Month: December 2020

If you have been watching the night sky over the course of the autumn and early winter, you may have noticed a pair of bright dots in the southwestern sky. Appearing brighter than all of the stars overhead, these are the two largest planets in our solar system: Jupiter and Saturn. Over the past weeks, the gap between these two bodies has been shrinking, and next week the night sky will display a rare event that has not been seen in nearly 400 years. On Monday, December 21, there will be a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, meaning that from our viewpoint on Earth, the two bright dots will appear to merge into one extremely large object. Conjunctions can happen between any two planets, or possibly between a planet and a bright star. However, when the event involves the two biggest planets in our solar system it is called a “Great Conjunction.”

In order for a Great Conjunction to occur, this means that three planets — Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn — need to be lined up almost perfectly in a row. Since these three objects are orbiting the Sun at different speeds, this alignment only happens every 20 years. The precise proximity of Jupiter and Saturn to each other in our field of view can vary among Great Conjunctions, and the 2020 event is special because they have not been this close together in our sky since the year 1623. Historically, the rarity of conjunctions led many cultures to see the events as significant omens; some saw them as good signs, others as bad ones. There is speculation among some people around the world that a Great Conjunction may have caused the “Christmas Star,” the special object that was said to have appeared to the Wise Men, leading them to Bethlehem in the well-known story of Christmas.

You can prepare for the Great Conjunction this week by practicing finding Jupiter and Saturn in your backyard sky. At 5 p.m. EST, the sun will have set, but the sky will be in a stage of twilight. The two planets will be in the direction of southwest, and they will appear brighter than all of the visible stars. By 6 p.m., the twilight will be fading but the planets will be lower in the sky. By 7 p.m., the planets will be so low on the horizon that many of us will not have a clear view of them. Try to note what time this week the planets disappear below your line of sight. You’ll want to go out at least 15 minutes earlier than that on the night of December 21 to ensure that you can witness the Great Conjunction.

To learn more about the Great Conjunction and its possible religious connections, join us at the Treworgy Planetarium for our “Star of Bethlehem” show at 3 p.m., Thursday-Sunday. The show will run through Sunday, December 27.

This post was written by Brian Koehler, supervisor of the Treworgy Planetarium at the Museum.

You may have heard on the news that there is a possibility for the Northern Lights, or the Aurora Borealis, to be visible here in Connecticut over the next few nights. It’s true! There’s something really interesting going on between the Sun and Earth right now, and it might make for a fantastic display over the next couple of evenings.

The creation of the Aurora Borealis begins with sunspots, little brown freckles on the surface of the Sun. These spots are caused when loops of electromagnetic energy get twisted and burst through the surface of our “mother star.” When a sunspot is visible, the electromagnetic energy is still under the control of the Sun’s gravity. But the Sun cannot hold onto it forever, so a sunspot can sometimes turn into a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), at which point the Sun ejects the energy and sends it hurling out into the solar system. Many times, these CMEs can steer clear of Earth, but when they head our way, they can collide and interact with the electromagnetic field of our home planet. This collision will cause the shimmering curtains of green, blue, and sometimes purple light that we call the Aurora Borealis!

Since Earth’s electromagnetic energy is concentrated at our poles, the Aurora is always most likely to appear at the highest of latitudes. The larger the CME, the more likely it is that the Aurora could be visible at lower latitudes. Well, this CME is definitely on the bigger side, meaning there is a possibility that the Northern Lights could be dazzling across our night sky tonight and/or tomorrow night!

The best time of night to view the Aurora Borealis in Connecticut will be between 10 p.m. and 1 a.m. on both nights, December 9-10. It is best viewed if you can reach an area without many artificial lights, so its is best to avoid street lights and parking lots if you can. You’ll want to look North towards Polaris, the North Star, since this event will be forming in the polar region. Weather will also play a role in the next few nights. Today (Wednesday) we are looking at clouds clearing hopefully between 10-11 p.m.. Tomorrow night looks very clear right now. For more information on this event and on solar activity in general, here is a great online resource: https://www.spaceweather.com/

This news post was written by Brian Koehler, supervisor of the Museum’s Treworgy Planetarium.