Chaffee County locals Kimmie and Joe Randall spent the early evening of Dec. 21 capturing the much-anticipated and rare alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in the southwest sky. At the winter solstice, the solar system’s two largest planets appeared closer than they have been in 800 years with the near convergence of their orbits.
The Dec. 21 view of the Great Conjunction above Mt. Princeton taken from across the Chaffee County Arkansas River Valley. Image by Kimmie and Joe Randall.
A Jupiter-Saturn conjunction takes place once every 20 years. The last time they appeared this close was in 1623, however, and it was during daylight. So Monday evening’s spectacle was a pretty big deal for those tuned into the sky – which was crisp and clear over Chaffee County.
A close-up of the much-anticipated and rare alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in the southwest sky. Photo by Kimmie and Joe Randall.
Kimmie and Joe own Digital Art Co and they specialize in bold images of the outdoors – from landscapes to wildlife and calendars to big-format prints.
Click 2021 calendar to view their work on their annual calendar.
While surely millions of people raised their smartphones on Monday evening to attempt to capture this rare and beautiful site, nothing outdoes the beauty that professional photographers can capture. Ark Valley Voice thanks the Randalls for allowing us to feature their beautiful work.
Image looking across Chaffee County to the Great Conjunction hanging above the Collegiate Peaks. Photo by Kimmie and Joe Randall.
For more about this celestial event, see our Dec. 19 story about the historic Great conjunction.
Featured cover image: Local photographers Kimmie and Joe Randall captured the much-anticipated and rare alignment of Jupiter and Saturn in the southwest sky; here hanging above Mt. Princeton.
Thanks Tara, great pictures
Thank Joe and Kimmie! Their work is just beautiful.