For the rest of 2022, Jupiter is up in the evening. This week will be one of the best times of the year to view this giant of the solar system.
The planet reaches opposition on Monday, making its brightest, closest and biggest appearance. Jupiter is the second brightest planet in the night sky. Look for it rising in the east at sunset, blazing brightly as the sun dips below the horizon and remaining visible through the night.
As Earth zips around the sun on a smaller, faster orbit than Jupiter, we experience its opposition about every 13 months. This time, the planet’s elliptical orbit will bring it closer to us than it has been since 2010. It is a great opportunity for binocular or telescopic viewing.
Jupiter’s cloud system stretches out into bands of light and dark across its rapidly rotating surface. The dark cloud stripes vary in color from gold to brown-gray. Ammonia-based top layers appear white and the prominent great red spot has a rose tint.
Of Jupiter’s 79 moons, four are visible with a small telescope — Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Four hundred years after their discovery, this is an excellent chance to observe the small star-like lights that astronomer Galileo first noted. Although Jupiter’s position will gently shift west, it will remain visible in the evening sky through March 2023.
First Published: September 26, 2022, 3:28 p.m.