[TriLUG] Off-Topic: The Great Conjunction of 2020

[Joseph Mack NA3T via TriLUG]

Not FOSS, but news for nerds.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_conjunction

On 21 Dec 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest since 1623, about 
1/5th the diameter of the Moon apart.

They're in the SW at sunset (to the left of the spot the sunsets). They'll 
be visible from about 5:15 to 7:15

Jupiter (SkyFather) is the 2nd brightest planet (after Venus). Saturn is 
dimmer but easily visible.

I've been waiting for this event for about 2 years and have been actively 
tracking them since the summer. The two are very close now and I'll be 
watching them nightly so that I'll get a good view as they close up and 
just in case it's bad weather on the night.

I can see the pair from my driveway. In the last week or so, I'll be 
observing from a local high spot, that has a good view of the western 
horizon. Unfortunately in 10 days, Jupiter and Saturn will be in bright 
sky just above the setting Sun, so observing them will be a race between 
the sky getting dark enough to see them and them setting behind trees, 
cloud and murk. I'll be going out about sunset over the next week to 
get a good idea of where they'll be as the sky rotates each night.

This isn't a telescopic event. It's just two pinpoints in the sky close 
together, that are normally apart. I will probably try a telescope in the 
nights before, but on the night I won't want to be standing next to 
people, to help them with the scope and I don't want everyone's finger 
prints on it. If you have binos they might be helpful. 10x50s are good at 
night, but I use regulars (7x35). Unfortunately these sort of events are 
normally done as a social event, with as big a crowd as you can muster, 
with as many scopes as you can find. It isn't going to work in the 
pandemic.

Joe

-- 
Joseph Mack NA3T EME(B,D), FM05lw North Carolina
jmack (at) trilug (dot) org - azimuthal equidistant
map generator at http://www.wm7d.net/azproj.shtml
Homepage http://www.austintek.com/ It's GNU/Linux!