A16 N THE NEW YORK TIMES, MONDAY, DECEMBER 7, 2020
20°
30°
40°
50°
60°
Record
highs
Normal
highs
Normal
lows
Record
lows
WT F S SM
TODAY
TWT F
High High
Actual
Forecast
range
Low Low
40 s
50 s
60 s
Color bands
indicate water
temperature.
White
24/10 More clouds than sun
Green
24/13 More clouds than sun
Adirondacks
25/9 More clouds than sun
Berkshires
33/20 Clouds and periodic sun
Catskills
32/18 Mostly cloudy
Poconos
34/23 Times of clouds and sun
Southwest Pa.
33/23 Mostly cloudy
West Virginia
33/21 Mostly cloudy
Blue Ridge
38/24 Mostly cloudy
Today’s forecast
HH
H
HH
H
LLL
70s70s0s0s
80s 80
40s40s
202 20s 2 ss^3 30s^3 30ss
10 s
0s
<0<
<0 0
7 70sss
70 s
7 70s
8808 0s
80s
70s
70s0s
60 s
60 0sss
60s
60 s
60 s
50s
50s50s
50s 0
50 s
20s20s20s 222
50s
40 s
40 s
40s 404000 0s
40s0s 0
30s 0
30ss
30s
30 s
30s30ss
30 s
40s 4 40s 4
20s20s
20 s
PierrePP
Bismarckkk
Fargo
Minneapnappolis St. PaulSSSSS
Chicago
Milwaukeukeukeee
Inndianapolisna
Detroit
ClevelandPittsburghh
WashingtonWashiashi
PhiladelphiaPhi
New YorkN
Richchmmond
NorfolkNNNNNNN
RRaleighR gh
CCharlotteCh
CoColuCombiab
Atlanta
JacksonvilleJ
OrlandoOr
Tampaa
MMiami
Nassau
Birmmmmminghainghainghammm
MobileMo
NewNew
Orleans
Jackson
Baton Rougeo
Little Rockkk
Memphis
Nashville
Louuisvilleu
Charlestoeono
Caspeere Sioux Fallsou
CheyenneChChe nee
DeDenverDe
Coolooradoo
SSprSpringspr
WinnipegWinWineg
Regina
Billings
HeHelenaHe
BoiseBoBo
SpokaneS
Vanancouveran
SeSeeatttttle
Reno
SaSan Franncisconio
Fresnsnosn
Los AngelesLos ALos A
SSSan DiegoSa
Honolulu
HiloH
FFairFairbanksFair
AnchoraAnchorageAnchoragAnchorageAnchoragec
Juneauau
PhoenPhoPhooenixoen
Tucsonnn
LasLasLas
Vegas
Salt Lake
City
Albuquerqrquerq
StSanta FeSanta
Lubbock
El PasoPasPas Ft. Worth Dallas
Oklahoma Citytyy
San Antoniooo
Hououston
Corpus ChristiC
Montnterreynte
Eugenne
Portlanand
Albanybanban
Buffalo HartfordHaHarHaaa
ToToronto
Ottawa
Montreal
Quebecbecbecc
Burllingtonlin n ManchesterMaM
BostonBBosB
PortlandPor
HalifaxH
Des Moinoinines
OOOmaha
Topeekae
Wichita
Kansansnsas
City
St. Lououisoui
Springfielde
Winds are expected to turn
offshore from the Northern
Sierra to Southern
California through Tuesday.
Wind gusts in the moun-
tains, especially in and
around Los Angeles, will
generally be around 40 to
50 miles per hour. A long,
dry stretch of weather has
resulted in dry vegetation,
which will increase the
threat for wildfires in the
region.
Highlight: High Fire Risk in Southern California
San Diego
Los Angeles
Santa Barbara
San Bernardino
HIGH
FIRE
RISK
CALIFORNIA
Metropolitan Almanac
In Central Park, for the 16 hours ended at 4 p.m. yesterday.
