deal, since it occurs on the night of the Winter Solstice, during the time the Sun begins to return to the Northern Hemisphere.
The ‘Christmas Star’ took the three wise men to the new-born baby Jesus, according to the Biblical tale. The Christmas star is also considered as a symbol of humanity’s hope and faith. As an old tradition, candles were used by the people to signify the ‘Christmas Star’, but now in modern times, fairy lights and small multi-colored bulbs are widely used to illuminate the Christmas Tree and ornament houses.
