UpdatedMon, Dec 21, 2020 at 9:08 pm ET
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The latest Long Island forecast calls for partly cloudy skies Monday for the Christmas Star. (Michal Kata/Shutterstock)
LONG ISLAND, NY All eyes will be on the sky Monday as Jupiter and Saturn come together to form the Christmas Star, an occurrence so rare it hasn t happened for centuries.
The event is the same day as the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Sunset on Long Island is at about 4:25 p.m. and partly cloudy skies are expected. The planets will be most visible just after sunset to the southwest.
The last time Jupiter and Saturn were this close together was in 1623, according to NASA.
UpdatedMon, Dec 21, 2020 at 7:21 am ET
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Jupiter and Saturn have been moving closer together in the nighttime sky and will appear as one very bright star over New Jersey on the night of the winter solstice. (Michal Kata/Shutterstock)
NEW JERSEY There s no question: What happens in the sky the night of the winter solstice is sure to bring some joy in a year when it s been hard to find in the Garden State.f Jupiter and Saturn will dance in a planetary conjunction, lining up perfectly to create the illusion of a Christmas star.
The two bright planets have been visible in the evening sky for the past several nights as they move closer together, culminating on the night of Dec. 21, the winter solstice.
UpdatedMon, Dec 21, 2020 at 3:36 pm CT
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Jupiter and Saturn have been moving closer together in the nighttime sky and will appear as one very bright star over Illinois on the night of the winter solstice. (Michal Kata/Shutterstock)
ILLINOIS There s no question: What happens in the sky the night of the winter solstice is sure to bring some joy in a year when it s been hard to find in the Chicago area. Jupiter and Saturn will dance in a planetary conjunction, lining up perfectly to create the illusion of a Christmas star.
The two bright planets have been visible in the evening sky for the past several nights as they move closer together, culminating on the night of Dec. 21, the winter solstice.
UpdatedMon, Dec 21, 2020 at 4:21 pm ET
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Jupiter and Saturn have been moving closer together in the nighttime sky and will appear as one very bright star over Pennsylvania on the night of the winter solstice. (Michal Kata/Shutterstock)
Jupiter and Saturn will dance in a planetary conjunction Monday evening, lining up perfectly to create the illusion of a Christmas star. But clouds may block the view in the Philadelphia region.
The two bright planets have been visible in the evening sky for the past several nights as they move closer together, culminating on Monday the winter solstice.
To see the rare sight, look towards the southwest sky about an hour after sunset (4:39 p.m. in Philadelphia). Jupiter will look like a bright star and will be easy to spot, while Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear just above and to the left of Jupiter. Jupiter will overtake Saturn, then the planets will reverse positions in the sky.