‘Christmas Star’ to shine on Monday night

omy WAPAKONETA lovers, rejoice! A — Christmas AstronStar is coming!

On Monday, Jupiter and Saturn will appear to be very close to each other, approximately 1/5th the diameter of a full moon.

This year's alignment is being called a Christmas Star because the two planets may appear as one star, fitting for the holiday season.

For the best view, stargazers should be looking at the sky after sunset until 7:30 p.m., although according to Dante Centuori, executive director of the Armstrong

Air and Space Museum, the two planets will appear closest to each other during daytime.

And if you miss it, you'll have to wait until 2040 and/or 2060, and even then the planets won't appear this close until 2080.

"I won't be around," Centuori joked via email. "But I told my kids they have a great chance of seeing that one!"

Normally, Jupiter ' laps' Saturn in its orbit of the sun every 20 years or so, an event known as a conjunction.

In fact, the last time there was a conjunction was in 2000, the year of the Bush vs. Gore election. Though not every conjunction will be this close.

"The 2000 conjunction happened while the planets were close to the sun and difficult to observe," Centuori said. "Previous, recent conjunctions were visible, but had separations 10 times larger and not quite the event as this.”

In fact, according to Centuori, Monday's conjunction will be the closest since 1623, and even then there are no records of that observation. "Monday's will be the the closest observed conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter since 1563 — over 450 years ago," Centuori said

does it take so long for conjunction?

"The planets further from the sun travel slower and taker longer to orbit than the planets closer to the sun," Centuori explained. “This year, the angles of their orbits line up particularly close and they will appear to pass within 1/10th of a degree from each other."

To give an idea of how close the planets will appear next to each other, imagine the width of a penny held at arms length.

So what should anyone gazing up at the sky on Monday be looking for?

Centuori said that because Jupiter is frequently the brightest object in a night sky after the moon, those interested should wait about 45 minutes after sunset and look low in the sky toward the west.

"You want to find somewhere with a good view to the southwest," Centuori explained. "Jupiter will be visible about 15 degrees above the horizon."

For anyone unsure what 15 degrees would be, Centuori suggested extending the pinky and forefinger “like you're at a Metallica concert” and holding your fist out at arms-length with your pinky at the horizon.

"Jupiter will stand out and and Saturn will be the dimmer point of light right above Jupiter," Centuori noted.

Centuori also suggests binoculars to better separate the planets, but anyone with good eyesight should be able to see it. And if you own a telescope, even better.

"[Telescope owners] will be delighted to see both Saturn and its rings and Jupiter with its moons and belts in the same field of view," Centuori said.

Centuori also has a warning. "The weather looks bad for us," he said. "I've enjoyed watching Jupiter and Saturn slowly 'approach' each other in the evening sky the past few months, but I don't think I've seen them in over a week with these clouds.”

Just don't give up hope and be ready for the Christmas Star should the clouds break at sunset.