A Christmas Star Will Light Up The Rhode Island Sky For The First Time In Centuries
2020 has been a tough year for many, but it just might end with a beacon of hope. December 21 always marks the beginning of winter, but it seems as if the solstice is bringing a surprise with it this year. A couple of planets are about to put on a once-in-a-lifetime show, and we’ll be able to see it from Rhode Island.
And this is one phenomenon you'll want to experience under a wide, open sky.
For awhile, they may look like a single glowing point even though they will be millions of miles apart from each other. When they align just right with the Earth, they'll look like a beautiful star.
The reason for this nickname is because experts believe the real star of Bethlehem that's referred to in the Christian Bible was, in fact, a rare conjunction between Venus, Saturn, and Jupiter. This hasn't been proven, of course, but it's still interesting to think about.
While this unique phenomenon does occur about every 20 years, it doesn't always look like this. The last time the Christmas Star was this visible to us on Earth was 1226 A.D.
This rare occurrence won't be visible from Earth again until 2080, so we highly recommend checking it out while you can.
Ready to do some serious stargazing? Just find a big stretch of open sky away from artificial light, and enjoy.
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