Jupiter will appear bigger and brighter than ever on Monday night, making its closest approach to Earth since 1963.
Jupiter – a huge, milky-orange gas giant – is the largest planet in our solar system. The color bands on the planet are swirling gases turbulence in large storm systems. Some of these systems, such as Jupiter’s Great Red Spot, persist for centuries.
The planet’s stunning features will be in sharp relief tonight thanks to its orbit around the Sun. The orbits of both Earth and Jupiter are slightly elliptical, meaning that the distance between the two planets varies. And the orbits of the two planets are completely different – it takes 12 Earth years to complete one year on Jupiter or one trip around the Sun.
At its greatest distance, Jupiter is about 600 million miles from Earth. But tonight it will be only 367 million miles from us. Jupiter is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun tonight, a position called opposition, which makes the gas giant appear larger and brighter than usual.
According to Adam Kobelski, a research astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the planet’s streaks and several Galilean moons will be visible with good binoculars. “One of the main needs is going to be a stable mount for the system you’re using,” Kobelski said at NASA. release.
A 4-inch or larger telescope will be able to pick out specific features on the planet’s face, such as the Great Red Spot. If you don’t have a telescope or decent binoculars, Jupiter will still be visible to the naked eye, but you won’t be able to see any details of the planet.
Again, due to its proximity, its brightness will be more noticeable than ever. No matter how you choose to observe Jupiter, clear weather, high altitudes, and dark skies will help. Although closest approach is tonight, Jupiter and its moons will be visible for the next few nights. In a NASA release.
If you want to see Jupiter in superior color, you can go for some Recent images by the Webb Space Telescope caught the planet’s polar rays in infrared.
Jupiter’s moons will also attract more attention. of NASA European Clipper The mission, scheduled to launch before October 2024, will give us our best look at Jupiter’s frozen moon Europa. Scientists believe that a large, salty ocean lies beneath Europa’s icy crust. Clipper will map the Moon’s surface and use ice-penetrating radar to peer into the mysterious underground world.
There are exciting missions on the horizon for Jupiter and its moons, but for the next few nights we’ll be evaluating these celestial bodies from right here on Earth.
More: Scientists observe nine cyclones swirling at Jupiter’s North Pole
