Some quick shots of the Great Conjunction from NYC

• James Hedberg

[Updated 12-21-2020: See the final pics down below]

As I write this, the skies are looking pretty cloudy, so it’s likely there won’t be any observations of the Great Conjunction from my location tonight. So, instead, here are a few images from the past few days showing how it appears, even the dirtiest of dirty places, NYC.

If you want a chance to see them through a telescope, and are lacking a telescope, then do go check out The Amateur Astronomers Association of NY. They are having observing nights for the next few days. If you would be happy with just a naked eye view, then try to find an area with some (doesn’t need to be a lot of) open space towards the south west. Just a big intersection might do. Parks are great. Higher ground is always helpful.

My recent sightings from the neighborhood.

great conjunction jupiter saturn 2020 from fort greene park
This was the first night of viewing for me 12/11/2020. I had no idea if it would be visible, but indeed it was. The two gas giants are perched right between the Williamsburg Savings Bank and Brooklyn Tech. [CC-BY: J.Hedberg/CCNYPlanetarium]
jupiter saturn conjunction 2020 nyc
A few days later, I went further up the hill in Fort Greene park and was able to see the pair just as they were beginning to be obscured by some new Brooklyn Highrises. [CC-BY: J.Hedberg/CCNYPlanetarium]
jupiter saturn conjunction 2020 nyc
This one is back to the original viewing location - the dog field of Ft. Greene Park. Now it's pretty clear they are getting closer. [CC-BY: J.Hedberg/CCNYPlanetarium]
jupiter saturn conjunction 2020 nyc
Just to prove we are right in the middle of things, here's the B52 photobombing the duo (visible on the right). [CC-BY: J.Hedberg/CCNYPlanetarium]
jupiter saturn conjunction 2020 nyc
If I were 20 years younger, and we weren't in a pandemic, I'd probably ask the residents of this building if I could use their balcony for a little while. [CC-BY: J.Hedberg/CCNYPlanetarium]
jupiter saturn conjunction 2020 nyc
This was at the intersection of Fulton and Greene, duh. [CC-BY: J.Hedberg/CCNYPlanetarium]

Update - The Main Event

And I’ll append a few shots here at the end, of the period of closest visible conjunction, 12-21-2020. These shots are again from the neighborhood park in Brooklyn. It was a 30-40% cloud covered sky I’d estimate, so when the two orbs finally poked through, it was spectacular.

jupiter saturn conjunction 2020 nyc
Here it is. The best shot of the evening. I'm not an experienced astrophotog, and I have rudimentary camera equipment, so it's obviously not the most amazing shot, but after a few weeks of waiting, it was still a joy. [CC-BY: J.Hedberg/CCNYPlanetarium]
jupiter saturn conjunction 2020 nyc
The crowd was gathering. A few were mislead by a bright star further to the west, but we steered them in the right direction. It was also someone's birthday. We sang to her. The little dot 3/4 of the way across, under the tree branch is the object of interest. [CC-BY: J.Hedberg/CCNYPlanetarium]
jupiter saturn conjunction 2020 nyc
One more before they dipped into the trees and then behind the high rises. [CC-BY: J.Hedberg/CCNYPlanetarium]

About the author

Dr. Hedberg studied the ancient cosmologies of Ptolemy, Tycho, and Kepler as an undergrad at St. John’s College (Santa Fe) as part of the Program’s Mathematics tutorial, though the college didn’t have this beautiful tool when he attended there. Since then, his work in programming and science visualization sometimes takes delightful detours into the past, present and future.