APOD: Saturn and Jupiter over Italian Peaks (2020 Oct 20)

[APOD Robot]

Saturn and Jupiter over Italian Peaks

Explanation: Saturn and Jupiter are getting closer. Every night that you go out and check for the next two months, these two bright planets will be even closer together on the sky. Finally, in mid-December, a Great Conjunction will occur -- when the two planets will appear only 0.1 degrees apart -- just one fifth the angular diameter of the full Moon. And this isn't just any Great Conjunction -- Saturn (left) and Jupiter (right) haven't been this close since 1623, and won't be nearly this close again until 2080. This celestial event is quite easy to see -- already the two planets are easily visible toward the southwest just after sunset -- and already they are remarkably close. Pictured, the astrophotographer and partner eyed the planetary duo above the Tre Cime di Lavaredo (Three Peaks of Lavaredo) in the Italian Alps about two weeks ago.

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[steve case]

So what date in December will the waxing moon be closest?

[Chris Peterson]

So what date in December will the waxing moon be closest?

The two planets will be closest on Dec 21, at which point they will be halfway across the sky from the first quarter Moon.

Around Dec 16 the very new Moon will be about 5° from Jupiter, and the planets will be about a half degree apart. Might be a pretty triple conjunction.

[alter-ego]

So what date in December will the waxing moon be closest?

On Dec 17, about 7:30UT
Moon 8.8% illuminated
Moon separation ~3.3°
Saturn / Jupiter separation ~0.5°

Closest Saturn / Jupiter separation on Dec 21,22

[KayBur]

So what date in December will the waxing moon be closest?

The two planets will be closest on Dec 21, at which point they will be halfway across the sky from the first quarter Moon.

Around Dec 16 the very new Moon will be about 5° from Jupiter, and the planets will be about a half degree apart. Might be a pretty triple conjunction.

It would be interesting to see photos of this unique phenomenon. As I understand it, such a position of celestial bodies is not observed every year.

[steve case]

Exactly what I wanted to know, thank you all.

Here's a link
https://www.moongiant.com/calendar/december/2020/
to a Phases of the moon calendar for December 2020.

[Chris Peterson]

So what date in December will the waxing moon be closest?

The two planets will be closest on Dec 21, at which point they will be halfway across the sky from the first quarter Moon.

Around Dec 16 the very new Moon will be about 5° from Jupiter, and the planets will be about a half degree apart. Might be a pretty triple conjunction.

It would be interesting to see photos of this unique phenomenon. As I understand it, such a position of celestial bodies is not observed every year.

Weather permitting I will certainly be taking lots of images. It will be remarkable to have both planets (and maybe even part of the Moon) in the same telescopic field at the same time. That is, to be able to image both planets at a high enough magnification to resolve them and have them in a single frame.

[BDanielMayfield]

The two planets will be closest on Dec 21, at which point they will be halfway across the sky from the first quarter Moon.

Around Dec 16 the very new Moon will be about 5° from Jupiter, and the planets will be about a half degree apart. Might be a pretty triple conjunction.

It would be interesting to see photos of this unique phenomenon. As I understand it, such a position of celestial bodies is not observed every year.

Weather permitting I will certainly be taking lots of images. It will be remarkable to have both planets (and maybe even part of the Moon) in the same telescopic field at the same time. That is, to be able to image both planets at a high enough magnification to resolve them and have them in a single frame.

So it should be possible to see Jupiter, Saturn, and the six largest moons of our solar system (counting an edge of our Moon) all in the same telescopic field of view. This should lead to many awesome images.

[MarkBour]

And thanks, APOD, for the link and reminder on today's page that OSIRIS-REx was going to "tag" Asteroid Bennu. I just watched the live coverage. It appears that everything went superbly: touch down, sample collection sequence, and push away. Now they have to try to determine if they actually got a good sample into the collector, but the process went perfectly.

[KayBur]

The two planets will be closest on Dec 21, at which point they will be halfway across the sky from the first quarter Moon.

Around Dec 16 the very new Moon will be about 5° from Jupiter, and the planets will be about a half degree apart. Might be a pretty triple conjunction.

It would be interesting to see photos of this unique phenomenon. As I understand it, such a position of celestial bodies is not observed every year.

