Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, will come closer to Earth than ever in 59 years this Monday, making itself visible in the night sky as an enormous, bright spot. Astronomers can use any telescope to view its many moons and Great Red Spot (an oval twice wider than Earth) through telescopes.
It is the largest planet in our solar system
Jupiter, our largest planet in our solar system, and one of the brightest objects in the night sky is Jupiter. Stargazers should expect it to be visible throughout September when it passes closest to Earth – making for ideal viewing conditions! When at its closest approach, stargazers may witness it at its brightest with binoculars or telescope. Stargazers should keep an eye out for Jupiter’s Great Red Spot; an ancient storm in its atmosphere that has been swirling for millennia!
On Monday night, Jupiter will reach its closest point to Earth ever and appear as bright as a full moon at its highest brightness level. This event coincides with its opposition, an astronomical arrangement where Jupiter stands directly between Sun and Earth – at its closest approach, it would only be 600 million miles distant!
Jupiter orbits the Sun elliptically, passing closest to Earth only around once every year. But Jupiter’s closest approach, or perihelion, occurs every 13 months – and in November 2012 was much closer than usual due to violent atmospheric storms creating bright bands and spots that distinguish it visually from Earth.
As well as its dramatic clouds, our planet boasts four large moons and over 80 smaller ones – discovered by Galileo himself and named after his paramours and descendants respectively; with many other lunar bodies being named after Roman gods and goddesses.
Jupiter’s close approach to Earth provides an ideal learning opportunity for people new to astronomy. Even though cities tend to obscure stars due to light pollution, Jupiter stands out even under heavily polluted skies – its bright light making itself known even amid heavy pollution. The next time Jupiter will come close is 107 years from now in 2129 so now is your opportunity to witness its beauty for yourself!
It is the brightest planet in the night sky
Jupiter is easily visible with just binoculars or telescopes in the night sky and can even be seen in cities where human-created light obscures many stars normally visible. It appears pearly white and shines brighter than any star in our galaxy, thanks to an atmosphere made up of water, ammonium hydrosulfide, and other substances; liquid droplets in its clouds reflect sunrays like miniature prisms. Jupiter is one of our solar system’s outer planets – even closer than Venus or the moon in terms of orbital proximity – that makes it easily observable even through human-created lighting; liquid droplets reflect it back like tiny prisms! Jupiter can even be seen even within cities that typically display stars due to pollution – even city skies often contain plenty of artificial lighting; even there you might just spot its pearly white appearance!
Stargazers will enjoy witnessing this enormous planet this month as it rises in the eastern sky shortly before sunset and shines all night long. Jupiter stands out among its peers only by Venus, the moon, Mars or Mercury being brighter; therefore it provides the ideal opportunity to dust off their binoculars and attempt to spot one or more of Jupiter’s 74 known moons!
On Sept. 26, Jupiter will reach its closest approach to Earth for 59 years and appear larger and brighter than at any other time in 2018. This event, known as opposition, occurs when Jupiter lies between the Sun and Earth – it occurs because their orbital paths differ slightly from Earth’s.
Jupiter can be easily seen by both naked eye or small telescope at 36x magnification, providing easy visibility. Astronomers should also be able to spot its Great Red Spot under good viewing conditions; and through further magnification a good telescope will reveal its bands of color as well as 76 reticulations bands that form rings on this celestial body.
Planet Jupiter boasts an enormous magnetic field, producing spectacular aurorae at both its poles. Additionally, its magnetosphere extends over 600 million miles into space with an extended tail reaching another 400 million miles into space.
It has many moons
Jupiter boasts more natural satellites than any other planet in our solar system, surpassing Saturn’s previous record of 83 satellites by more than four to one. Astronomer Scott Sheppard led by example by discovering 12 new moons orbiting Jupiter this year according to Sky and Telescope reports, in addition to leading a search for Kuiper Belt debris that engulfs all giant planets such as Jupiter.
Sheppard’s discovery of Jupiter’s moons is significant because it may help scientists learn more about their formation. Their orbits do not tilt strongly relative to Jupiter’s equator, suggesting they likely formed independently of the planet itself. Furthermore, nine new moons possess retrograde orbits – meaning they circle the planet in reverse rotation direction – suggesting they could have broken apart into smaller pieces due to Jupiter’s gravity.
Other moons orbiting Jupiter have prograde orbits and were probably formed simultaneously with it. They lie nearer the planet than any of the outer retrograde Jovian moons but further from Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – commonly referred to as Galilean moons. Sheppard discovered 13 Jovian moons that share similar appearance and orbit. These thirteen are known collectively as Carme group due to their similar characteristics.
These moon families remain poorly understood; however, their orbital periods suggest they formed from material introduced by comets or asteroids into Jupiter’s system. Alternatively, it’s also possible that some may have formed from remnants of larger bodies broken apart during collisions with its gravitational field.
As the largest planet in our solar system, Jupiter is an attractive target for night sky observers. Visible even without glasses at night and bright enough that it often outshines stars for attention, Jupiter has long been an eye-catcher. On November 1-2 it will reach its closest point to Earth – called perigee – before flying past our sun into opposition with itself; making for an extraordinary spectacle easily spottable by even small telescopes magnifying 36 power.
It is the closest planet to earth
Jupiter, as the largest planet in our solar system, can often be seen clearly in the night sky when close to Earth. Depending on its distance from the sun, Jupiter will appear either brighter or dimmer than other planets; new telescope users often choose Jupiter as an easy target due to its many moons which can easily be spotted through small scopes. With larger scopes viewers can also spot bands of clouds on Jupiter’s surface as well as its Great Red Spot which has been swirling for hundreds of years!
Jupiter will draw nearer to Earth than at any point since 1959 this year, passing within 11 million km on Monday night and becoming one of the most visible objects in the sky. This close encounter coincides with Jupiter’s annual opposition, when the gas giant sits directly opposite from Sun as seen from Earth – thus offering one opportunity each year to draw a straight line directly between Sun and Jupiter.
Jupiter will next approach Earth in 2129, but in the meantime NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been orbiting it since arriving in 2016. Since 2016 Juno has taken high-resolution images of Europa – believed to have an undersurface ocean which could provide clues of life beyond our solar system’s boundaries – with each flyby expected on Thursday as close as 222 miles (358 kilometers).
For optimal viewing of Jupiter, the ideal viewing times are from evening to early morning when its highest point in the sky occurs. Viewers should also expect to spot three or four Galilean satellites first identified by Galileo Galilei with his early telescope design in 1610. Observers with clear weather should be able to spot them with binoculars; otherwise a steady hand may help ensure optimal results when monitoring Jupiter.