Do you need something to help you light up the holiday season? No, we do not mean alcohol (though we will not judge), but something a bit more magical, like a gigantic star that only shows up once every few centuries, which is exactly what Colorado will soon experience via this super-bright, must-see Christmas star:
For the first time in nearly 800 years, the world will see a Christmas star, brightening up both the nighttime sky and the holiday season.
Flickr/European Southern Observatory
The Christmas star — which is really the aligning of Jupiter and Saturn within .1 degree — will be extremely bright and easy to spot, as the two planets in their close proximity will appear to be one gigantic star.
Flickr/Davide Simonetti
To put the distance into perspective WKYC Studios reports that the width of a full moon is .5 degrees and that the “distance between Jupiter and Saturn from our perspective will be about 1/5 the width of a full moon.”
Flickr/Brigitte Bailleul
The best time to catch the Christmas star is after the winter solstice sunset on December 21, 2020, when both planets are predicted to be their brightest and closest to one another.
Flickr/Steve Marlow
Can’t make it outside on December 21st? No problem, as you should still be able to make out the Star along the western horizon through the week of Christmas.
Flickr/European Space Agency
In addition to the time it falls, the Christmas Star earned its nickname from scientists and mathematicians who speculate if the Biblical Star of Bethlehem was related to the alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, and possibly Venus, as reported by Al.com.
Flickr/foolfillment While the pictured star is pretty, we can promise you that the 2020 winter solstice star will be even more stunning!
Do you have an attraction or event that you would like to see featured on Only in Colorado? Nominate it here! For even more to see and do around Colorado this month, click on Durango Hot Springs Is One Of The Gorgeous Hot Springs In Colorado You Can Still Visit In The Wintertime.
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Address: Colorado, USA
For the first time in nearly 800 years, the world will see a Christmas star, brightening up both the nighttime sky and the holiday season.
Flickr/European Southern Observatory
The Christmas star — which is really the aligning of Jupiter and Saturn within .1 degree — will be extremely bright and easy to spot, as the two planets in their close proximity will appear to be one gigantic star.
Flickr/Davide Simonetti
To put the distance into perspective WKYC Studios reports that the width of a full moon is .5 degrees and that the “distance between Jupiter and Saturn from our perspective will be about 1/5 the width of a full moon.”
Flickr/Brigitte Bailleul
The best time to catch the Christmas star is after the winter solstice sunset on December 21, 2020, when both planets are predicted to be their brightest and closest to one another.
Flickr/Steve Marlow
Can’t make it outside on December 21st? No problem, as you should still be able to make out the Star along the western horizon through the week of Christmas.
Flickr/European Space Agency
In addition to the time it falls, the Christmas Star earned its nickname from scientists and mathematicians who speculate if the Biblical Star of Bethlehem was related to the alignment of Jupiter, Saturn, and possibly Venus, as reported by Al.com.
Flickr/foolfillment While the pictured star is pretty, we can promise you that the 2020 winter solstice star will be even more stunning!
Do you have an attraction or event that you would like to see featured on Only in Colorado? Nominate it here! For even more to see and do around Colorado this month, click on Durango Hot Springs Is One Of The Gorgeous Hot Springs In Colorado You Can Still Visit In The Wintertime.
Flickr/European Southern Observatory
Flickr/Davide Simonetti
Flickr/Brigitte Bailleul
Flickr/Steve Marlow
Flickr/European Space Agency
Flickr/foolfillment
While the pictured star is pretty, we can promise you that the 2020 winter solstice star will be even more stunning!
