This is a very quick post giving a heads up to people who might be interested . . .

In two days, Saturn and Jupiter will do something that has not happened for a long while and that will not happen again for another long while. I mean, they’ve done it before, but not this well in our lifetimes.

Jupiter-and-Saturn-great-conjunction-is-the-best-in-800-years-heres-how-to-see-it

Because your viewing can be thwarted by clouds and stuff, you might want to look at them tonight, or tomorrow night, or even after the 21st. Just be aware that they will be lower and lower in the sky.

I’ve been photographing them whenever the skies are clear (I missed a few nights because of the weather).

I’ll do a proper post after it happens (hopefully the 21st will offer a clear sky), but meanwhile (click on the photos for a larger view) . . .

 

It’s not apparent in the above photo, but you can see four Jovian moons . . .

I’ll be doing a proper writeup when I have more time, but for now, I’ll also show a crop of Saturn from the larger photo . . .

There are a few points of light around Saturn but I will have to investigate if those are also moons or distant objects in the background.

Here’s a shot from two nights ago (you can see they are closer than a week earlier) . . .

If you remember and you have favorable conditions, it’s maybe worth a looksee . . . for my location, at 5:00 pm Central Time (Chicago), they appear at about 20° elevation from the horizon at a South-Southwest direction.

Shortly after sunset, Jupiter appears first, and as twilight progresses into darkness, Saturn appears.

Be aware that by 6:00pm CT, the elevation drops to 11° . . . unless you have a clear horizon (I don’t), it’ll be difficult seeing them.

I suggest Stellarium or other sky exploration apps to help you plan your viewing.

Good luck and good weather.

That’s it. This post has ended . . . except for the stuff below.

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