Jupiter and Saturn cheek-to-cheek in rare 'great conjunction' 21 Dec 2020 Topics Fast News In a celestial phenomenon not seen in 397 years, Jupiter and Saturn, from the perspective of observers on Earth, align closely in an intimacy that will not occur again until 2080. A picture taken on December 21, 2020, in al-Salmi district, a desert area 120 km west of Kuwait City, shows the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. (AFP) The solar system's two biggest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, have come within the planetary kissing range, an intimacy that will not occur again until 2080. The optimal "conjunction" took place at 1822 GMT on Monday. This "great conjunction", as it is known to astronomers, occurred fortuitously on the winter solstice for those in the Northern Hemisphere and the beginning of summer in the global south.