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Showing posts from January 9, 2021

Jupiter and Saturn Say Goodbye, Mercury Beams a Bright 'Hello!'

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Jupiter and Saturn are seen here on Jan. 8, 2021 in bright twilight about 50 minutes after sunset. They are currently 2° apart but appear more separated because I used a 200mm telephoto lens to magnify the scene so Saturn would show more clearly.  Bob King When was the last time you saw Jupiter and Saturn? Not since their great conjunction? You don't have much time left. The planet pair is quickly slipping into the twilight glare. As you can see from the photo I almost missed Saturn. Thank goodness for that gap in the trees! Although Jupiter was easy to spot despite its altitude of just 3° at the time I never found Saturn because — I hate to admit this — I forgot to bring binoculars.  The same way Jupiter and Saturn were in conjunction on Dec. 21, 2020, each planet will take its turn in conjunction with the sun. Saturn goes first on Jan. 24, followed 5 days later by Jupiter. Since they'll be in the same line of sight as our friendly star, the planets will be invisible for sever