The Great Conjunction

Perched on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, we see much more of the sky than from our valley in Clear Creek.  So on this Winter Solstice evening we knew that it would be a good place to view the Great Conjunction, a phenomenon that occurs when Jupiter and Saturn appear in close proximity in the sky just after sunset.  We had been reading about this phenomenon for several weeks and had hoped it would be a clear night, and last night it was just perfect.  The sky had been overcast earlier in the afternoon, but as sunset approached it all cleared out like an audience leaving a theater, leaving the stage empty and the curtains drawn open.

The last time these two planets appeared so close together was 397 years ago, on July 16, 1623.  The two planets have been there in the western sky for several days now, closing in on one another (although actually millions of miles apart), and our daughter and her boyfriend, who have a very good telescope, were able to see the moons of Jupiter and the rings of Saturn.  He took this photo a couple of days ago.

We did not expect to see Saturn’s rings, even with our Bushnell 7 X 50 binoculars; they’re great for bird-watching and dolphin-watching but not for planet-watching.  But we excitedly went out on the dune-top deck just after sunrise, a beautiful time of evening, and were glad to be there even if we did not see the two planets.

I gazed upward through the binoculars at the quarter moon dangling directly overhead like an ornament.  It was waxing and will be full on December 29, and if that night is as clear as last night, you will be able to see clearly all around from this dune-top deck, the dune vegetation glowing in beautiful blue moonlight.

The afterglow was still beautiful in the western sky.  Off to the east, I could see clearly through my binoculars what I have been seeing every morning when I do my Tai Chi and wondering about – an anchor decoration outlined with blue lights in the window of the neighboring house.  Our own balcony lights looked cheery behind us, and we could see two or three Christmas trees showing through the open drapes of some of the condo units.  A lot of families have begun to arrive this week, either to escape the pandemic or perhaps part of a long-standing tradition to come to the beach for Christmas.

Martha spotted it first, just a few degrees above the horizon, a double star that looked to the naked eye like a single bright star.  I tried to take a photo through the binoculars.

My daughter took this photo - much better!

It was an amazing sight to see, and we lingered for a long time gazing at it, trying to take better photos, before finally returning to the condo for dinner.  One of Martha’s Facebook friends later sent her this photo taken from the Blue Ridge Parkway, which would have been just as good a place to view it as here.  It was taken by Wayne Howard, and was taken, he said, with a 500 mm Canon with the IDX UV filter off.  He referred to it as the Star of Bethlehem.

It does look like the Star of Bethlehem one sees on Christmas cards this time of year.  Two of the ten cards we have received so far this year have stars depicted that look just like this.  Did this conjunction really appear at the time Jesus was born, I wondered?  One website said this: 

Some have suggested that these two planets might be a replica of the legendary Star of Bethlehem.  Actually, one of the more popular theories for the "Christmas Star" was a series of conjunctions between Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC.  For in that year Jupiter and Saturn met not once but three times that year (in May, September and December).  The first conjunction (on May 29, visible "in the east" before sunrise) presumably started the Magi on their way to Bethlehem from the Far East.  The middle conjunction (September 30) may have strengthened their resolve in the purpose of their journey, while the third and final conjunction (Dec. 5) occurred just as they arrived in Judea to meet with King Herod, who sent them on to Bethlehem to "go and search diligently for the young child." 

It may be fanciful to imagine this (but we can be fanciful at Christmas time, can’t we?), but the music from Amahl and the Night Visitors was still echoing in my head, and it made me wonder if the three Magi had stopped at the humble dwelling of a widow woman and a crippled boy during their journey.  Menotti described it beautifully as Amahl tells his mother what was keeping him outside while she was calling him:

Oh mother! You should go out and see!
There’s never been such a sky.
Damp clouds have shined it,
and soft winds have swept it,
as if to make it ready for a king’s ball.
All its lanterns are lit,
all its torches are burning,
and its dark floor is shining like crystal.
Hanging over our roof,
there is a star as large as a window;
and the star has a tail, and it moves
across the sky like a chariot on fire.