December 25, 2020: The gap between bright Jupiter and Saturn widens each evening. Find them low in the southwest as night falls. Bright Mars is to the upper right of the gibbous moon. The Red Planet marches eastward in Pisces.
by Jeffrey L. Hunt
Chicago, Illinois: Sunrise, 7:17 a.m. CST; Sunset, 4:25 p.m. CST. Check local sources for sunrise and sunset times for your location.
As night falls, Jupiter and Saturn are low in the southwest. From about 45 minutes after sunset and for the next hour, they are high enough to be easily seen. Jupiter is the brighter and it is nearly an apparent full-moon diameter (0.4°) to the upper left of Saturn.
The gap between the planets widens each evening. Both are slowly moving eastward. Jupiter revolves around the sun in nearly 12 years, while Saturn’s orbital period is nearly 30 years.
Farther east the bright moon that is 85% illuminated is in the east-southeast. It is over 20° to the lower left of bright Mars.
The Red Planet is marching eastward among the dim stars of Pisces. Use a binocular to see the starfield with the bright moon in the sky. Mars is 4.7° to the upper left of Zeta Piscium (ζ Psc on the chart) and 2.6° to the lower right of dim Pi Piscium (π Psc).
Read about Mars during December.
Detailed note: One hour after sunset, Jupiter is over 10° above the southwest horizon, 0.4° to the upper left of Saturn. In the starfield, Jupiter is 1.8° to the lower right of σ Cap. Mars is 83.4° of ecliptic longitude east of Jupiter among the dim ζ Psc stars of Pisces. The Red Planet is marching eastward. It is 4.7° to the upper left of ζ Psc and 2.6° to the lower right of π Psc. The bright gibbous moon (11.3d, 85%) is over 24° to the lower left of Mars and about 14° to the lower right of Pleiades. Block the moon’s glare to see the star cluster.
For more about the Great Conjunction, read our feature article. This is the closest Jupiter – Saturn conjunction since 1623.
Read more about the planets during December.
RECENT ARTICLES
2022, June 20: Morning Planet Parade Visibility
June 20, 2022: How frequently are the five bright planets visible in their order from the sun before daybreak? These planets are in this order in the eastern sky before sunrise.
Keep reading
2022, June 19: Planet Order Frequency, Moon Identifies Planets
June 19, 2022: How frequently are the five bright planets in order from the sun to create a morning or evening planet parade. The five planets are in the sky before daybreak.
Keep reading
2022, June 18: Morning Moon, Saturn, Evening Arcturus
June 18, 2022: The moon joins the morning planet parade. Find it near Saturn before daybreak. After sunset, Arcturus is high in the southwestern sky.
Keep reading