Reservoir levels (New York City water supply)
Yesterday ............... 76%
Est. normal ............. 82%
Temperature
20°
30°
40°
50°
60°
70° Recordhigh 71°
(2001)
high 46°
Normal
low 35°
Normal
(1871)
low 11°
Record
35°
8 a.m.
2 p.m.
40°
SAT. YESTERDAY
4
p.m.
12
a.m.
6
a.m.
12
p.m.
4
p.m.
Avg. daily departure Avg. daily departure
from normal from normal
this m...................... +1.8°onth this year......................... +2.4°
Precipitation (in inches)
Yesterday ............... 0.
Record .................... 1.
Snow......................... 0.
Since Oct. 1 .............. 0.
For the last 30 days
Actual ..................... 4.
Normal .................... 4.
For the last 365 days
Actual ................... 47.
Normal .................. 49.
LAST 30 DAYS
Air pressure
High ......... 29.83 10 a.m.
Low ............ 29.78 4 a.m.
Humidity
High ............. 57% 2 a.m.
Low .............. 42% 2 p.m.
Heating Degree Days
An index of fuel consumption that tracks how
far the day's mean temperature fell below 65
Yesterday................................................................... 2 7
So far this month...................................................... 128
So far this season (since July 1) .............................. 745
Normal to date for the season ................................. 970
Trends Temperature Precipitation
Average Average
Below Above Below Above
Last 10 days
30 days
90 days
365 days
Chart shows how recent temperature and precipitation
trends compare with those of the last 30 years.
HL
TODAY’S HIGHS
FRONTS PRESSURE
COLD HIGH LOW MOSTLY SHOWERST-STORMS RAIN FLURRIES SNOW ICE
CLOUDY
WARM STATIONARY COMPLEX
COLD PRECIPITATION
<0 0s 10s 20s 30s 40s 50s 60s 70s 80s 90s 100+
Weather patterns shown as expected at noon today, Eastern time.
Cities
High/low temperatures for the 16 hours ended at 4
p.m. yesterday, Eastern time, and precipitation (in inches)
for the 16 hours ended at 4 p.m. yesterday.
Expected conditions for today and tomorrow.
C ........................ Clouds
F ............................. Fog
H .......................... Haze
I............................... Ice
PC ............. Partly cloudy
R ........................... Rain
Sh ................... Showers
S .............................Sun
Sn ....................... Snow
SS .......... Snow showers
T ............ Thunderstorms
Tr ......................... Trace
W ........................ Windy
- ............... Not available
Recreational Forecast
Sun, Moon and Planets
We a t h e r R e p o r t Meteorology by AccuWeather
Sun
Jupiter
Saturn
Moon
Mars
Venus
National Forecast
Boating
Last Quarter New First Quarter Full
Dec. 7 Dec. 14 Dec. 21 Dec. 29
Mountain and Ocean Temperatures
11:17 a.m. 10:29 p.m.
RISE 7:07 a.m.
SET 4:28 p.m.
NEXT R 7:08 a.m.
R 10:01 a.m.
S 7:32 p.m.
R 10:06 a.m.
S 7:40 p.m.
S 12:32 p.m.
R 11:41 p.m.
S 1:00 p.m.
S 2:28 a.m.
R 1:30 p.m.
R 4:55 a.m.
S 3:05 p.m.
