[StBernard] Jupiter making closest approach to Earth in nearly 50 years

[Westley Annis]

Better catch Jupiter <http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/jupiter_worldbook.html>
on Monday in the night sky. It won't be that big or bright again until 2022.



Jupiter will pass 368 million miles from Earth late Monday, its closest
approach since 1963. You can see it
<http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/15sep_jupiter/>
low in the east around dusk. Around midnight, it will be directly overhead.
That's because Earth will be passing between Jupiter and the sun, into the
wee hours of Tuesday.


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The solar system's largest planet already appears as an incredibly bright
star -- three times brighter than the brightest star in the sky, Sirius
<http://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/sirius-the-brightest-star> . The only
thing brighter in the night sky right now is our moon. Binoculars and
telescopes will dramatically improve the view as Jupiter, along with its
many moons, rises in the east as the sun sets.




"Jupiter is so bright right now, you don't need a sky map to find it," said
Tony Phillips, a California astronomer under contract with NASA. "You just
walk outside and see it. It's so eye-catching, there it is."




Phillips has never seen Jupiter so bright. "To an experienced observer, the
difference is notable," he said Friday.




Coincidentally, Uranus also will make a close approach the same night. It
will appear close to Jupiter but harder to see with the naked eye. Through a
telescope, it will shine like an emerald-colored disk less than one degree
from Jupiter.




Jupiter comes relatively close to Earth about every 12 years. In 1999, it
passed slightly farther away. What's rare this time is Uranus making a close
appearance at the same time, Phillips said. He called it "a
once-in-a-lifetime event." While seen right next to Jupiter through a
telescope, Uranus actually will be 1.7 billion miles from Earth on Monday
night.

Phillips urges stargazers not to give up if it's cloudy Monday night.
Jupiter will remain relatively close for many weeks, he noted, providing
good viewing opportunities for some time. And for those who are early risers
instead of night owls, Jupiter will be visible setting in the west just
before sunrise.