Utahns Gather To View The ‘Christmas Star’
Dec 22, 2020, 7:46 AM
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The “Christmas Star” made its appearance Monday night for the first time in nearly 800 years.
Stargazers gathered across Utah, including an overlook off Wasatch Boulevard that was very busy ahead of the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn.
It was an event that had been anticipated for some time.
Extra cars were orbiting the overlook for a sight that was truly out of this world.
The two planets got so close that, without a telescope, they almost looked like one celestial body. The last time the two were visibly aligned this close was in the Middle Ages.
This time, the conjunction happened on the winter solstice of 2020.
“It represents the darkest day of the year,” said resident Joey Muir, who was planet gazing with his dog on Monday evening. “But then you’ve got the light, so that’s why I’m excited about it.”
Many people were attempting to capture the event on camera, but it wasn’t exactly simple.
“Maybe NASA’s got something on their website I can see,” said resident Chris Busey. “But I wanted something I shot, too, you know? And I got it. It’s right here.”
For those who came out to observe the rare celestial event, the experience was simply stellar.
“This has got to be the biggest space event since the solar eclipse back in 2017,” said resident Tommy Wahl. “That’s how big this is.”
While the planets appeared extremely close, astronomers said they were still hundreds of millions of miles apart. But from Earth, the two were extremely close in the night sky.
