Admin and Founder of ‘The Secrets Of The Universe’ and former intern at Indian Institute of Astrophysics, Bangalore, I am a science student pursuing a Master’s in Physics from India. I love to study and write about Stellar Astrophysics, Relativity & Quantum Mechanics.
July 2020 is probably the best month for astronomy enthusiasts. It started with a penumbral lunar eclipse on July 5. Now there are three eye-catching celestial events ahead: the opposition of Jupiter, the opposition of Saturn, and a double meteor shower. Let’s talk about the opposition of Jupiter.
1. What Is An Opposition?
In celestial mechanics, a planetary opposition occurs when the Earth lies between the Sun and the planet with Earth being on the same side of the planet as shown below.
Thus on July 14, the Sun, the Earth, and Jupiter will lie along a straight line with Earth at the center. This optimal positioning occurs when Jupiter is almost directly opposite the Sun in the sky. Since the Sun reaches its greatest distance below the horizon at midnight, the point opposite to it is highest in the sky at the same time.
At around the same time that Jupiter passes opposition, it also makes its closest approach to the Earth – termed its perigee – making it appear at its brightest and largest. However, Jupiter’s orbit lies far out in the solar system, at 5.2 AU from the Sun, and hence the angular size of Jupiter doesn’t vary over the course of conjunction and opposition.
2. How Close Will Be Jupiter?
At the opposition, Jupiter will be at a distance of about 619.34 million Km (4.14 AU) from the Earth. This is about 9 million Km closer than the average distance from Earth. Even at its closest approach to the Earth, however, it is not possible to distinguish it as more than a star-like point of light with the naked eye. A telescope can help you spot the four Galilean moons of Jupiter: Ganymede, Io, Europ, and Callisto.
Also read:
- 8 amazing facts about Jupiter
- How to watch all the planets in the night sky of July?
- Best Astronomy apps you must have if you love outer space
3. How To Watch Jupiter at Opposition?
Opposition marks the middle of the best time of year to see a planet. Since Jupiter will be opposite to the Sun, it will rise soon after sunset, reach its highest point in the sky around midnight, and will be out of sight at sunrise. The image below shows the position of Jupiter at 10:00 pm. Jupiter will shine bright at magnitude -2.75 and it will be the brightest object in the night sky after the Moon. The brighter Venus will rise a couple of hours before the Sun. Can you spot Saturn nearby? The ringed planet will make its closest approach a week later, on July 21.
In July, all the planets will be visible in the night sky. It’s a rare event, the planet parade. Read this article to learn how to spot the planets. Also, these space apps will help you locate the celestial objects quickly.
[…] night sky of July is ruled by the mighty Jupiter. Shining bright at mag -2.7, Jupiter was at opposition on July 14. During opposition, the planet comes in a straight line with the Earth and the Sun. The […]
Sir please can you tell you me that Jupiter can be seen around 10pm in hyderabad..but the problem is the weather is cloudy…or can it be seen before sunrise
How can i distinguish that is a star and that is Jupiter when I see in the sky at the perfect direction and time
Sir please answer I am very interested to see that event
Can we watch Jupiter with naked eyes? And from which direction ? Also 10:00 pm? I’m from India so the time difference doesn’t matter right?
Sir, how to I see this event. I haven’t any telescope, any some ways to make a homemade telescope and watch with help of it….. Please Answer
You can watch Jupiter and Saturn with the naked eye in south east at around 9-10 pm. It will be visible throughout the night, travelling towards west.
will it be visible from India
Yes. Look for Jupiter and Saturn close together in the southeast at around 10-11 PM. They will rise after sunset and will be visible all night.
Its 10:20:PM I’m waiting for the moment.