A very special welcoming committee is being prepared for the arrival of winter: the solstice that on December 21st marks the arrival of the cold season coincides with the shortest day of the year and is accompanied by the spectacular alignment of the planets still clearly visible in the sky just after sunset.
Compared to December 13, traditionally considered the shortest day of the year, December 21 the sun rises at 7.37, which is six minutes later, and sets at 4.44, about three minutes later. "Ultimately, the Sun remains above the horizon about three minutes less than on December 13", the Italian Amateur Astronomers Union (Uai) notes on its website.
Winter is welcomed by the procession of planets which from the beginning of December offers a truly unique spectacle: Venus, Saturn and Jupiter are still perfectly aligned and will continue to be clearly visible for a few days. "The Sun sets early and allows us to enjoy this alignment, which will accompany us again," says the amateur astronomer Paolo Volpini of UAI. "Venus, Saturn and Jupiter will give us some very beautiful winter evenings" until the end of the month.
"Let's take advantage of these last days of December to admire them", adds Volpini, because "for Venus the conjunction with the Sun is approaching and in January it will disappear from our view. Later on, Jupiter and Saturn will also be lower and lower on the horizon".
