Jupiter and Saturn's Great Conjunction Is the Best in 800 Years—Here's How to See It

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December 17, 2020

Dear Reader, On December 21, Jupiter and Saturn will meet in a "great conjunction," the closest they could be seen in the sky together for nearly 800 years. Today's lead story explains why this celestial event is so special, and how you can see it for yourself in the days ahead. Our next piece examines what scientists have learned about the spread of COVID-19 during holidays—an important read for anyone thinking about traveling or gathering indoors in the next two weeks. We also have an article by Jane Lubchenco, former administrator of NOAA, on specific steps the Biden-Harris administration can take to restore the role of science in government.

Sunya Bhutta, Senior Editor, Audience Engagement @sunyaaa

Space Jupiter and Saturn's Great Conjunction Is the Best in 800 Years—Here's How to See It The giant planets will appear spectacularly close together in Earth's sky during the solstice on December 21 By Charles Q. Choi

Policy & Ethics Biden Should Restore the Role of Science in the U.S. Government Four ways the new administration can elevate evidence and build up the science ranks By Jane Lubchenco

Physics Gravitational Waves Probe Exotic Matter inside Neutron Stars A new analysis of light and gravitational waves from colliding neutron stars helps reveal what's inside these ultradense objects By Clara Moskowitz

Medicine The Lifesaving Potential of Less-Than-Perfect Donor Kidneys Demand for healthy kidneys has long outstripped supply. But better testing and treatment is expanding the donor pool. By Carrie Arnold,Larry C. Price

Public Health How to Expand Access to COVID Vaccines without Compromising the Science Emergency use authorizations by the FDA are not ideal By Peter Doshi,Donald Light

Environment Pandemic Leads Geoengineering Experiment to Move from U.S. to Sweden The project aims to use a balloon to release particles into the atmosphere to tamp down warming By John Fialka,E&E News

Behavior & Society A Smile at a Wedding, a Cheer at a Soccer Game Are Alike the World Over A survey of 6 million videos from 144 countries suggests facial expressions are near universal By Emily Willingham

Biology How the Wolves Change the Forest New research tracked the canines in northern Minnesota for years to see just how they reshape their ecosystems. Audio of wolves inside Voyageurs National Park, courtesy of Jacob Job.  By Jason G. Goldman | 05:02

Public Health The Data on Coronavirus and Public Holidays With the festive season ahead, Nature examines what is known about the risks of COVID spread, and how researchers will spend their time off By Giorgia Guglielmi,Nature magazine

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QUOTE OF THE DAY "We get caught up in things that happen over the small given amount of time that a human life exists under, but astronomy encompasses a timeframe so much more than that. In the face of everything that is going on, you can find perspective in astronomical timeframes." Jackie Faherty, astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History in New York

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