Jupiter may be several million miles away from us, but you’ll get your best chance of the year to see it in the night sky tonight.
That’s because the planet is currently at opposition – meaning the Earth is directly between it and the sun.
So from our vantage point, Jupiter will never be brighter than it is tonight.
In fact, it’s being lit up so well by the sun that it’s also possible to make out Jupiter’s four biggest moons – Io, Ganymede, Callisto and Europa – as well. As an aside, scientists believe that Europa may host alien life in giant lakes beneath its surface.
Although you’ll need some equipment (like a telescope or binoculars) to pick out the moons, you should be able to see Jupiter with the naked eye. Providing the cloud cover stays away.
In order to spot it, you’ll need to look to the southeast horizon after sunset. Jupiter should trace a line through the southern skies as the night progresses. If you’re having trouble finding it, there are several excellent smartphone apps that help scan the night sky.
One of them, SkyView, can be had for free and uses your phone’s camera to locate objects in the sky. It’s available for both Android and iOS and is one of many such apps.
Just to the left of Jupiter, you may even be able to make out Saturn.
‘At these times, each planet will on the opposite side of the Earth compared to the sun (configured in an approximately straight line). This means the planets will be roughly at their closest distance to the Earth and so will appear slightly larger and brighter making it the best time to spot them,’ explains the Royal Observatory Greenwich.
‘Look to the south around midnight throughout this period – it’ll be a dazzling sight for naked eye observation but a treat through a telescope too.
‘Do be sure to get to a clear sight without tall buildings or trees as they’ll block your view of the planets which won’t be very far above the horizon.’
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