The two largest planets in our solar system – Jupiter and Saturn, for the first time in 800 years – will be closest to each other today. For centuries, this event took place at Christmas – hence the nickname “Christmas Star”.

To celebrate this event, Google has created an animated Doodle that shows the connection between Jupiter and Saturn.

On the night of December 21st, in our winter sky, Jupiter and Saturn are so close together that they look like a double planet. This proximity is called a connection.

It is a rare chance to observe how two planets appear as one light.