Today is the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. Back in March, we explored why we experience seasons, equinoxes, and solstices—check out that blog post to learn more about those yearly occurrences! Today is also the day of a once-in-a-lifetime astrological event: the great planetary conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn. The Discovery Center’s longtime educator, Dave McDonald hosts a television show about astronomy on ConcordTV, The Sky This Month. In his December show, Dave covered this amazing meeting of the two largest planets in our solar system.

We’re spending the week looking at the planets, and this week’s Saturday STEM challenge is about just that: looking at the planets!

For as long as people have been on Earth, they have been observing the night sky. This week, we’re challenging you to make like ancient civilizations and watch the sky. Using the given information and tools, try to track the planets. Since the sky never looks the same two nights in a row, you can try this challenge for as long as you want, trying to see as many different planets as you can.