At the same time, the Ursids meteor shower will send shooting stars streaking across the night sky.
Monday night brings an astronomical anomaly. It s the longest night of the year for the Northern Hemisphere - the winter solstice - and it will feature both a meteor shower and a once-in-800-years double planet.
You don t need a telescope to see any of this.
Jupiter and
Saturn, which shine as bright as stars in the night sky, will appear so close to each other that they seem to touch. An alignment, or conjunction, between these two planets happens every 20 years, but the last time they looked this close from Earth s vantage point was on March 4, 1226.
By MATTHEW CAPPUCCI | The Washington Post | Published: December 21, 2020 Monday night, Jupiter and Saturn will pair up in the southwestern sky, appearing closer than they have more than 800 years in some areas. It s officially known as a great conjunction, but many are hailing it as a Christmas star, the spectacle coinciding with the winter solstice. The cosmic rendezvous will be most prominently visible during twilight in the the two hours immediately after sunset. Thereafter, the duo will disappear below the horizon. If clouds obscure your view on Monday, don t fret. The proximate planets will be visible nearby for the next few nights, albeit at a slightly greater distance from one another.