Take a Hike: Heads up … the great conjunction of Saturn and Jupiter

Throughout the northern hemisphere, the hours of daylight gradually diminish until the winter solstice on Dec. 21. To ancient people this loss of light must have felt, indeed may have been, life-threatening. So they created rituals and stories to buck themselves up to get through the dark hours, and to implore the daylight to return. Even now we celebrate winter with candles, colorful lights in trees, and stories.

In this time of COVID-19, our customary rituals have been canceled or diminished. However, this year the sky up above will compensate by presenting us with what astronomers call a great conjunction. The planets Saturn and Jupiter have been moving closer and closer together, and will appear as one bright point low in the southwest sky on the evening of Dec. 21, the very date that marks the shortest day of the year and the gradual return of daylight. “Jupiter-Saturn conjunctions happen every 20 years; the last one was in the year 2000. But these conjunctions aren’t all created equal. The 2020 great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest since 1623 and the closest observable with the naked eye since 1226,” according to the website earthsky.org. A good description of the event can be found at adlerplanetarium.org.

But the sky must be clear of clouds. That’s why it’s worth the effort to begin observing the sky now on any clear evening. Jupiter and Saturn will appear as separate objects in the lower portion of the southwest sky, and their movement toward each other can be noted nightly. They can be seen immediately after sunset, around 4:30 p.m., and are easy to find because other planets and stars aren’t out yet, but by 7:00 p.m. they will have sunk below the horizon.

To determine the southwest portion of the sky where you will see the planets when you are at the overlook on Prospect Hill Road, stand facing Wachusett Mountain and look to your left. Or stand on Slough Road, midway between Woodchuck Hill Road and Route 111, and face Route 111.

If you are a night owl, awake around 2 a.m., and the sky is clear, you can observe the Geminid meteor showers, which peaked on Dec. 13 and 14 but will continue to wane in the week after those dates. Slough Road is a good place to look for meteors, although it may be possible to see them from a window in your house. The showers may appear to originate from the Gemini constellation, but the meteors appear all over the sky. Give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust.

In the absence of some of our beloved rituals this year, our imaginations are free to reflect on holiday rituals celebrating light from different perspectives, even a perspective from outer space.