The good opportunity to travel through time has come again! Jupiter will be in opposition to the Sun at 3 a.m. tomorrow. If you miss it, you will have to wait until 2129, more than a hundred years later.

Hurry and pack your bags, because the sky is about to witness the closest Jupiter opposition since 1963!

Jupiter opposition refers to the astronomical phenomenon when Jupiter, the Earth and the Sun are arranged in a roughly straight line. On the day of opposition, the side of Jupiter illuminated by the Sun will be completely facing the Earth. It is expected that Jupiter will be at opposition (180° difference in ecliptic longitude) at 3:33 am tomorrow.

Jupiter opposition means that Jupiter, Earth and the Sun are almost aligned, with the Earth located between the Sun and Jupiter

However, there is no need to stay up until the early morning. According to the Shenzhen Astronomical Observatory, after nightfall today, you can see Jupiter rising from the east. Its apparent magnitude is -2.94, which will be quite bright and eye-catching in the night sky !

At midnight, Jupiter will move to its highest point in the southern sky at an elevation of about 64 degrees. This year, around the opposition, Jupiter will be particularly bright and closest to Earth in 59 years, so Jupiter's apparent diameter will be larger, close to 50 arc seconds.

Jupiter and its Great Red Spot. Observed by Li Delai of Shenzhen Astronomical Observatory

The "Jupiter opposition" is not rare in itself, and occurs approximately once every 399 days. However, the distance between the Earth and Jupiter is not always the same, because the orbits of the Earth and Jupiter are not perfect circles, but elliptical orbits. This time, Jupiter is near its perihelion, which means that Jupiter is closer to the Earth and appears larger and brighter , which is a good opportunity for astronomy enthusiasts to observe Jupiter. Even in cities with severe light pollution, you can still see it as long as you avoid strong lights.

The last time Jupiter was at its closest opposition to Earth was in 1963, and the next time will not be until 2129, more than a hundred years later.

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the inner to the outer solar system. It is also the largest and fastest rotating planet in the solar system. Its mass is one thousandth of the sun, but 2.5 times the total mass of other planets in the solar system. In addition, Jupiter has 67 satellites. It is also the planet with the most natural satellites discovered by humans so far, just like a small solar system.

Viewing Jupiter is not limited to the day of opposition. In fact, the month before and after is very suitable for observation.

Moreover, using a telescope with a 75mm aperture and a magnification of 15 times or more, it is possible to see the stripes on the surface of Jupiter and its four Galilean satellites. If you want to take pictures, you can use a lens with a focal length of 400mm or more to clearly capture Jupiter and its four Galilean satellites, creating a "mini solar system" effect.

The colorful stripes and the Great Red Spot on Jupiter are actually atmospheric circulations composed of different substances, while the two Earth-sized Great Red Spots are cyclonic storms on Jupiter. The four famous Galilean satellites orbiting on both sides of Jupiter have very different orbital periods, so from the perspective of the Earth, their formations on both sides of Jupiter are always changing.

They are named Galilean satellites because they were first discovered by Galileo. They are named Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto in order from the closest to Jupiter to the farthest. Europa is slightly smaller than the Earth's moon, while the other three are larger than the moon. Ganymede has a diameter larger than Mercury and is the largest satellite in the solar system.

Song Yun, reporter of Orange Persimmon Interactive