Jupiter is now closer to Earth than it’s been in 70 years! During the month of September, it will rise in the eastern sky just after sunset and will be visible until just before sunrise. (About 7:31 pm EDT until 7:35 AM EDT).
According to EarthSky.org, Through binoculars (anytime): Jupiter reveals a bright disk. If you look closely, you’ll see the Galilean satellites appearing as pinpoints of light, arrayed in a line that bisects the giant planet.
Jupiter will actually be the closest on September 26 when it will be 367 million miles or 591 million km or 33 light minutes from Earth. Jupiter will also be in solar conjunction which means that the Earth and another planet, this time Earth, get close to each other but are separated by the sun.
Here are some other interesting facts about Jupiter:
- Jupiter is the 5th planet from the sun, compared to Earth is the 3rd planet from the sun.
- Over 460,718,000 miles (about 741453748.99 km) away from the sun on a normal day.
- Jupiter is 11 times larger than the Earth.
- 1 Year on Jupiter is equal to over 11 years on Earth.
- 1 day on Jupiter is equal to 9.93 hours while on Earth it is 24 hours.
- The surface temperature on Jupiter is about –160 degrees Fahrenheit or –110 degrees Celsius.
- Jupiter rises at 7:31 PM EDT in the East sky and will set at 7:35 AM the next day in the East Sky.
Don’t worry if you miss it on the 26th because you can literally catch it in the eastern sky for the rest of the month.
