Tonight Is the Best Time of the Year to See Jupiter and Its Many Moons:
Jupiter will reach opposition the night of June 10, forming a straight line with Earth and the sun
Now if only I can only remember to go out and look tonight…
Don’t worry too much about making it out tonight. It’s not a great difference from most other times:
I may have to drag out the 5" Celestron and take a look, as we have clear skies here for the next few days.
That’s for sure. I was a telescope buff in my younger days. Oppositions of Mars were a Big Deal, because Mars is way closer and therefore bigger and brighter at opposition. Oppositions of Jupiter were Not a Big Deal. The Bigger Deal with Jupiter was finding a night when all four moons were visible, or better yet, when the shadow of a moon fell across the planet’s surface.
You don’t need to do anything special to see it. Just glance east an hour or two after sunset. You’ll see Jupiter rising throughout the evening. Technically speaking, Jupiter will be brightest on Saturday, but should be noticeably vibrant all month long.
How Jupiter could resemble a ‘Christmas star’ this weekend
Fun fact: The Galilean moons of Jupiter are bright enough at such times to be seen with the naked eye. At least if Jupiter were to disappear or go dark for a bit. Anybody got some spare monoliths laying around?