Photographers: Antonio Gonzalez; Jose Fernández ArozenaSummary Authors: Jose Fernández Arozena; Antonio Gonzalez; Jim FosterShown above are two views of the super conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn as observed from La Palma in the Canary Islands (Spain), about an hour after sunset. Separated by but 0.1 degrees at their closest (the width of your little finger at arm’s length is around 1.0 degree), Jupiter and Saturn appeared as one in the southwestern sky on December 21, 2020. Though the gas giant and ringed planet are in conjunction approximately every 20-years, they’re rarely in such close proximity; the last time they were this close was nearly 400-years ago. Look for them the next several nights. They're gradually drawing away from one another but will be an interesting pairing, low in the southwest, through the first week of January. Top photo taken on December 20, 2020; bottom photo taken on December 17, 2020.
Coordinates
El Paso, Spain: 28.622859, -17.844759
Santa Cruz de La Palma, Spain: 28.6840, -17.7646
Related Links
Crescent Moon and Jupiter Conjunction Above Evia Island, GreeceHow to Photograph the Conjunction of Saturn and JupiterAntonio’s Facebook Page
Jose’s Webpage
Student Links
Cosmic Conjunction!
Tips for viewing this conjunction
Earth Observatory
Jupiter or Earth?
