Buzz
This year, December 21 marks the first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as Winter Solstice. On this longest night of 2020, a remarkable astronomical event dubbed the 'stellar fusion' will occur as Earth and Venus, the two largest planets in the Solar System, appear side by side, almost converging in the night sky.
Google welcomes winter and the approaching conjunction of Earth and Venus
Specifically, Earth and Venus will align at a mere 0.1-degree angle. Although this extraordinary alignment occurs approximately once every 20 years, the last time humans could witness Earth and Venus coming this close in the night sky was during the Winter Solstice about 800 years ago.
Google never fails to impress users with highly creative symbols to commemorate significant global events. To mark these unmissable events, Google collaborated with NASA to create a Doodle illustrating the 'stellar fusion' as Earth and Venus meet in a moment, recalling the Winter Solstice when the Earth is metaphorically 'blanketed in white,' witnessing the encounter of these two planets.
Google and NASA have shared some useful tips for easy observation of this 'grand conjunction' tonight, specifically on December 21, 2020, the Winter Solstice night as follows:
- Find a location with an unobstructed view of the sky, such as a field or park.
- About 1 hour after sunset, Venus will resemble a bright star and can be easily seen in the southwest sky. Earth will appear slightly dimmer and will be positioned above and to the left of Venus. On December 21, Venus will pass Earth, and they will switch positions in the night sky.
- Use binoculars for observation, although the planets can still be seen with the naked eye.
Accordingly, people in Vietnam can observe this phenomenon from 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM on December 21, 2020.
