How to see Jupiter in the sky tonight

Tonight might just be your best chance to see our solar system's biggest planet in the night sky.

Jupiter will be in "opposition" on Monday night, meaning that it will form a straight line with the Earth and the sun — an event that happens every 13 months, Smithsonian reports. This means Jupiter will be the closest it gets to the Earth, allowing stargazers a rare chance to glimpse the gas giant through a telescope or binoculars. With the brightness of its presence in the sky tonight, you might even be able to see its four biggest moons, Io, Europa, Callisto, and Ganymede.

Jupiter should be visible from sunset on Monday to sunrise on Tuesday morning, reaching the best height for viewing around 11:30 p.m. ET. Jupiter will be among the brightest objects in the sky, so spotting it will be easy: Just point yourself towards the southeast and look for the next brightest thing after the moon and Venus.

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Stargazing is most successful under a clear sky — but if you can't make it out tonight, don't worry. Jupiter might not be quite as bright, but for the rest of June you should still be able to see it. And if the whole month is cloudy, then you'll just have to wait until July 2020, when Jupiter comes into opposition again. Read more at Smithsonian.