When, when, and how to witness Jupiter make its closest approach to Earth in 70 years

 

    JUPITER will be around 365 million miles from Earth when it makes its closest approach.

Jupiter Planet

On September 26, when Jupiter hits opposition, astronomers may look forward to seeing the big planet in one of its best views in the past 70 years.

 

Opposition occurs when an astronomical object rises in the east as the Sun sets in the west, placing the object and the Sun on opposite sides of Earth from the perspective of the planet's surface.

 

Every 13 months, Jupiter is in opposition, making it look bigger and brighter than at any other period of the year. That's not all, though. The views this year will be remarkable, NASA said in a statement late on Friday. Jupiter's closest approach to Earth seldom coincides with opposition.

 

Jupiter will be around 365 million miles from Earth when it makes its closest approach. At its farthest point, the planet is around 600 million miles from Earth.

Adam Kobelski, a research astrophysicist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, said, "With good binoculars, the banding (at least the central band) and three or four of the Galilean satellites (moons) should be visible"

"It's important to remember that Galileo observed these moons with 17th-century optics. One of the key needs will be a stable mount for whatever system you use," he added.

Jupiter and Earth Size Comparison

To see Jupiter's Great Red Spot and bands in greater detail, Kobelski advises using a larger telescope. A four-inch telescope or larger and various filters in the green to blue spectrum might improve the visibility of these features.

 

The ideal vantage point, according to Kobelski, will be at a great height in a deserted, dark location. Although Jupiter has 53 named moons, scientists believe that only 79 have really been located.

 

The Galilean satellites are the four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. The mission of NASA's Juno spacecraft, which has been orbiting Jupiter for six years, is to study the surface and moons of the planet.

 

Researchers think they can make ground-breaking discoveries about how the solar system formed by examining Jupiter.