Closest Encounter with Jupiter

Jupiter will be closest to earth on 20-21st September in more than a decade. Jupiter will be very bright on those nights not only because it is closer to earth, but also it will be at the opposition. Jupiter will be opposite to the Sun, rising in the east at sunset and soaring overhead at midnight. Only moon will outshine Jupiter in the night sky. It will not be this close again until 2022.

It is a great opportunity to view Jupiter and its four big satellites (Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede) with a small telescope.

If you do have a telescope, you can also try to spot Uranus, which coincidentally is also at opposition on 21st September. The planet is too far away to see through naked eye. It will be closer to Jupiter in the sky, only 1° away.

Cassini Jupiter Portrait

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