800 YEARS, TWO PLANETS AND ONE REALLY COOL ‘CHRISTMAS STAR’

This picture, taken on Dec. 12, 2020, shows Jupiter and Saturn about 1 degree apart. On Dec. 21, they will appear 1/10 of a degree apart. JAY ELLIOTT/Contribute

“When the stars align…”

We’ve all heard this saying, and the popular adage actually refers to the astrological idea of planetary alignment, the indication that good or bad things might happen. It is often associated with celestial positioning at someone’s birth. The most well-known example is the “Star of Bethlehem,” which, biblical legend has it, graced the night sky and guided the wise men across the desert in the days when Christianity began 20 centuries ago.

So, have you been feeling a little more hope lately? Maybe it’s the news of the vaccine or maybe it’s something more? Perhaps, some good planetary juju?

In the past few weeks, Jupiter and Saturn moved closer and closer to each other. On Dec. 21, just after sunset, the two planets aligned and appeared as one bright, beautiful star ‒ the Christmas star.

Physically, it actually was a planetary “great conjunction,” where Earth moved into a place where Jupiter and Saturn appeared to be aligned, said Keys astronomer Jay Elliott. Jupiter’s 12-year orbit and Saturn’s 29-year one overlapped and actually brought the planets closer together, from our vantage point on Earth.

Despite visually coming together in the night sky, the two giant planets remain separated by a vast distance: five astronomical units (AU) ‒ 92 million miles, or the distance of Earth to the sun, Elliott explained.

The last time a great conjunction like this happened was in 1283, about 800 years ago, said NASA solar system ambassador Elizabeth Moore. There was also one in 2000, but it was so close to the sun that we couldn’t see it, she said.

“There’s another coming 80 years from now,” Moore told the Keys Weekly. “It’s not like it doesn’t happen, but it is a unique experience because it happened at the winter solstice, which gives us the longest night of the year, and because it (was) close to Christmas.”

Many speculated this same conjunction was indeed the “Star of Bethlehem” of biblical fame, due to its brightness. Forbes even called it a “once-in-10-lifetimes” event.

“That whole theory, being the possible cause of the ‘Christmas Star’ in the Bible, that’s unique,” Moore expanded. “It’s been a while since a conjunction happened near Christmas and it’s really cool.”

Several conjunctions of various planets occurred “within 10 years of the chronological point now taken as the beginning of the Christian era,” the Encyclopaedia Britannica says, adding historical fuel to the speculative fire that Monday’s event might indeed have been special.

On the solstice, the two planets appeared just one tenth of a degree apart – about the thickness of a dime held at arm’s length, according to NASA. Their visual proximity made them shine extra bright, just in time for Christmas. Following the conjunction, you’ll still be able to see the planets very close, moving farther from each other each day, Elliott said. 

So, whether or not you believe this was actually the “star” that graced the Bethlehem sky or just two giant balls of gas that happen to be swinging by to say hi to each other and us, one thing remains true: sometimes it’s nice to believe.