Feb. 23, 2021
By Tara Tiyaloglu
Staff Writer
2020 has brought on many unexpected events, and the once-in-a-lifetime Christmas star was one of them.
The Christmas star known from Christmas books has finally appeared and will be the first time such a close conjunction has been observable since 1226 AD, according to EarthSky.
Also called the “Great Conjunction,” this occurs when Jupiter and Saturn appear at their closest. In reality, they are millions of miles apart. It brings the shortest amount of daylight and the longest night in a day.
Freshman Hailey Rodriguez said she is interested in astronomy, which led her to be aware of the Christmas star appearing before the event got on the news.
“Things such as stars, planets and much more have always been something I liked, and I will possibly study it as a major in college,” Rodriguez said.
At a young age, Rodriguez said she was introduced to a telescope, and that is what sparked her fascination with space and its wonders.
“The star was just a little surprise before we went into the new year. Many people, such as my brother and dad, like things associated with Christmas, so the Christmas star appearing was something cool and amazing for them.”
“My mom also liked astronomy, but not as much as I did or even do now,” Rodriguez said. “I kind of think of it as a hobby because at night, looking out the window is something I do almost every day when I get the chance.”
Rodriguez said shows such as Behind the Curve, Edge of the Universe, Lost In Space and The Universe were some of her favorites on Netflix. She said she tried to get her mom to watch them with her, but she always ended up binge-watching these movies herself for hours and hours on end.
Freshman Tai Weber said she has heard of the Christmas star, but could not care less about it and does not find it that fascinating.
“It’s not that cool, honestly. It could be really interesting and something so awesome to someone else, but just not me,” Weber said.
Weber said she takes interest in hobbies such as singing, not the night sky, but remembers seeing an iconic Christmas star in many favorite movies.
“I do remember seeing it in the movie Polar Express, and everyone is so surprised with it actually showing up in the movie, so I can’t imagine the look on people’s faces when seeing it in real life,” Weber said.
Freshman Ardsly Almonte said she has also heard of the Christmas star but never knew it had appeared until she heard about it.
“The star was just a little surprise before we went into the new year. Many people, such as my brother and dad, like things associated with Christmas, so the Christmas star appearing was something cool and amazing for them,” Almonte said.
She said there is a lot of important news concerning the world right now she should be focused on. Almonte said topics like politics and real-world issues are what truly catch her attention. However, this Christmas star provides a nice pause.
“Even though there’s a lot of difficult stuff going on, the star wraps up 2020 on a good note,” said Almonte.
