Your complete guide to the Great Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of 2020

The Great Jupiter and Saturn Conjunction

The planets are closest on December 21, but don't limit yourself to just that evening

The Basics

There are many ways to be able to see this event, and the days before and after the 21st offer views and photo opportunities for this conjuction with the two gas giants closer together than they will be even in 2040 or 2060 (they are within 6 arc minutes of each other again in 2080). 

Here's the basic information you'll want to know:

Photographing the conjunction

A lot of people will want to capture this event photographically. The challenge is that the planets have an 11x brightness difference. And, there are a LOT of camera / telescope options. I walk through the various methods to capture this conjunction on film... errr - electronically. 

How long is it visible?

And as I mentioned above, if you're clouded out on the 21st - or even the 20th or 22nd - the planets are still very close. How close, and for how long? I show you you here:

So that should get you set up for this once-in-a-lifetime event! Got question? Comment on the videos in YouTube, or let me know on social media - scroll to the bottom on this page for my links to those sites.