Look up!
Jupiter is going to be the closest it has been to Earth in 59 years on Monday night at approximately 367 million miles away, CNN reports. At its furthest, the gas giant can be almost 600 million miles away.
The planet will be at opposition, meaning it's "on the opposite side of Earth from the sun," NPR reports. So, when looking from Earth, Jupiter will consequently rise to the east as the sun sets to the west. Its opposition happens approximately every 13 months and can be attributed to both Jupiter and Earth's non-circular orbits.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The planet will be visible to the naked eye around sunset and will look pearly white in color, according to Patrick Hartigan, physics and astronomy professor at Rice University in Houston. However, the best way to experience the sighting will be with binoculars or a telescope so you can see the banding of Jupiter and maybe even some moons.
The views should last for a few days after Monday, as well. "Jupiter is so bright and brilliant," said Alphonse Sterling, a NASA astrophysicist at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. "I would say that it's a good thing to take advantage of and to look at no matter where you're at."
-
Will Donald Trump’s second state visit be a diplomatic disaster?Today's Big Question Charlie Kirk shooting, Saturday’s far-right rally and continued Jeffrey Epstein fallout ramps-up risks of already fraught trip
-
England’s ‘dysfunctional’ children’s care systemIn the Spotlight A new report reveals that protection of youngsters in care in England is failing in a profit-chasing sector
-
Cider farms to visit this autumnThe Week Recommends With harvest season fast approaching, spend an afternoon at one of these idyllic orchards
-
Africa could become the next frontier for space programsThe Explainer China and the US are both working on space applications for Africa
-
NASA reveals ‘clearest sign of life’ on Mars yetSpeed Read The evidence came in the form of a rock sample collected on the planet
-
SpaceX breaks Starship losing streak in 10th testspeed read The Starship rocket's test flight was largely successful, deploying eight dummy satellites during its hour in space
-
Hurricanes are not exclusive to Earth. They can happen in space.Under the radar These storms may cause navigational problems
-
Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Coloradospeed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
-
Why does the US want to put nuclear reactors on the moon?Today's Big Question The plans come as NASA is facing significant budget cuts
-
Lithium shows promise in Alzheimer's studySpeed Read Potential new treatments could use small amounts of the common metal
-
Scientists discover cause of massive sea star die-offSpeed Read A bacteria related to cholera has been found responsible for the deaths of more than 5 billion sea stars
