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Hundreds of shooting stars will explode in the night sky this week before Saturn and Jupiter “kiss” on December 21, creating the first “Christmas star” in 800 years.
The two cosmic events will be seen in Australian skies on December 14-21 in a fascinating week for astro enthusiasts.
Such is the rarity of the ‘Christmas star’ that astrologers say it won’t be seen again for 60 years, making it a once-in-a-lifetime event for star lovers.
The first event is the ever-popular annual Geminid meteor shower, which will light up local skies starting at 2 a.m. on Monday when the earth passes through the tail of an asteroid.
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Hundreds of shooting stars will burst across the night sky this week ahead of Saturn and Jupiter’s ‘kiss’ on December 21, creating the first ‘Christmas star’ in 800 years (file image)
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The two cosmic events will be seen in Australian skies from December 14-21, making this an incredible week for star lovers (file image)
The skies will be especially dark on Monday morning, as the moon is in a new phase; This should mean that shooting stars will appear even brighter than usual, according to Australian National University astronomer Brad Tucker.
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Stargazers must find a dark place free from light pollution and look north to see the shooting stars. The best time to see the meteor shower is from 2am until sunrise.
Thursday is when the dance between Jupiter and Saturn will begin, Dr. Tucker says to look for the moon around 8.30pm to locate the two gas giant planets.
“If you have a small telescope or a pair of binoculars, you should be able to see the rings and the shape of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter,” said Dr. Tucker.
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“ If you have a small telescope or a pair of binoculars, you should be able to see the rings and the shape of Saturn and the moons of Jupiter, ” said Dr. Tucker (file image)
During the following nights, the two stars will get closer together until they appear to become one.
They will appear in the western sky just after sunset on December 21 and meet at their closest place just after midnight.
“This is a special event and the closest one since 1226,” said Dr. Tucker.
When the two planets intersect, they look like a giant star in the night sky.
Stargazers will get the best view of events on a cloudless night.
The next Christmas star, which is also known as the Star of Bethlehem in one of the best-known stories in the Bible, won’t be until 2080, astrologers say.
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