Sharing the great conjunction

TL;DR

This paper documents a public engagement event centered around the rare 2020 great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, combining live telescope viewing with educational outreach to enhance public understanding of the solar system.

Contribution

It presents a case study of organizing a science outreach event for a rare astronomical event, integrating scientific communication and community involvement.

Findings

Increased public engagement with astronomy during the event.

Successful collaboration between scientists and social enterprises.

Enhanced public understanding of planetary conjunctions.

Abstract

The great conjunction of 21 December 2020 saw Jupiter and Saturn appear together in the sky, separated by just a tenth of a degree (equivalent to a distance five times smaller than the diameter of the full Moon). This provided a potential once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to view the solar system's two biggest planets - and up to five of their moons - through a telescope eyepiece at the same time. Moreover, this was the first such opportunity, ever; previous observable conjunctions at similarly close separations took place before the development of the telescope in the early 1600s. Our team of scientists from the University of Exeter's Astrophysics Group and Exeter Science Centre worked with local social enterprises to develop a series of promotional and concurrent events to tie in with our live telescope broadcast of Jupiter and Saturn, to celebrate this spectacular celestial event. We hoped not only to inform and educate the public about great conjunctions, and the solar system more generally, but also to bring some light relief in what had been a rather difficult year.