Watch This When You're High - Saturn And Jupiter Coming within .1 Degree Of Each Other At The End Of This Month

What’s good Dante?

I’m pretty lit at this point so I said the hell with it... I found this article today about Jupiter and Saturn getting wicked close to each other at the end of the month. The two planets haven’t gotten this close to each other since the 1200s:

I though it was a pretty interesting read and thought you could use it as inspiration for a WTWYH about planets. Maybe a history of astronomy from the early days to now? I know you’ve done a space one, but the idea of two plants coming close to crashing into each other was too awesome to not pass along. 

Truly love your work. Have a day man!

Viva,

HR

PS - no butt stuff

Before 2020 comes to a close, Jupiter and Saturn will be so close that they will appear to form a "double planet." The great conjunction, as the planetary alignment has come to be known, hasn't occurred in nearly 800 years. 

When their orbits align every 20 years, Jupiter and Saturn get extremely close to one another. This occurs because Jupiter orbits the sun every 12 years, while Saturn's orbit takes 30 years — every couple of decades, Jupiter laps Saturn, according to NASA.  

"You'd have to go all the way back to just before dawn on March 4, 1226, to see a closer alignment between these objects visible in the night sky."

Aligning with the winter solstice on December 21, 2020, the two planets will be just 0.1 degrees apart — less than the diameter of a full moon, EarthSky says. The word "conjunction" is used by astronomers to describe the meeting of objects in our night sky, and the great conjunction occurs between the two largest planets in our solar system: Jupiter and Saturn. 

The planets will be so close, they will appear, from some perspectives, to overlap completely, creating a rare "double planet" effect.

This is pretty nuts. 

End of the month we're going to be able to see something that hasn't occurred since medieval times. 

Thanks for the heads up from HR. Keep the suggestions coming. And keep it classy. No butt stuff.