Catch tonight’s rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn at sunset

Witness the reunion of Jupiter and Saturn who will meet tonight once the sun sets.

People on earth can catch the rare phenomenon where the two planets appear to line up, a celestial event that hasn’t brought them this close together in the night sky in 800 years, when the planets will be within 0.1 degrees of each other, virtually overlapping. 

“Weather Permitting, on this day, these 2 bright planets will appear 6-7 arc minutes (0.1°) away from each other in the night sky! They will be so close that they will appear as a big single extremely bright star to the naked eye and one will be able to observe both planets and some of their moons in one eyepiece of a telescope!!” Astronomy page Stargazing Singapore wrote earlier this month. 

The two planets have been drawing closer to each other since the beginning of the month and will finally be in line today, resulting in what’s called a great conjunction. The next time the phenomenon will occur with a distance equivalent to the thickness of a 10 cent coin will be in 2080, making this a once-in-a-lifetime event.

Astronomy enthusiasts in Singapore can view the conjunction at an elevated spot facing the southwest horizon from an unobstructed view from sunset at 7:04pm to 9pm. That is if weather conditions are clear, another rare event during this rainy December, when it is pouring almost every day.

The best viewing time in Singapore will be from 7:40pm to 8:50pm, when the planets will appear as a bright star to the naked eye. Observers are encouraged to use binoculars or a telescope to see both planets and some of their moons in detail.

Other stories you should check out:

Giant tree mutilates parked cars in Toa Payoh – not for the first time

Flash floods strike Singapore after intense downpour (Videos)

Doomsday clouds besieged Singapore with heavy downpour, flash floods

Blazing bolt of lightning blasts Bishan stadium (VIDEO)

Waterspout spirals down on southern Singapore