facebook-pixel

Photos: Jupiter and Saturn’s ‘great’ conjunction twinkles in Utah’s sky

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune)  Revelers celebrate a unique winter solstice near at the famed Sun Tunnels sculpture in remote Utah's Great Basin Desert, on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. For the first time in 800 years, Saturn and Jupiter align to create a single, bright point of light known as the "Christmas Star."

(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Revelers celebrate a unique winter solstice near at the famed Sun Tunnels sculpture in remote Utah's Great Basin Desert, on Monday, Dec. 21, 2020. For the first time in 800 years, Saturn and Jupiter align to create a single, bright point of light known as the "Christmas Star."

The planets Jupiter and Saturn closely aligned in the sky on Monday to create a heavenly spectacle not seen since 1623, according to NASA. Visible in the southwest sky on the winter solstice as an almost single point of light, the two gas giants came together in a “great” conjunction also referred to as the “Christmas Star.”

In Utah, some revelers celebrated the unique event near the famed Sun Tunnels sculpture in the remote Great Basin Desert.

Help The Tribune report the stories others can’t—or won’t.

For over 150 years, The Salt Lake Tribune has been Utah’s independent news source. Our reporters work tirelessly to uncover the stories that matter most to Utahns, from unraveling the complexities of court rulings to allowing tax payers to see where and how their hard earned dollars are being spent. This critical work wouldn’t be possible without people like you—individuals who understand the importance of local, independent journalism.  As a nonprofit newsroom, every subscription and every donation fuels our mission, supporting the in-depth reporting that shines a light on the is sues shaping Utah today.

You can help power this work.