- Great conjunction
A Great Conjunction (also known as a Grand Conjunction) is a conjunction of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. The last Great Conjunction took place on
May 31 ,2000 , while the next one will be in late December of2020 . Great Conjunctions take place regularly, every 18-20 years, as a result of the combined ~12-year orbital period of Jupiter around the Sun, and Saturn's ~30-year orbital period. The 2000 conjunction fell within mere weeks after both had passed conjunction with the Sun, and it was very difficult to observe without visual aid because the two planets rose only 30-45 minutes before sunrise, depending upon the location of the observer.Great conjunctions have been used by
calendar makers throughout many cultures and eras to help refine and build calendars Fact|date=July 2007.Greatest conjunction
Greatest conjunction is a conjunction of the Jupiter and Saturn at or near their opposition to the
Sun . In this scenario, Jupiter and Saturn will occupy the same position inright ascension on three separate occasions over a period of a few months.The so-called "
Star of Bethlehem " — thought to have appeared c.6 BC — was theorized to be a greatest conjunction; and some went so far as to assert that it was anoccultation of Saturn by Jupiter, with the two planets appearing to merge into a single object as seen fromEarth . However such an event did not take place at historic times. At the greatest conjunction in 6 BC, which is said to be that was the "Star of Bethlehem", the minimum distance between Jupiter and Saturn was around 1 degree, this is twice theMoon 's diameter. The next occultation of Saturn by Jupiter will take place in 7541.There is no obvious period for the occurrence of greatest conjunctions: the last greatest conjunctions took place in 1682/83, 1821 (only in
right ascension ),1940 /41 and1981 , while the next one will take place in the year2238 /39.Great Conjunctions in Right ascension between 1800 and 2100
Great Conjunctions in ecliptical longitude between 1800 and 2100
ee also
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Triple conjunction
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