NASA is predicting 'extraordinary views' of the oldest planet in the solar system this week, as Jupiter reaches opposition - here's how to see it.
Tomorrow night will see the fifth planet from the sun come closer to earth than it has done in almost six decades - a distance of just 367 million miles away. When you have found your ideal location, look to the eastern horizon around sunset and you should be able to see the planet with the naked eye - not including the moon, Jupiter is likely to appear as the brightest object in the sky. Jupiter to reach opposition: Planet’s closest approach to Earth in 59 years - how to see it
Stargazers, get excited. Tonight Jupiter will be the closest it has been to Earth in almost six decades, creating a once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunity.
“Even a small telescope will clearly show the disc of Jupiter and its four brightest moons… “Jupiter appears as a bright yellowish-white point of light, outshining all of the stars. With good binoculars, the banding (at least the central band) and three or four of the Galilean satellites (moons) should be visible,” says Adam Kobelski, a research astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.