United States Yesterday Today Tomorrow
N.Y.C. region Yesterday Today Tomorrow
40/ 30 PC 41/ 32 PC
Bridgeport 41/ 32 0 40/ 27 PC 38/ 26 PC
Caldwell 42/ 32 0 41/ 25 PC 40/ 24 PC
Danbury 39/ 28 0 38/ 22 PC 36/ 18 PC
Islip 42/ 31 0 40/ 26 PC 38/ 24 PC
Newark 43/ 33 0 42/ 28 PC 42/ 27 PC
Trenton 40/ 32 0 39/ 26 PC 41/ 23 PC
White Plains 40/ 30 0 38/ 26 PC 37/ 24 PC
Albany 32/ 22 0 31/ 22 C 31/ 20 PC
Albuquerque 55/ 28 0 57/ 31 S 56/ 29 S
Anchorage 17/ 16 0 30/ 26 Sn 33/ 24 Sn
Atlanta 59/ 43 0 50/ 30 PC 50/ 32 S
Atlantic City 48/ 30 0 45/ 30 PC 45/ 29 PC
Austin 67/ 38 0 70/ 36 S 75/ 39 S
Baltimore 45/ 29 0 42/ 29 PC 45/ 29 S
Baton Rouge 57/ 38 0.17 60/ 34 S 62/ 39 S
Birmingham 57/ 38 0.01 48/ 29 PC 52/ 32 S
Boise 38/ 23 0 40/ 23 S 43/ 24 S
Boston 39/ 26 0.14 38/ 27 PC 35/ 24 PC
Buffalo 33/ 26 0 32/ 25 SS 34/ 28 S
Burlington 33/ 24 0.01 30/ 23 C 30/ 20 PC
Casper 44/ 22 0 46/ 27 S 47/ 31 S
Charlotte 56/ 40 0 51/ 28 C 50/ 26 S
Chattanooga 57/ 37 0 44/ 28 C 50/ 28 S
Chicago 40/ 31 Tr 42/ 30 PC 44/ 34 PC
Cincinnati 40/ 29 0 38/ 27 C 42/ 30 S
Cleveland 35/ 29 0.02 35/ 30 SS 37/ 29 C
Colorado Springs 60/ 33 0 60/ 33 S 64/ 35 S
Columbus 37/ 27 0 36/ 25 C 40/ 29 PC
Concord, N.H. 35/ 20 0.34 34/ 20 PC 33/ 13 C
Dallas-Ft. Worth 60/ 37 0.21 63/ 39 S 68/ 40 S
Denver 58/ 30 0 58/ 31 S 63/ 32 S
Des Moines 41/ 26 0 42/ 25 PC 49/ 33 S
Detroit 37/ 26 0 38/ 26 PC 39/ 31 S
El Paso 61/ 30 0 64/ 32 PC 63/ 33 S
Fargo 43/ 21 0 41/ 25 S 44/ 31 PC
Hartford 39/ 22 0 39/ 25 PC 37/ 22 PC
Honolulu 85/ 72 0 85/ 73 PC 85/ 70 Sh
Houston 63/ 42 0.05 65/ 41 S 69/ 43 S
Indianapolis 37/ 28 0 41/ 26 PC 44/ 30 S
Jackson 59/ 36 0.03 54/ 31 PC 60/ 34 S
Jacksonville 64/ 49 0.03 64/ 36 PC 57/ 33 S
Kansas City 47/ 29 0 53/ 29 PC 56/ 36 PC
Key West 77/ 72 Tr 75/ 64 T 68/ 61 C
Las Vegas 62/ 47 0 67/ 42 PC 64/ 43 PC
Lexington 42/ 28 0 37/ 24 C 42/ 29 S
Little Rock 56/ 33 0 56/ 31 PC 61/ 33 S
Los Angeles 72/ 49 0 69/ 50 PC 80/ 50 PC
Louisville 42/ 31 0 43/ 30 C 46/ 32 S
Memphis 52/ 35 0 49/ 33 PC 57/ 37 PC
Miami 81/ 70 0 74/ 54 R 64/ 47 S
Milwaukee 40/ 32 0.04 42/ 30 PC 43/ 34 PC
Mpls.-St. Paul 39/ 27 0 39/ 25 PC 42/ 33 PC
Nashville 52/ 29 0.06 44/ 29 C 48/ 31 S
New Orleans 59/ 45 0.04 60/ 43 S 61/ 45 S
Norfolk 50/ 38 0 47/ 34 R 46/ 33 PC
