christmas star

Star-gazers unable to catch the once-in-a-lifetime sight in the sky Monday night known as the ‘Christmas star’ will still have a chance to see a version of the exciting event this week.

NASA says the planetary conjunction known as the ‘Christmas Star,’ which is only seen once every 800 years, will be visible on Monday night.

A phenomenon called the “Christmas Star,” which has not been seen for nearly 800 years, will light up the sky tonight just in time for the holiday season. NASA scientist and astronomer Dr. Kelly Fast joined LX News to explain what it is and how to see it.

A Great Conjunction is when the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn appear close together when viewed from Earth. On Dec. 21, the planets will appear so close together that they will almost look like one point of light to the unaided eye. The two planets will be just above the horizon, and will set a few hours after the Sun.

A rare celestial event is just days away. David Biggar explains what’s behind the Christmas Star.

Jupiter and Saturn are still very far apart, but our view from the Earth, represented by the yellow arrow, makes it look like they are touching.

Earth’s orbit around the sun takes 1 year to complete, but it takes Jupiter and Saturn much longer.

This year has already brought several firsts for much of the world, but as 2020 comes to a close, a once-in-a-lifetime sight will appear in the night sky just in time for the holidays.

KNBC/KVEA