GREAT CONJUNCTION

These are the top space stories this week from Space.com.

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Visit Slooh.com to snap and share your own photos from this live event, and interact with our hosts and guests, and personally control Slooh's telescopes. Slooh's webcast will feature images of Apophis from Slooh's remotely operated observatories in Chile and the Canary Islands. "We'll be tracking Apophis most of the night," Slooh's chief astronomical officer Paul Cox told Space.com. We'll be discussing Apophis, the risks near-Earth objects pose to Earth, our historic coverage of Apophis, and Slooh's legacy tracking these near-Earth asteroid passes since 2008." You can watch the webcast live in the window above, courtesy of Slooh, and Slooh members can view it at Slooh.com.

Total Lunar Eclipse (May 26)May’s total lunar eclipse will be the first total lunar eclipse in the Americas in more than two years. In a total lunar eclipse, the moon turns a red, rusty color, often referred to as a blood moon. In Central Florida, it will be a partial lunar eclipse as the Moon will set prior to totality. Partial lunar eclipse (Nov 19)November’s lunar eclipse will be partial, meaning the Earth’s shadow will never fully engulf the Moon, but it’s going to be close. In the pre-dawn hours of the 19th, Central Florida will actually see more of the Moon covered than in May’s total eclipse (partial for Central Florida).

Jupiter and Saturn during the Great Conjunction on Dec. 21, 2020 as seen above the Space Coast Lightfest in Melbourne, Florida. Central Florida lucked out with clear sky and cool weather prompting sky gazers to observe the Great Conjunction. Photographer Michael Seeley captured Jupiter and Saturn in the night sky above the Space Coast Lightfest in Melbourne at Wickham Park. Jupiter and Saturn during the Great Conjunction on Dec. 21, 2020 as seen above the Space Coast Lightfest in Melbourne, Florida. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls) ((NASA/Bill Ingalls)\rFor copyright and restrictions refer to -�http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines/index.html)Their next Jupiter and Saturn Great Conjunction won’t happen again until March 15, 2080.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The rare Great Conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn took center stage Monday night. Great Conjunction through a telescopeAlso in that field of view will reside the biggest moons of the two bodies. Not every Great Conjunction, however, is created equal and that’s what makes the one occurring on the winter solstice so rare and special. This will set up the next Great Conjunction in 2040, although that one will not be as brilliant as 2020s. The Great Conjunction occurs because Jupiter has the inside track while orbiting the sun in our solar system.

The Great Conjunction is rare. The Great Conjunction happens when Jupiter and Saturn get very close to each from our perspective. Not every Great Conjunction, however, is created equal and that’s what makes the one occurring on the winter solstice so rare and special. This will set up the next Great Conjunction in 2040, although that one will not be as brilliant as 2020′s. The Great Conjunction occurs because Jupiter has the inside track while orbiting the Sun in our solar system.

During the "Great Conjunction" on Dec. 21, 2020, Jupiter and Saturn will be about one-tenth of a degree apart, their closest approach since 1623. All through the summer and into the fall, the two gas giants of the solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, have been calling attention to themselves in the southern evening sky. Related: This is what Jupiter and Saturn look like from MarsAn infrequent meetingWhenever Jupiter and Saturn are in conjunction — that is, when they have the same right ascension or celestial longitude — it is referred to as a "Great Conjunction," primarily because unlike conjunctions with the other bright planets, these two don't get together very often. The "Great Conjunction" on Dec. 21, 2020 will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see Jupiter and Saturn together through a telescope. (Image credit: SkySafari app)Most of the time, when Jupiter overtakes Saturn, they usually are separated by more than a degree.