Jupiter and Saturn are set to cross paths in the night sky, appearing to the naked eye as a “double planet”.
The timing of this conjunction, as the celestial event is known, has caused some to suggest it may have been the source of bright light in the sky 2,000 years ago.
That became known as the Star of Bethlehem.
The planets are moving closer together each night and will reach their closest point on 21 December.
Keen stargazers in the UK will have to keep a close eye on the weather to avoid an astronomical disappointment.
“Any evening it’s clear, it’s worth grabbing a chance because the weather doesn’t look great,” Dr. Carolin Crawford from the University of Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy told the BBC.
If there is a gap in the winter gloom, both planets will appear in the southwest sky, just above the horizon shortly after sunset.
(Source: BBC)