Weather permitting I will certainly be taking lots of images. It will be remarkable to have both planets (and maybe even part of the Moon) in the same telescopic field at the same time. That is, to be able to image both planets at a high enough magnification to resolve them and have them in a single frame.

I'm looking forward to the photo! I think this will be an extraordinary event. My friends don't understand my hobby, they think it's boring and not interesting. And I became interested in astronomy when my son asked questions about the stars. Of course, I answered in general terms, but then I was interested in the question myself. Now I try to study everything that comes across in my free time. But astronomy has now accumulated so much knowledge that now it is simply unrealistic to cover all the subtleties.

[MarkBour]

I'm looking forward to the photo! I think this will be an extraordinary event. My friends don't understand my hobby, they think it's boring and not interesting. And I became interested in astronomy when my son asked questions about the stars. Of course, I answered in general terms, but then I was interested in the question myself. Now I try to study everything that comes across in my free time. But astronomy has now accumulated so much knowledge that now it is simply unrealistic to cover all the subtleties.

I think that anyone who thinks astronomy is boring just hasn't yet encountered something to spark their interest. I'll bet your conversations with your son are far more fascinating than most of theirs.

[MarkBour]

So it should be possible to see Jupiter, Saturn, and the six largest moons of our solar system (counting an edge of our Moon) all in the same telescopic field of view. This should lead to many awesome images.

Great point, I hadn't thought about the moons! The 2 largest planets and the 6 largest moons together in the sky . . . that's a Stanley Kubrick dream photo for sure. I don't suppose the giant planets will get close enough together that their moons will appear intermingled?

[Chris Peterson]

So it should be possible to see Jupiter, Saturn, and the six largest moons of our solar system (counting an edge of our Moon) all in the same telescopic field of view. This should lead to many awesome images.

Great point, I hadn't thought about the moons! The 2 largest planets and the 6 largest moons together in the sky . . . that's a Stanley Kubrick dream photo for sure. I don't suppose the giant planets will get close enough together that their moons will appear intermingled?

Nope. The distances of the moons from the planets would allow for it, but the orientation is wrong, so the moon planes sort of slide alongside each other, not crossing.

[KayBur]

I'm looking forward to the photo! I think this will be an extraordinary event. My friends don't understand my hobby, they think it's boring and not interesting. And I became interested in astronomy when my son asked questions about the stars. Of course, I answered in general terms, but then I was interested in the question myself. Now I try to study everything that comes across in my free time. But astronomy has now accumulated so much knowledge that now it is simply unrealistic to cover all the subtleties.

I think that anyone who thinks astronomy is boring just hasn't yet encountered something to spark their interest. I'll bet your conversations with your son are far more fascinating than most of theirs.

Yes, surely so. We are learning something new in our conversations. This happens when we are faced with a question that we cannot answer ourselves. Then we are looking for articles on a topic of interest to us or discussion on the forum. This is a truly rewarding pastime that helps us understand each other better. Since our common passion for astronomy, our relationship has become closer and more trusting. It turns out that this hobby for good, not a waste of time.

[MarkBour]

So it should be possible to see Jupiter, Saturn, and the six largest moons of our solar system (counting an edge of our Moon) all in the same telescopic field of view. This should lead to many awesome images.

Great point, I hadn't thought about the moons! The 2 largest planets and the 6 largest moons together in the sky . . . that's a Stanley Kubrick dream photo for sure. I don't suppose the giant planets will get close enough together that their moons will appear intermingled?

Nope. The distances of the moons from the planets would allow for it, but the orientation is wrong, so the moon planes sort of slide alongside each other, not crossing.

Capture.png (2.14 KiB) Viewed 5271 times

So, something like this arrangement?

That will still be something amazing to see.

[Chris Peterson]

Great point, I hadn't thought about the moons! The 2 largest planets and the 6 largest moons together in the sky . . . that's a Stanley Kubrick dream photo for sure. I don't suppose the giant planets will get close enough together that their moons will appear intermingled?

Nope. The distances of the moons from the planets would allow for it, but the orientation is wrong, so the moon planes sort of slide alongside each other, not crossing.

Capture.png

So, something like this arrangement?

That will still be something amazing to see.

Yup, that's pretty much it.
_

[alter-ego]

It's worth noting though that for 25 hours (including the closest Jupiter/Saturn separation, Saturn's moon Iapetus is closer to Jupiter than Callisto by 0.8'. Not much, but quite an event.