‘Christmas Star’ To Appear For The First Time In 800 Years

Tonight, a truly rare sight will glow bright in the night sky.

The "Christmas Star" or "Star of Bethlehem" will shine bright on Dec. 21. The spacey sight will glow in the evening sky for the first in 800 years, according to Forbes. The star is actually Jupiter and Saturn closely aligning to create the optical illusion of an extra bright star. The two planets have actually already aligned, but won't appear that way on earth until the 21st. Best viewing will be about 45 minutes after sunset.

Of course, the dreary weather tonight will likely obstruct the view for Mainers. It's a bummer, since the rare celestial event won't occur again until March 15, 2080.

This month will feature another can't miss spacey sight. The Geminid meteor shower will peak December 13-14. This is one of the most reliable meteor showers, and usually easily seen. This year the peak falls one day after a new moon, meaning it will be an ideal dark skywatching night. According to EarthSky.com, expect around 50 per-hour.

2020 has been an impressive year for sky-watching, featuring bright meteor showers and a once in a lifetime view Comet NEOWISE. EarthSky.org says the comet might be visible from earth again in 8,786.