Oklahoma City 56/ 30 0 63/ 31 S 63/ 35 S
Omaha 41/ 26 0 51/ 25 S 55/ 34 S
Orlando 71/ 55 0 66/ 43 PC 59/ 39 S
Philadelphia 42/ 29 0 41/ 29 PC 42/ 28 PC
Phoenix 72/ 45 0 79/ 51 PC 79/ 50 PC
Pittsburgh 34/ 26 0.01 34/ 28 SS 36/ 27 PC
Portland, Me. 35/ 22 0.29 34/ 23 PC 34/ 20 PC
Portland, Ore. 51/ 39 0.23 49/ 40 PC 53/ 44 R
Providence 39/ 23 0 40/ 25 PC 37/ 21 C
Raleigh 54/ 40 0 47/ 29 R 48/ 25 S
Reno 50/ 28 0 48/ 22 S 51/ 24 S
Richmond 49/ 33 0 40/ 28 Sn 47/ 23 S
Rochester 33/ 26 Tr 31/ 25 SS 33/ 26 PC
Sacramento 64/ 48 0 71/ 40 W 66/ 35 S
Salt Lake City 45/ 25 Tr 42/ 21 S 43/ 23 S
San Antonio 67/ 40 0 70/ 41 S 75/ 43 S
San Diego 69/ 47 0 68/ 55 C 76/ 52 PC
San Francisco 60/ 48 0 68/ 47 W 65/ 45 S
San Jose 63/ 42 0 69/ 42 W 69/ 42 S
San Juan 81/ 73 0.02 85/ 72 PC 86/ 72 C
Seattle 53/ 42 0.11 52/ 48 C 54/ 45 R
Sioux Falls 44/ 25 0 47/ 26 S 51/ 33 PC
Spokane 34/ 27 0 36/ 32 PC 43/ 34 C
St. Louis 46/ 33 Tr 47/ 30 PC 49/ 36 PC
St. Thomas 81/ 75 0.06 84/ 75 S 84/ 75 PC
Syracuse 33/ 27 0.01 31/ 24 SS 33/ 28 C
Tampa 71/ 58 0 67/ 46 PC 59/ 43 S
Toledo 37/ 25 0 38/ 26 C 40/ 32 S
Tucson 73/ 42 0 75/ 49 PC 74/ 46 PC
Tulsa 54/ 31 0 62/ 33 PC 61/ 36 S
Virginia Beach 52/ 37 0 49/ 34 R 49/ 32 PC
Washington 46/ 33 0 42/ 32 PC 45/ 31 S
Wichita 52/ 30 0 60/ 30 PC 60/ 32 S
Wilmington, Del. 43/ 27 0 41/ 27 PC 42/ 26 PC
Africa Yesterday Today Tomorrow
Asia/Pacific Yesterday Today Tomorrow
Algiers 59/ 45 0.04 65/ 55 S 61/ 47 Sh
Cairo 73/ 55 0 82/ 60 W 74/ 55 PC
Cape Town 79/ 61 0 79/ 61 PC 77/ 61 PC
Dakar 82/ 75 0 82/ 74 PC 82/ 74 PC
Johannesburg 72/ 53 0.09 78/ 56 PC 75/ 57 PC
Nairobi 79/ 60 0.05 80/ 61 PC 79/ 60 PC
Tunis 57/ 45 0.15 61/ 49 S 66/ 50 PC
Baghdad 66/ 51 0 67/ 43 PC 67/ 47 PC
Bangkok 84/ 69 0 88/ 70 PC 88/ 70 PC
Beijing 44/ 23 0 36/ 14 PC 38/ 22 PC
Damascus 63/ 38 0 61/ 41 PC 64/ 46 PC
Hong Kong 69/ 58 0 74/ 61 S 71/ 63 PC
Jakarta 84/ 75 1.98 88/ 77 C 90/ 77 T
Jerusalem 56/ 44 0 61/ 49 PC 65/ 44 S
Karachi 90/ 61 0 90/ 59 PC 88/ 60 PC
Manila 90/ 79 0.03 84/ 76 T 85/ 76 T
Mumbai 93/ 69 0 93/ 74 PC 93/ 75 PC
South America Yesterday Today Tomorrow
North America Yesterday Today Tomorrow
Europe Yesterday Today Tomorrow
New Delhi 82/ 58 0 81/ 55 PC 81/ 57 PC
Riyadh 73/ 54 0.06 64/ 44 PC 65/ 48 S
Seoul 48/ 27 0 43/ 22 PC 38/ 22 PC
