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SALT LAKE CITY — With over a dozen International Dark Sky parks and even two Dark Sky communities, Utah is one of the best places to be during the shortest day of the year.
There a plenty of places all over the state where you can get a tremendous view of the stars when the sun is down. That said, you won't need to venture out too far to view a special cosmic event that hasn't been visible in nearly 400 years Monday.
Those interested in viewing the night sky during the first day of winter appear to be in luck when it comes to cloud coverage.
Want to view the 'Christmas Star' in Utah? You're in luck
Utahns will be among those able to view a rare "great conjunction" cosmic treat visible Monday evening as Jupiter and Saturn will be close enough in the sky it will almost appear as one. Some have dubbed it the "Christmas Star" due to it being a large, bright star new to the sky similar to the Biblical description of the night Jesus Christ was born. The rare night sky merger of the two planets hasn't happened since 1623.
"It's a rare event," Patrick Wiggins, NASA's solar system ambassador to Utah told KSL TV last week. "I've been cautioning people don't expect a really flashy event," said Wiggins. "But it's something that doesn't happen that often."
It's the second once-in-a-lifetime spectacle visible in the dark skies this year behind NEOWISE Comet, which was visible during the summer for the first time in over 6,000 years. Unlike the comet, you won't need to travel to lower-lit areas to get a good view.
It's something people can enjoy from their backyards.
Cloud coverage is, of course, the biggest obstacle for any one-time night sky event. That's not expected to be a major issue for Utah Monday night. It's one of the few times that a high-pressure pattern is welcomed in the state during the winter months.
"We do expect clear skies tonight, which is key. It's that planet conjunction — that bright star, that 'Christmas Star' that's going to be visible tonight," said KSL meteorologist Grant Weyman during a Monday morning forecast.
Mitch Bolen, of the Utah Valley Astronomy Club, explained that the best viewing times are between 5:30 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. Monday. The conjunction will be visible in the southwest part of the sky about 16 degrees above the horizon, he added. It will come to an end beginning around 6:30 p.m. Monday.
Some clouds are expected to roll into northern Utah and the Wasatch Front Monday evening, but should not fully cover the sky. They are forecast to clear up by late Monday night into early Tuesday morning. A storm system that will bring more clouds and potentially some snow to the region isn't expected to roll in until later Tuesday.
How much cloud coverage are we talking about? Not much throughout Utah. The National Weather Service cloud coverage forecast indicates most of the sky will be visible during peak viewing hours. Clearer skies can be found in central and southern Utah.
We've had some questions about viewing the Jupiter and Saturn conjunction. For those interested, here is the forecast for sky cover percentage Monday evening. pic.twitter.com/22HSxkyMQp
— NWS Salt Lake City (@NWSSaltLakeCity) December 21, 2020
As of 11 a.m. Monday, here's how the Weather Service forecast projected cloud coverage between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Monday:
- Blanding: 10-15%
- Brigham City: 35%
- Cedar City: 5%
- Farmington: 30%
- Fillmore: 5%
- Logan: 35%
- Moab: 10-15%
- Ogden: 35%
- Price: 10%
- Provo: 20%
- Salt Lake City: 30%
- St. George: 10%
- Tooele: 30%
- Vernal: 30-40%
Come for the conjunction, stay for the rest of the stars
For those who would like to enjoy viewing the night sky for the remainder of Winter Solstice, the Weather Service projects relatively low cloud coverage in northern Utah through the Wasatch Front Monday evening through early Tuesday morning. Places like Logan, Brigham City, Ogden, Farmington, Salt Lake City and Provo will range from 15% to 40% during those timeframes with slightly more cloud coverage in the more northern parts of the state.
The skies in central and southern Utah will be even clearer. Weather service forecasts for areas like St. George, Cedar City, Fillmore, Richfield, Blanding and Moab range from 5% to 25%. Southwestern and central Utah is where the lower percentages of cloud cover were forecast, which means a strong probability that there will be virtually no clouds in the skies Monday night into early Tuesday morning.
Eastern Utah is where the most cloud coverage was forecast. For example, coverage could reach 40% to 50% in Vernal. Nevertheless, the clouds aren't expected to cover the majority of the sky in the state Monday night or early Tuesday morning.
For anyone seeking the full "dark sky" experience, Utah has many certified International Dark Sky parks. These are Utah's International Dark Sky parks:
- Antelope Island State Park (Northern Utah)
- Arches National Park (Southeastern Utah)
- Bryce Canyon National Park (Southwestern Utah)
- Canyonlands National Park (Southeastern Utah)
- Capitol Reef National Park (Southwestern Utah)
- Cedar Breaks National Monument (Southwestern Utah)
- Dead Horse Point State Park (Southeastern Utah)
- Dinosaur National Monument (Northern Utah)
- East Canyon State Park (Northern Utah)
- Goblin Valley State Park (Southeastern Utah)
- Hovenweep National Monument (Southeastern Utah)
- Natural Bridges National Monument (Southeastern Utah)
- North Fork Park (Northern Utah)
- Rainbow Bridge National Monument (Southeastern Utah)
- Steinaker State Park (Northern Utah)
- Timpanogos Cave National Monument (Northern Utah)
Torrey and Helper are currently the state's lone certified International Dark Sky communities, as well. They are areas where dark skies are preserved and stargazing opportunities like viewing the Milky Way are better than areas full of light pollution.
