Great conjunction facts for kids
A great conjunction is a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. Great conjunctions occur regularly (every 19.6 years, on average) due to the combined effect of Jupiter's about 11.86-year orbital period and Saturn's 29.5-year orbital period. The last great conjunction happened on 21 December 2020. It was the closest great conjunction since 1623.
Images for kids
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Diagram showing the movements of Jupiter and Saturn during the 1980–81 triple conjunction
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A simulated view of the great conjunction of 7 BC as viewed from Jerusalem on the evening of 12 November.
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Separation of Jupiter and Saturn around the time of the 2020 great conjunction
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Photograph taken two days before closest approach with a separation of approximately 15 arcminutes.
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Great conjunction photographed on December 19, 2020, with a 360 mm (14 in) SCT telescope and color CCD.
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Simulated best-case scenario view through a telescope.
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Video created using photographs of the event taken over a span of 90 days.
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Photograph of the great conjunction of 2020 taken two days before closest approach with the four Galilean moons visible around Jupiter. (Titan can also be seen to the right of Saturn.)
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December 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn, 130mm Bresser Messier
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Photograph depicting the great conjunction, taken from Syracuse, Italy.
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Photograph of Jupiter and Saturn with the Moon on 16 December 2020
See also
In Spanish: Gran Conjunción para niños