Shanghai 57/ 43 0 55/ 45 C 53/ 46 PC
Singapore 88/ 79 0 88/ 79 C 88/ 78 T
Sydney 87/ 70 0 82/ 59 S 71/ 56 S
Taipei City 68/ 66 0.08 73/ 66 R 71/ 68 R
Tehran 43/ 36 1.04 41/ 33 Sh 45/ 34 PC
Tokyo 56/ 45 0 58/ 46 S 60/ 46 S
Amsterdam 40/ 31 0.06 45/ 31 R 39/ 31 PC
Athens 66/ 54 0.08 63/ 51 R 64/ 54 PC
Berlin 52/ 38 0 50/ 35 C 46/ 36 PC
Brussels 35/ 28 0.12 39/ 30 R 39/ 29 PC
Budapest 55/ 43 0 44/ 39 R 45/ 34 PC
Copenhagen 48/ 39 0.15 47/ 40 C 44/ 40 C
Dublin 36/ 27 0 42/ 33 C 44/ 34 R
Edinburgh 44/ 34 0.04 41/ 37 C 44/ 38 Sh
Frankfurt 40/ 34 0.44 40/ 30 R 37/ 32 PC
Geneva 43/ 32 0.03 39/ 31 PC 40/ 32 R
Helsinki 40/ 37 0 34/ 27 S 31/ 26 S
Istanbul 59/ 49 0 58/ 49 PC 58/ 45 S
Kiev 30/ 21 0 23/ 17 S 23/ 19 S
Lisbon 56/ 46 0.13 59/ 53 PC 58/ 50 Sh
London 41/ 35 0.02 39/ 32 C 42/ 37 PC
Madrid 47/ 32 0.02 53/ 40 Sh 50/ 31 PC
Moscow 28/ 16 0 27/ 17 S 29/ 17 S
Nice 52/ 41 0 54/ 44 PC 54/ 42 R
Oslo 35/ 32 0.20 38/ 34 R 35/ 30 R
Paris 45/ 37 0.02 42/ 33 C 41/ 32 PC
Prague 54/ 41 0 45/ 33 C 43/ 36 R
Rome 56/ 48 0.85 56/ 49 T 58/ 47 R
St. Petersburg 39/ 33 Tr 36/ 24 S 32/ 23 S
Stockholm 45/ 42 0.10 41/ 35 C 36/ 34 C
Vienna 48/ 43 0.04 48/ 40 R 43/ 37 R
Warsaw 42/ 37 0 38/ 27 PC 35/ 29 PC
Acapulco 87/ 73 0 88/ 74 T 90/ 75 S
Bermuda 73/ 67 0.12 71/ 67 C 73/ 62 W
Edmonton 38/ 14 0 39/ 30 C 38/ 20 PC
Guadalajara 73/ 47 0 73/ 48 PC 74/ 48 C
Havana 82/ 66 0 80/ 64 C 73/ 61 C
Kingston 86/ 73 0 86/ 74 PC 86/ 75 PC
Martinique 86/ 70 0.01 85/ 74 PC 86/ 73 PC
Mexico City 75/ 49 0 70/ 50 PC 70/ 49 T
Monterrey 71/ 34 0 72/ 39 PC 72/ 44 PC
Montreal 32/ 25 Tr 29/ 22 PC 30/ 21 S
Nassau 81/ 66 0 81/ 65 T 72/ 63 PC
Panama City 88/ 73 0.07 87/ 74 T 86/ 74 T
Quebec City 29/ 23 0.37 30/ 17 PC 28/ 12 S
Santo Domingo 87/ 67 0 84/ 72 PC 84/ 71 PC
Toronto 33/ 23 0 31/ 22 C 35/ 28 S
Vancouver 49/ 40 Tr 48/ 45 R 50/ 41 R
Winnipeg 33/ 19 0 34/ 24 S 39/ 28 C
Buenos Aires 72/ 59 0 76/ 65 S 79/ 68 PC
Caracas 91/ 74 0.12 87/ 73 Sh 87/ 72 T
Lima 72/ 66 0 73/ 67 C 74/ 66 C
Quito 65/ 52 0 67/ 51 Sh 67/ 51 Sh
Recife 84/ 77 0.04 85/ 78 PC 85/ 78 PC
Rio de Janeiro 77/ 73 0.13 79/ 74 R 80/ 74 T
Santiago 90/ 54 0 85/ 53 PC 88/ 55 PC
From Montauk Point to Sandy Hook, N.J., out to 20
nautical miles, including Long Island Sound and New York
Harbor.
