A rare alignment of Jupiter and Saturn
Two distant planets - hard to spot with the naked eye.
But - on Monday night - Jupiter and Saturn seemed to have become a double planet in the night sky
for stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere.
A bright spot to cap off what has been a very fraught year for many.
Astronomers call this the Great Conjunction.
But given the timing, many are calling it the "Christmas Star",
And speculating about whether they also crossed paths two millennia ago...
to form a bright light that guided the biblical three kings.
Jupiter and Saturn are our solar system's two largest planets.
And although their orbits briefly aligned them from the earthling's standpoint...
In reality - the two frozen gas spheres are hundreds of millions of miles apart.
The last time they had such a celestial meeting was in the year 1226 - long before telescopes were invented.
Those who missed it may get another chance to see the phenomenon in March, 2080.
