The 2020 Christmas Star

Tami Kiser explains how to take advantage of a rare astronomical phenomenon, and gaze at the heavens with your family.

2020 has been one of those years. And though it has been very hard for many of us, we know that Christ prevails. He is the Ruler of the World, the King of the Universe, and my favorite title, Prince of Peace. He’s got this whole situation under control. Let’s all keep that in mind and rest in his love and care. 

Christmas is such a wonderful time to remember this. 

We see this Supreme Being come down in the humble form of a baby, to a manger of all places. What great love is that? How much He must truly care for us! 

We need Christmas this year to serve as this great reminder. 

I believe that to help us remember this miracle and gift of Christmas in this trying year of 2020, God has given us the gift of a Christmas star this year.

There is something magnificent about staring up at a star-filled sky. It fills one with wonder and awe. Starting this week, many people will be looking up at the starry night sky to see this rare occurrence -- two planets aligning with one another at a close distance to earth. 

The last time this event happened was about 800 years ago. As Jupiter and Saturn make their orbit around the sun, they will grow closer together. By December 21, our Winter Solstice, they will seem as one bright star. (In reality they will still be millions of miles apart, but to us, it will seem they are just a sliver apart.) Many have surmised that this type of occurrence, planets aligning, is what led the Wise Men to Bethlehem. 

Take this opportunity to gaze up at the heavens with your family. For folks in cities and suburbs, you might want to drive out away from the lights to catch all of the glory of a starlit sky and watch this phenomenon. 

CLICK TO TWEET
To help us remember the miracle and gift of Christmas in this trying year, God has given us the gift of a Christmas star. #catholicmom

To witness this year’s Christmas Star, look southwest as the sun sets. So for the next week, the planets will be closer and closer each day until Dec. 21, then will appear to swap positions and move apart. You will be able to see this with your bare eyes. A telescope with a wide enough field of view — about 2 degrees — should be able to see both planets with some of the planets’ moons. Through binoculars, the event will look like a double star.

“The heavens declare the glory of God!”

They do indeed.

Copyright 2020 Tami Kiser
Images (top to bottom): Pixabay (2016); stargazing chart courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech