Just after sunset this evening, I went out back to observe the Jupiter-Saturn Conjunction, which reaches its "tightest pass" tonight. It was easy to find a bright, single point of light in the southwest sky but I needed binoculars to see that it represented both planets (Jupiter being far larger and brighter).
Saturn was just to the right and just above Jupiter. Of course, this conjunction, the "closest" in 800 years, is purely a result of our vantage point. In fact, Saturn is just over 1 billion miles from Earth while Jupiter is "only" 550 million miles from our home planet. Nevertheless, the close proximity of these gas giants, however illusional, was an inspiring sight to behold.
Indeed, many natural spectacles are not what they seem to be. While it is important to understand their scientific explanation (lest we be drawn to mysticism), their appearance can be an emotional experience nonetheless.