Wind will be from the northwest at 10-15 knots. Waves
will be 1 foot or less on New York Harbor and Long Island
Sound, and 2-3 feet on the ocean. Visibility will generally
be clear to the horizon.
Atlantic City .................. 12:02 a.m. ............ 12:08 p.m.
Barnegat Inlet ............... 12:20 a.m. ............ 12:24 p.m.
The Battery ................... 12:58 a.m. ............ 12:52 p.m.
Beach Haven .................. 1:50 a.m. .............. 1:52 p.m.
Bridgeport ...................... 4:01 a.m. .............. 4:17 p.m.
City Island ....................... 3:37 a.m. .............. 3:53 p.m.
Fire Island Lt. .................. 1:18 a.m. .............. 1:20 p.m.
Montauk Point ................ 1:52 a.m. .............. 2:02 p.m.
Northport ....................... 4:00 a.m. .............. 4:21 p.m.
Port Washington ............. 3:45 a.m. .............. 4:07 p.m.
Sandy Hook .................. 12:32 a.m. ............ 12:34 p.m.
Shinnecock Inlet ........... 12:16 a.m. ............ 12:32 p.m.
Stamford ........................ 3:54 a.m. .............. 4:14 p.m.
Tarrytown ....................... 2:47 a.m. .............. 2:41 p.m.
Willets Point .................... 3:39 a.m. .............. 3:54 p.m.
High Tides
New York City 40/ 35 0
Metropolitan Forecast
TODAY .........................Partly sunny, breezy
High 40. It will be brisk and cold as wind
blows cool air into the region. A breezy
wind will bring temperatures that feel like
they are in the 20s.
TONIGHT ................................Patchy clouds
Low 30. Conditions will be chilly, but not
as brisk overnight as winds subside. High
pressure will bring a partly cloudy sky.
TOMORROW ..............................Partly sunny
High 41. The weather will be cold and
blustery through the afternoon as wind
persists. High pressure will bring sunshine
mixed with some clouds.
WEDNESDAY .............................Partly sunny
The afternoon will be seasonably cold,
with high pressure bringing a mixture of
sunshine and clouds. Winds will shift.
Partly cloudy and milder overnight.
THURSDAY
FRIDAY ....................................Mostly sunny
Thursday will be milder and mostly sunny.
High 52. Friday will also be mild, with
clouds and some sunshine. High 52.
It will be quiet weather day for much of
the United States today. The exception
will be found largely across the Carolinas.
A storm system will strengthen off the
Carolina coast in the morning and bring
rain to eastern North Carolina, as well as
showers to much of South Carolina.
Moisture inland will bring snow in the
higher elevations of the southern Ap-
palachians. Farther south, rain and a few
heavy thunderstorms are forecast for
southeastern Florida in the morning.
Elsewhere, high pressure will keep dry,
seasonable conditions in place. However,
some of this high pressure will lead to an
increase in wind speeds and an elevated
wildfire risk across Southern California.
