With all of the ups and downs of 2020, it may give us a sign that everything is going to be alright. The rare, 'Christmas Star' will appear in the sky (Dec 21) Monday night, which is the winter solstice.
It will all happen just after sunset in the southwestern sky on December 21, 2020 and will take place low to the horizon. Set an alarm because the two planets will sink below the horizon about two hours after sunset.
Many people are comparing it to the star of Bethlehem during the week Jesus was born. Winter Solstice is the shortest day of the year and the official start of winter here in the Northern Hemisphere when the sun appears at its most southerly position, directly overhead at the faraway Tropic of Capricorn.
However, if you are reading this in the Southern Hemisphere like Argentina, Australia, and South Africa. There, the December solstice marks the longest day of the year -- and the beginning of summer.
Why the big star? Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest they have been in nearly 800 years. Some people call it the 'Christmas Star' because the two planets are so close that they will appear to be touching and resemble a large star.
Now, with everything catastrophic that 2020 has brought us, I get your concern. Are they going to crash into each other, exploding into millions of fireballs hurling to the earth? That would be SO 2020..... but alas the planets are separated by 456 million miles in space.
The website www.darksitefinder.com is great for checking where to find the best skies for viewing and To check the timing where you live, the website EarthSky has a conversion table for you to find the best time to see it.
Also.....USA Today had a great article on How To Photograph the Christmas Star on your phone, Definitely check it out!