KUWAIT CITY, Dec 21: Kuwait witnessed a rare event in the early hours of the night (Dec 21, 2020) or rather just after sunset approximately at 17:24 – the event that was seen almost eight centuries ago of two largest planets in our solar system, Jupiter and Saturn, aligning to create what’s sometimes referred to as the ‘Christmas Star’.

The planets line up marking the start of the winter solstice, and appear to form a double planet. It’s a rare event and one that hasn’t been seen since the Middle Ages but in reality, the planets are believed to be not close at all but that is how it looks to the viewers from Earth. Reports say historical research, astronomical insight, and biblical understanding has come together to present a plausible explanation that is both miraculous and understandable. Saturn and Jupiter have been drawing closer in the south-southwest sky for weeks. Jupiter - bigger and closer to Earth - is vastly brighter. “I love watching them come closer and closer to each other and the fact that I can see it with my naked eyes from my back porch!” Virginia Tech astronomer Nahum Arav said in an email. Despite appearances, Jupiter and Saturn will actually be more than 450 million miles (730 million kilometers) apart. Earth, meanwhile, will be 550 million miles (890 million kilometers) from Jupiter. Their next super-close pairing: March 15, 2080.