How to see the rare ‘Christmas Star’ Monday night and what it could mean for you

A rare astronomical event aptly named the “Christmas Star” will appear in the sky on Monday night, when Jupiter and Saturn align for the first time in about 800 years.

The planets have been merging closer to each other recently, but according to leading intuitive astrologer Rose Smith they will reach their closest point just after 5am on December 22, creating a brilliant point of light that is best seen when there’s a clear horizon and low clouds.

“Jupiter and Saturn often look far apart but the two largest planets in our solar system will come so close together they will almost look like they’re overlapping – like a double planet in the night sky,” Smith explained. “While it’s not actually a star, you will easily see the conjunction of the planets, and if you look to the heavens it will be beautiful all week long.”

In Australia, the conjunction will be best viewed just after 11pm Australian Eastern Daylight Time (AEDT) on Monday – and there’s only a short time to see the spectacle.

“If you’re in the Southern Hemisphere, you will need to look low in the west and Jupiter will be on your left and Saturn will be on the right at the 4 o’clock position from Jupiter,” the Perth Observatory explained on its website.

Meanwhile, Smith said the “Christmas Star” is made even more special this year as it occurs just hours after the summer solstice. This is when the sun’s track across the Australian sky reaches its highest point, making it the day with the most daylight hours in the year. 

According to Smith, this is a very unusual and significant event and signals great changes are about to happen. She said we should all expect shake-ups to make big, positive changes in our lives.

“The sun is about awareness and consciousness, so it allows us to have a clear headspace to tackle challenges that have been sitting in the back of our minds over recent months,” Smith said. “It’s now time to take action, particularly because Covid-19 has affected so many of our lives.”

The astrologer said we should also engage with people socially and embrace the good things we enjoyed about life before the coronavirus took over.

“The heavens are encouraging us to focus on getting outside and doing things,” she added. “Partake in team sports or group activities (if possible) to keep social connections.”

Meanwhile, Smith also issued a warning to the outgoing US President Donald Trump during the Jupiter and Saturn conjunction. She said every president in office during this time since 1840 has died, except for Ronald Reagan and George Bush, both of whom survived attempts on their lives.

“Reagan was shot (in 1981) but pulled through and someone threw a grenade at Bush in Tbilisi Georgia (in 2005), but it failed to go off,” Smith said. “It has been reported Nancy Reagan knew about the Jupiter and Saturn conjunction (the Reagans were heavily into astrology) and they had been warned, so they were praying, doing rituals and the like in order to ameliorate the effects. George Bush was quite a religious man, so no doubt his prayers also helped.

“Donald Trump may avoid paying the ultimate price, as he was voted out of office last month, although technically he holds the presidency until January 20 next year.”