Earth will fly between the sun and Jupiter – bringing Jupiter to its yearly opposition – on November 2-3, 2023. That’s one day after Jupiter reaches perigee – its closest level – to Earth.
Jupiter in 2023: Possibly you’ve observed Jupiter. It’s been the very vivid object ascending within the east earlier every night. Brighter than all the celebrities!
It reaches opposition on November 2-3 at 5 UTC (12 a.m. CDT) bringing Jupiter reverse the sun in our sky. It occurs as Earth flies between the sun and Jupiter.
Jupiter is closest to Earth not on the day of opposition, however one day earlier, in a single day (by American clocks) on November 1-2. At the moment, its distance can be 3.982 astronomical items (Earth-sun items, aka AU)/ 370 million miles/ 595 million km/ 33.11 light-minutes from Earth.
Opposition constellation: Aries the Ram.
Brightness at opposition: Magnitude -2.9. Jupiter will shine because the 4th-brightest object within the sky, after the sun, the moon and the planet Venus. It’ll be the brightest starlike object seen for a lot of the night time (till Venus rises earlier than daybreak).
Measurement at opposition (as seen by a telescope): 49.45 arcseconds throughout.
Via binoculars (anytime): Jupiter reveals a vivid disk. When you look carefully, you’ll see a number of of its 4 Galilean moons showing as pinpoints of sunshine, arrayed in a line that bisects the large planet.
For exact sun and Jupiter rising occasions at your location:
Old Farmer’s Almanac (U.S. and Canada)
timeanddate.com (worldwide).
Stellarium (on-line planetarium program)
In-the-sky information and finder chart for your location
How typically does Jupiter attain opposition?
Jupiter takes 12 earthly years to orbit the sun as soon as. So Jupiter involves opposition roughly each 13 months. That’s how lengthy Earth takes to journey as soon as across the sun relative to Jupiter. So – in keeping with our earthly calendars – Jupiter’s opposition comes a couple of month later every year. Add to that the truth that there are 12 constellations of the zodiac. And there are 12 months in a 12 months. So Jupiter is in a brand new zodiacal constellation at every year’s opposition (final 12 months, Pisces; this 12 months, Aries).
2023 Jupiter opposition – November 3
2024 Jupiter opposition – December 7
2026 Jupiter opposition – January 10
2027 Jupiter opposition – February 10
Jupiter occasions in 2023
January 20, 2023: Jupiter’s perihelion or closest level to the sun.
April 11, 2023: Jupiter at solar conjunction, or behind the sun as seen from Earth.
September 4, 2023: Jupiter begins retrograde movement, or westward movement on the sky’s dome, an indication that opposition is coming.
November 1, 2023: Jupiter at perigee, or closest to Earth for 2023.
November 3, 2023: Jupiter at opposition, or reverse the sun as seen from Earth.
December 30, 2023: Jupiter ends retrograde movement, an indication that the most effective time of 12 months to look at Jupiter is ending. However the planet will stay someplace in our night time sky for a lot of extra months, and in reality is seen someplace in our night time sky for many of yearly.
View from above the solar system, November 2023
A failed star
Maybe that Jupiter isn’t a rocky planet like Earth. It’s extra like a failed star, not large sufficient or scorching sufficient inside to spark thermonuclear fusion reactions, however some 2 1/2 occasions extra large than all the opposite planets in our solar system mixed. Jupiter is huge! However with out that thermonuclear response it could actually’t shine as stars do.
You’d want some 80 Jupiters – rolled right into a ball – to be scorching sufficient inside to spark fusion. So Jupiter isn’t a star. That’s, it doesn’t shine with its personal gentle, however as an alternative by mirrored daylight.
But in late October and early November 2023 – as vivid Jupiter rises within the east kind of reverse the sundown – you may stand on Earth all night time and peer towards vivid Jupiter in our sky. And you’ll think about that, if the large planet did have sufficient mass to shine as stars do, then round Jupiter’s opposition, we’d haven’t any night time in any respect. As a substitute, Jupiter would shine as a 2nd sun, all night time lengthy.
Read more: How to see Jupiter’s moons
EarthSky Group Pictures
Backside line: Jupiter will attain opposition on November 2-3, 2023, when Earth will fly between the sun and Jupiter. It’ll be closest to Earth on November 1-2, 2023.
Read more: Jupiter: Closest to the sun November 1, 2023
