When to watch the ‘Christmas Star’ in San Antonio?

SAN ANTONIO About every 20 years, the orbits of Saturn and Jupiter line up to give those of us observing from Earth a treat – seeing the two planets close together in the night sky. This year, however, the ‘great conjunction’ is getting a little extra hype for a number of reasons.

The first is that this year’s conjunction will be closest to the “junction” of the two planets since 1623. When the phenomenon reaches its peak on Monday, December 21, the two planets will appear only 0.1 ° apart. For reference, that’s about one-fifth of the moon’s apparent diameter!

It is also a happy coincidence that the conjunction culminates in Christmas week, leading many to nickname the conjunction “Poinsettia” or “Bethlehem Star.”

So how can you watch this rare Christmas week event in and around San Antonio? Here are a few tips:

• Look to the southwest about 40 to 45 minutes after sunset. That amounts to approximately 6:20 PM to 6:25 PM
• Although the phenomenon will peak on Monday, December 21, the best night to watch will be real Sunday the 20th. It is clear on Sunday evening, while there may be some cloud cover on Monday evening.
• The conjunction is visible during the Christmas week. However, every night after Monday, the planets will be visible closer to sunset, making it harder to see.
• The weather should be a little cool every night. For more information about the weather forecast, check out our weather page!

RELATED: Rare ‘Poinsettia’ will light up the skies during the winter solstice