Monday, September 26, largest planet in the solar system, Jupiter, will be in opposition. This means that it will be aligned with the Earth and the Sun and you will be able to admire it throughout the night, brighter than ever in 2022. Why? Because this year, its opposition coincides, in a few hours, with its shortest distance from our Planet. It is therefore this Sunday, September 25, that the gas giant will have reached the point of its closest orbit to Earth. Only about 591 million kilometers. The planet hasn’t been this close to us since 1963!
How to observe Jupiter?
Therefore, it is an excellent period to observe Jupiter. With the naked eye, of course, and/or with an instrument if you have one. And if not, perhaps you know someone who has a telescope or telescope, or there is a structure near you that offers public viewing evenings (astronomy club, astronomy center, some planetariums, etc.). Also, do not hesitate to aim at the giant planet with binoculars, it works very well, because then you will see its four largest moons (of the 79 known): Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callsito. You will also notice that this luminous point in the sky becomes a small disc (a sphere actually) where you can discern, guess, bands of clouds.
“We have never seen Jupiter like this! “: Unpublished images taken by the James-Webb telescope
So these days Jupiter it is shown in the eyepieces a little larger than usual since it is closer to Earth, much to the delight of curious and amateur astronomers (beginners or confirmed and well-equipped). The photos will rain on the…
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