Jupiter At Opposition This Weekend: Here’s The Best Time To See It
Jupiter is called the king of planets. This rotating gas giant could hold 1,000 Earths. This is an absolute unit and a beautiful block. This Saturday, December 7th, brings the best Jupiter viewing opportunity of the year.
Jupiter reaches opposition on December 7th. Opposition is when a planet is on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun, so the Earth is like the filling in a celestial Oreo cookie.
“Jupiter will shine at its brightest point of the year, rising east-northeast among the stars in the constellation Taurus,” NASA says In December’s Guide to Skygazing. The gas giant will be visible all night, so feel free to check it out. Jupiter opposition occurs approximately every 13 months, so don’t miss it.
You can admire Jupiter with the naked eye, but it’s really stunning when you view it through a good pair of binoculars, or even a better telescope. If you only have binoculars, give these a try. Keep your elbows on a solid surface to stabilize your vision. Look for small points of light immediately surrounding Jupiter. If you’re lucky, you’ll spot four of Galileo’s moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io, and Europa. Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei first discovered Jupiter’s moons in 1610. Jupiter now has 95 recognized moons, but only the largest moons can be seen with binoculars.
This processed color image of Europa is from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft in the late 1990s.
Opposition isn’t the only cool moment for Jupiter this month. NASA encourages stargazers to head outdoors around December 14 and observe Jupiter hanging between the moon and Aldebaran, a bright orange star in the constellation Taurus. Aldebaran is one of the brightest stars in the sky, so its sight should be beautiful. If you need some help tracking the position of the stars, use Stargazing App to guide you.
As you watch Jupiter shine across the night sky, consider humanity’s latest mission to this fascinating gas giant. NASA’s Juno spacecraft remains stationed and is returning Stunning views of Jupiter. The space agency launched europa speed boat mission earlier this year. The Europa Clipper will get up close and personal with the icy Galilean moon Europa, which may have an ocean hidden beneath its crust.
Jupiter is named after the Roman king of gods. It will be a crown jewel in your sky-gazing adventure this month.
