Seminole State’s Emil Buehler Planetarium to host Great Conjunction Event

We know that 2020 has already been a rare occurrence, but the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust Planetarium at Seminole State College of Florida promises that this month will be out of this world. On Dec. 21 at 6 p.m., the planetarium will be hosting the Great Jupiter/Saturn Conjunction Virtual Event where you will see a phenomenon that hasn’t occurred since 1623. This fun, free virtual event will mark an extremely extraordinary astrological meeting of planets Jupiter and Saturn that will produce a bright, magnificent point of interest that you can see with the naked eye and won’t see again until 2080. On the winter solstice, the planets Jupiter and Saturn will align and be less than 1/5 the width of the moon in the sky.  

Planetarium Manager Derek Demeter said, “This is an ultra-rare event when both Jupiter and Saturn will be in the sky so close to each other. If you have a telescope and an eyepiece that you would usually look at the whole moon with, you will see both Jupiter and Saturn together in the same view. The pairing will appear as one star to the unaided eye on Dec. 21.”  

With the support of the Central Florida Astronomical Society, the planetarium will host a Facebook Live and Zoom webinar and give you a personal tour of two of the largest planets in the solar system that are guaranteed to put on a show. Up to 500 guests will be able to join the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust Planetarium’s Zoom session via the webinar feature. Register early as this event is surely to fill up fast.  

For full details on this event, and future events please visit the Emil Buehler Perpetual Trust Planetarium at Seminole State College of Florida’s Facebook page.