There’s Another Chance to See The ‘Christmas Star’

Like many people in the Mohawk Valley, I tried to get a glimpse for myself of the 'Christmas Star' that was in the sky Monday night.

According to Penn Live, the 2 planets – 2 of the brightest objects in the night sky – will be moving apart gradually, but for a few nights they won’t appear much farther apart than the less than 1 degree of separation they enjoyed last night.

December 21st, 2020 was the closest Saturn and Jupiter have been since the year 1623, and after this week you won't be able to see them as close until March of the year 2080.

If you choose to take a look in the sky tonight, they will appear about a fifth the diameter of a full moon apart.

“But we will have only a short window to observe them,” noted Walter Freeman, assistant teaching professor in the physics department at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences.

Freeman recommends that, to see the 'Christmas Star,' that you find a spot with a clear view of the southwestern horizon, free of city lights. Jupiter and Saturn will likely stand out from the twilight glow starting around 5:00 or 5:15 p.m. Look for the 2 planets shortly after sunset beginning tonight and you will be able to track their nightly progress away from one another.

Will you be getting out the binoculars or the telescope again to see if you can see it?