If you hadn’t already noticed, the “King of the Planets” has been particularly glorious lately. In fact, it’s been a while since anyone’s seen the gas giant so positively radiant.
This Monday, September 26, Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth in 59 years – and the sight will be magnificent. You won’t even need a telescope (but it never hurts if you have one handy).
This is all due to a fortuitous combination of what is called opposition and perfect perihelion. Continue reading.
Every twelve Earth years, more or less, JupiterThe distance between the Sun and the Sun is shrinking to just 740 million kilometers (about 460 million miles), giving those of us in the upper part of the solar system an unobstructed view of the massive planet from the suburbs. exterior as it appears larger than usual in the evening sky.
Usually, the extra brightness Jupiter receives at its closest approach to the Sun isn’t a big deal to those of us watching from here on Earth. We are on our own orbital path, so we are not always in the same vicinity.
But this time, we’re in the neighborhood. (Kind of.)
Technically, the point at which Jupiter’s distance from the Sun is shortest – known as perihelion – will not occur. until early next year. By then, the Earth will be spinning around the corner in its own endless orbit.
But our closest annual pass of Jupiter occurs this week, a time known to be in opposition. This is the only time of year when a perfectly straight line can be drawn from the Sun to Earth to Jupiter.
Taken together, opposition and a perfect perihelion would give us a frontal and front-row seat to brightly shining Jupiter. We may be a bit early for a perfect perihelion, but the last time Earth was this close to the giant – just 590 million kilometers away – it it was in october 1963 and Bobby Vinton was hitting the charts with blue velvet.
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Could we get closer to Jupiter? Maybe a touch. While Jupiter’s orbit is remarkably circular, Earth’s is not.
At the middle of each year, our planet is at its furthest distance from the Sun, approximately 152 million kilometers. Right now we’re a fraction more at 150 million kilometersbefore arriving at our own perihelion – a distance of about 147 kilometers – early January next.
These astronomical distances are rather trivial in the scheme of things. So don’t expect bigger tides, extra earthquakes or more meteorites than usual.
But if you appreciate cosmic beauty to start your evening, look to the eastern horizon just after sunset. Look for a large, bright, shining “star.”
Jupiter will have an apparent -2.9 magnitude, according to EarthSky.com, meaning it will be one of the brightest objects in the night sky. For context, the full moon has an apparent magnitude of -12.5.
Maybe even take a telescope or a good pair of binoculars before heading out. And say hello to the king for us.