On the night of Tuesday, December 22, the so-called Bethlehem or Christmas star lit up in the sky for the first time in 800 years. This is the name given to the phenomenon of the apparent merger of the two planets Jupiter and Saturn.
Jupiter and Saturn began to converge at the beginning of the summer of 2020, and on December 21 they could be seen as if they were a double planet. They could be seen from anywhere on Earth.
This event is called the Great Merger of the Planets. The live broadcast of the phenomenon was conducted by the American Griffith Observatory. The gaseous atmosphere of Jupiter and the ring of Saturn can be seen in numerous pictures.
The planets have not come so close to each other since the Middle Ages. Now a similar phenomenon will be repeated on March 15, 2080, and then only in 2400.
Modern scientists associate the biblical "Star of Bethlehem" with this very phenomenon. Back in 1614, the famous German astronomer Johann Kepler pointed out that the "Star of Bethlehem", according to the Christmas story, could be a combination of Jupiter and Saturn.
By the way, the conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter will be in the sky for the next five days. Ukrainians can also see this beauty in the sky.
Below we publish a link where you can watch the broadcast of the rising of the Christmas star.
