Why it is rare
Jupiter takes about 12 years to circle the Sun and Saturn about 29. Jupiter therefore overtakes Saturn once every 20 years or so. When it does, the two giants line up from our viewpoint and shine as a pair. That is why the table has no row for this pair: its next meeting is not in the current table.
Between meetings the planets slowly separate and come back together, tracing the long rhythm of the outer solar system.
Jupiter is the largest planet and Saturn the second largest, so the pair is made of the two giants of our solar system. Both are visible to the naked eye for much of the year, which is part of why people have watched their slow dance for thousands of years.
The conjunction of December 2020
The last Great Conjunction came in December 2020, when the planets were only 0.1 degrees apart. That was the closest they had appeared since 1623. To the naked eye the pair looked like one bright star, and a small telescope showed both planets and Jupiter's moons in the same view.
Gaps differ from one Great Conjunction to the next. Some are a degree or more apart, others come much closer.
How to watch for the next one
When the pair appears in the table, check the viewing note: evening sky means west after sunset, and morning sky means east before dawn. Jupiter is much brighter, while Saturn is a paler yellowish light close by. One degree is about two full Moon widths.
Binoculars will show Jupiter's moons and a hint of Saturn's shape, and a small telescope reveals Saturn's rings. The planets stay hundreds of millions of kilometres apart, and the conjunction is only a line-of-sight effect.
Era shifts in astrology
For centuries astrologers watched Great Conjunctions closely. They grouped them by element, and when the meeting moved to a new element it was read as a change of era, a new chapter in politics and society. These ideas are tradition and symbolism, and astrology has no demonstrated scientific basis.
For other planetary patterns, see the Jupiter retrograde and Saturn retrograde pages.
Questions people ask
How often does the Great Conjunction happen?
About every 20 years, when Jupiter overtakes Saturn along the ecliptic.
How close were they in December 2020?
About 0.1 degrees, the closest since 1623.
Where are the dates?
The table on this page lists them when a conjunction falls in its range. For this pair it currently shows none.