How to see the Christmas Star in San Antonio — if weather cooperates
The Great Conjunction will hover over San Antonio tonight, bringing Jupiter and Saturn closer to each other than they have been in 400 years.
But it’s been nearly 800 years since the event occurred at night, making it visible, according to NASA.
Dubbed “The Christmas Star,” the planets will appear — to the naked eye, from earth — as one big, bright star.
Unfortunately, viewing the rare site might be difficult due to increasing cloud coverage this evening. High to mid-level clouds may start to build over the city after sunset and hurt visibility, even with a telescope. Fog and low clouds will also develop this evening and stick around through Tuesday morning.
The Scobee Education Center posted this telescope video of the planets yesterday.
Tips from NASA: How to see the Great Conjunction, if weather cooperates
- Find a spot with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park.
- Find a spot away from city lights. Since Jupiter and Saturn are bright planets they’re still visible from cities, but the darker the better.
- The planets will be visible about an hour after sunset. Look to the southwest horizon.
Teresa Velasco is a digital producer for mySA and the San Antonio Express-News. She has a bachelor’s degree in broadcast meteorology. She uses data provided by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others for her forecasts.
