![]() Through larger telescopes and with higher magnifications, more belts and zones come into view. ![]() These stripes - one above and one below Jupiter’s equator - are the North and South Equatorial Belts. When you turn your gaze back to the planet, insert an eyepiece that provides a magnification around 100x, and the first details you’ll notice will be a pair of dark stripes oriented parallel to the planet’s equator. The moons look like bright stars flanking Jupiter and can form some unusual arrangements. Even a 2-inch scope will show the planet’s four largest moons. Through a telescope, Jupiter shows more detail than any other celestial object except the Moon. In the Northern Hemisphere, for each degree of latitude south of 40° north an observer is, Jupiter will appear 1° higher for each degree north of 40°, it will be 1° lower. For anyone at latitude 40° north on the date of opposition, Jupiter’s altitude at local midnight will be 50° above the southern horizon. In fact, the nearest 1st-magnitude star, Fomalhaut (Alpha Piscis Austrini), lies nearly 35° away.įor amateur astronomers in mid-northern latitudes, the planet’s location in Pisces means it will climb around halfway up the sky - not terrible, but still some distance from where you’d get the best views. This whole region lacks any bright stars, so it will provide a huge contrast to Jupiter’s brilliance. Jupiter first entered Pisces in mid-April then, from late June until early September, it crossed in front of some stars in the northwestern corner of the constellation Cetus the Whale before returning to Pisces. So, now is the time to set up your telescope, crank up the power, and observe Jupiter and its moons in all their glory. And between the two dates above, its apparent size is at least 43″. On its opposition date, Jupiter sports an apparent diameter of 49.9″, which is quite close to its greatest possible size of 50.1″. You’ll have plenty of time to see the king of the planets while it’s big and bright: At no time from July 20 through Dec. If you can’t observe Jupiter exactly at opposition because of a personal commitment or clouds, don’t fret. ![]() On the 26th, Jupiter will blaze at magnitude –2.9, making it the brightest starlike object until Venus rises shortly before sunrise. It’s also the giant planet’s closest approach to Earth since October 1963. In 2022, Jupiter reaches opposition - the point in its orbit opposite the Sun as seen from Earth - on Sept. However, if you plan to observe the gas giant, it will continue to be near its finest for the next few weeks. Editor’s note: Jupiter’s opposition occurred on Monday (Sept.
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