The night sky on the night of the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn — 21 December 2020
On 21 December 2020 — the day of the December solstice — Jupiter and Saturn appeared just a tenth of a degree apart in the evening twilight. It was the closest 'great conjunction' of the two giant planets since 1623, and the closest easily observable one since 1226. Through a small telescope both planets, with Saturn's rings and Jupiter's moons, fitted in the same view.
The sky over Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, England
This is the real sky above Royal Observatory, Greenwich, London, England (51.48°N, 0.00°W) on 21 December 2020 at 17:00 GMT (UTC+0) that night (2020-12-21 17:00 UTC). The Sun was 10° below the horizon: twilight was fading and the stars were coming out. The Moon (first quarter, 47% lit) was 32° up in the south. Planets above the horizon: Jupiter (9° in the south-west), Mars (39° in the south-east) and Saturn (9° in the south-west). Brightest named stars up: Vega, Capella, Altair, Aldebaran and Fomalhaut.
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