It will be cold and brisk for most of the
region. The sky will be mostly cloudy to
the south as a storm system passes
through the Southeast, producing snow
showers over the Blue Ridge Mountains
and southern Alleghenies. Sunshine will
break through in the north. Temperatures
will range from the 20s to the 40s.
For months, Saturn and Jupiter
have appeared to be courting, as
the giant celestial bodies have
gradually drawn nearer in the
night sky.
Over the next two weeks, as
their orbits align more closely, the
planets will pull closer until they
appear to be just a tenth of a de-
gree apart — about the thickness
of a dime held at arm’s length, ac-
cording to NASA.
The encounter, known as a
great conjunction, happens about
every 20 years. But this one — ar-
riving on Dec. 21, the winter sol-
stice — is special, astronomers
said.
It will be the closest alignment
of Saturn and Jupiter, the largest
planets in our solar system, since
- But that conjunction, just 14
years after Galileo built his first
telescope, was 13 degrees away
from the sun, making it almost im-
possible to view from Earth, said
Amy C. Oliver, a spokeswoman for
the Center for Astrophysics, Har-
vard & Smithsonian.
This one will be the closest visi-
ble encounter between the two gi-
ants since the Middle Ages, in
1226, Ms. Oliver said. The next
time the planets will be this close
is 2080, she said, making the event
a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle for
most adults.
Across the United States, the
best view of the two planets com-
ing into near-alignment will be
just after sunset, in the southwest-
ern portion of the sky.
“It’s a very elegant astronomi-
cal event to watch in the night
sky,” said Renu Malhotra, a pro-
fessor of planetary sciences at the
University of Arizona. “It’s a very
romantic event to see these plan-
ets approaching each other.”
Although best appreciated with
binoculars or a telescope, the en-
counter should be visible to the
naked eye.
Konstantin Batygin, a professor
of planetary science at the Califor-
nia Institute of Technology, said
he had been watching Jupiter, his
favorite planet, and Saturn draw
closer to one another on nightly
walks with his pit bull, Bagheera.
“It’s the rare astronomical
event where you can appreciate
the motion of the planets around
the sun without being some kind
of astronomer,” Professor Batygin
said. “You can still go outside
close to Christmas and say, ‘Wow,
those two planets sure are close to
one another, and they aren’t usu-
ally.’ It’s one of these rare times
when the majesty of the solar sys-
tem presents itself to the naked
eye.”
But such encounters were not
always viewed so lyrically. In an-
cient times, people considered
planetary alignments to be bad
omens, portending calamity, Pro-
fessor Malhotra said.
“There was reason to fear that
the gods were conspiring when
they got closer in the night sky,”
she said. “It might have ominous
meaning to people on Earth.”
The conjunction is the result of
the orbital paths of Jupiter and
Saturn coming into line, as viewed
from Earth. Jupiter orbits the sun
about every 12 years, and Saturn
about every 29 years.
Although they will appear to be
close together — resembling a
bright ball or a tipped-over snow-
man in the sky, Ms. Oliver said —
the planets will not actually be
that close. In fact, they will be
more than 400 million miles apart,
she said.
“Jupiter and Saturn will appear
as two wandering stars that are
kind of right on top of one an-
other,” Professor Batygin said. “If
you wait long enough, it’s bound to
happen, because their orbital
paths intersect. But it doesn’t hap-
pen that often.”
Some people are calling the con-
junction a Christmas star because
of its arrival around the holiday.
Ms. Oliver said that on the days
before and after Dec. 21, “as soon
as it gets dark outside, everybody
should go outside and take a look.”
“For most adults, this is your
one big opportunity to see this,”
she said. “Really young kids
might get another chance. For the
rest of us, it’s now or never.”
Jupiter and Saturn Head for Their Closest Visible Alignment in Centuries
Saturn, left center, and Jupiter, right center, will appear to be just a tenth of a degree apart.
TED S. WARREN/ASSOCIATED PRESS
By MICHAEL LEVENSON
On the evening of
Dec. 21, cast your eyes
toward the southwest.