How to see the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on Monday night (msn.com)
Kiwi stargazers will be in for an end-of-year treat when Jupiter and Saturn appear close together in the night sky on Monday night.
It's been nearly 400 years since these two planets aligned as closely as they will night, and to the unaided eye, they will appear to almost touch. At their closest, they'll be just 0.1 degrees apart, which is just one-fifth of the diameter of the moon. This extra-close conjunction won't be matched again until March 2080.
The two planets' positions are aligned about once every 20 years, but 1623 was the last time Jupiter and Saturn passed this close to each other in the sky, and the first time in nearly 800 years since the alignment happened at night.
How to see Jupiter and Saturn
The rare sighting can be seen every night until the end of the year, weather permitting, and can be viewed with your naked eye. However, Otago Museum director and astronomer Dr Ian Griffin told RNZ's Morning Report you'll need binoculars and a telescope to split the planets since they're so close. But they'll still be easy enough to find.
"Go out tonight, find the moon, and then look down to the left and you should see a bright star and that is Jupiter and Saturn," he says.
"Then if you point your telescope or even a pair of binoculars at that bright star you'll see there are two planets - Jupiter and Saturn with its wonderful rings.
"And if you look really carefully you'll see ... four of Jupiter's moons and one of Saturn's. It will be seven planetary bodies all in that one field of view."
But they disappear by 11:15pm, so you need to be out just after sunset until about an hour and a half later, he says.
Here are my pictures...off my phone...don't have a camera these days. Taken less than 30 minutes ago....
Maybe some of you guys will get a chance to see this rare event.
