The planet Jupiter will shine extra-bright within the night sky tonight as a consequence of an astronomical alignment that happens simply annually. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reviews on easy methods to see it.
It’s referred to as “opposition” when the Solar, Earth, and a planet—on this case Jupiter—swing right into a straight line. As seen from Earth, Jupiter is totally illuminated by daylight and seems at its greatest and brightest. Opposition happens at virtually the identical time as perigee, the second when Jupiter is closest to Earth in its orbit—simply 370 million miles away.
Look ahead to Jupiter rising within the East because the solar units within the West. The second of opposition happens at 10 p.m. tonight, however the planet will proceed shining brightly by mid-December. Will probably be the second brightest starlike object within the sky, outshone solely by Venus which rises a couple of hours earlier than daybreak.
