2020 Best Planet Conjunctions

2020 BEST PLANET CONJUNCTIONS

Image Credits: NASA/JPL Solar System Simulator developed by: David Seal

FOVs and Magnifications Vary

L O A D I N G

Click on the labels directly above to view the Best Planet Conjunctions of 2020, that is, when two major planets appear close in the sky. Note that these views are geocentric—i.e. from Earth's center—so the apparent angular distances between the planets may be very slightly different from those you'll see from your own location on Earth's surface. The views above all highlight events where planets appear less than 1° (one degree) apart! These "close apparent approaches" are a real treat, and all but the first can be witnessed easily without a telescope or binoculars. In addition, because planets—especially the outer planets—move relatively slowly against the back- ground sky, often planets in conjunction can appear close to one another for days at a time. This means that their proximity can generally be enjoyed for more than a few hours and from many locations on Earth.

The first and last events noted above will be particular treats! To view the Venus-Neptune conjunction of Jan 27 will require at least a good pair of binoculars, as Neptune cannot be seen without one. But if you are lucky enough to get clear weather that night, you will see Venus and Neptune less than 1/7 (one-seventh) of an apparent Moon diameter apart! Then, near year's end, the Jupiter-Saturn conjunction of Dec 21 presents the two largest gas giants barely 1/5 (one-fifth) of an Moon diameter apart! Moreover, they will remain less than a Moon diameter apart for over a week! This means that their unusual closeness to one another will be visible from almost the entire Earth! It also means that—if bad weather hampers their observation one night—you may still have a subsequent opportunity to see them in close proximity! In fact, this is one conjunction that you may wish to observe iwith a telescope! You may even be able to keep both Jupiter and Saturn in your scope's field of view for more than one night!

Here's a list of All 2020 Planet Conjunctions. The ones not included above require very clear, dark skies to get any serious chance at viewing them. Uranus is visible just barely at the limit of what can be seen by the naked eye, and viewing Neptune—as mentioned—requires at least a very good pair of binoculars. Even so, a pretty capable tele- scope is desirable for both on most occasions.

You may also want to take a look at our 2020 Best Moon-Planet Conjunctions page.

Simulator Image Notes: 1) Fields of View are measured horizontally. 2) Eclipse shadows of planetary moons are not displayed. 3) Light-Travel Time is not included in calculated times. 4) Planet of focus (at center of simulator image) is viewed with its local north "upward", i.e. in the 12:00 midnight direction. 5) Simulator expresses the phase (where applicable) as the absolute value of the phase angle.

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