Google Doodle celebrates winter solstice and The Great Conjunction with animated graphic
Today's animated Google Doodle is in celebration of the winter solstice and The Great Conjunction, which is a visual overlap of Saturn and Jupiter in the night sky.
Google doodle celebrated Winter 2020 and The Great Conjunction with an animated graphic on December 21. The Great Conjunction, a visual overlap of Saturn and Jupiter in the night sky, is a rare phenomenon that the world will witness today.
WHAT DOES TODAY'S GOOGLE DOODLE SIGNIFY?
Today's animated Google Doodle is in celebration of the winter solstice and The Great Conjunction. The graphic "celebrates the Northern Hemisphere's first day of winter as well as this rare double planet sighting-or Great Conjunction-which can be viewed from anywhere around the globe," Google Doodle said on its page.
WHAT DOES DECEMBER 21 MARK?
December 21 marks the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the longest night of 2020.
WHAT IS THE GREAT CONJUNCTION?
The Great Conjunction is a rare astronomic event that will occur tonight. Saturn and Jupiter, the two largest planets in our solar system, will nearly overlap to form a "double planet," an event that hasn't been visible since the Middle Ages-almost 800 years ago.
The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will be the closest since 1623 - 13 years after Galileo built his first telescope and discovered four new 'stars' orbiting the Jupiter.
NASA states that "the two planets will appear just a tenth of a degree apart". This celestial event will not happen again in the next 60 years, that is, until 2080.
HOW TO SEE THE GREAT CONJUNCTION?
On its page, Google Doodle described the process as it said, "Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park. An hour after sunset, Jupiter will look like a bright star and be easily visible in the southwestern sky. Saturn will be slightly fainter and will appear slightly above and to the left of Jupiter until December 21, when Jupiter will overtake it and they will reverse positions in the sky. Feel free to use binoculars, but the planets can still be seen with the unaided eye."
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