Jupiter is about to come closest to Earth in 70 years

Jupiter will approach the position opposite the Sun on September 26, and will also become the closest and brightest when observed from Earth.

Jupiter will reach opposition, that is, facing the Sun as seen from Earth, on September 26. This is why astrophysicists are increasingly observing this gas giant in the east, not long after the sun sets in the west. The next planetary opposition will take place in early December, when Mars becomes bright in the sky.

Wide field images of Jupiter compiled from data collected by the James Webb telescope.

Because the orbits of the planets are not perfectly circular, the distance between Earth and Jupiter can vary between pulsations (pulses for Jupiter occur about every 13 months). September 26 will be the closest Earth will be to Jupiter in about 70 years, just over 590 million km. So this is a rare opportunity to observe Jupiter.

Currently, Jupiter is the brightest object in the night sky, with the exception of the Moon. Astronomy lovers just need to go out a few hours after sunset, look to the eastern horizon, then start looking up to find the object that looks brightest and doesn't flicker like normal stars. .

By September 26, Jupiter will technically be closest and brightest to Earth, but this disparity can be difficult to discern with the naked eye. However, Jupiter that day will rise very close to sunset, then set very close to sunrise.

Jupiter is the 5th planet from the Sun and also the largest planet in the Solar System. Jupiter is about 143,000km in diameter and has 318 times the mass of Earth, 1,321 times the volume, according to NASA. The average distance between Earth and Jupiter is about 620 million km.