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Overview:

Over the first three weeks of December, Jupiter and Saturn will appear closer in the sky than they have in two decades. And on December 21, the two giant planets will appear just a tenth of a degree apart – that's about the thickness of a dime held at arm's length! This means the two planets and their moons will be visible in the same field of view through binoculars or a small telescope. In fact, Saturn will appear as close to Jupiter as some of Jupiter's moons.

This event, called a great conjunction, occurs only every 20 years this century as the orbits of Earth, Jupiter, and Saturn periodically align making these two outer planets appear close together in our nighttime sky. This year's great conjunction will be the closest meeting of Jupiter and Saturn in our skies for the next 60 years!

Learn more in this month's episode of NASA's "What's Up" video series:

For more details and skywatching tips, visit NASA's Solar System Exploration website.

Education Resources:

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  Astronomy Activities for Students

  Explore our collection of student projects, slideshows, videos and more all about astronomy.

  Grades K-12

  Time Varies

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  Astronomy Lessons for Educators

  Explore our collection of standards-aligned STEM lessons all about astronomy and NASA missions to explore the stars.

  Grades K-12

  Time Varies

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  For Families

  Learning Space With NASA at Home

  Explore space and science activities students can do with NASA at home. Watch video tutorials for making rockets, Mars rovers, Moon landers, and more. Plus, find tips for learning at home!

Explore More:

• Program: Night Sky Network
• Article for Kids: What is an Exoplanet?
• Website: NASA Exoplanet Exploration
• Posters & Coloring Pages: Exoplanet Travel Bureau
• Interactive: Eyes on Exoplanets

Events are based on visibility in the Northern Hemisphere. Dates and clock times are for the Pacific time zone unless otherwise noted.