This is the month to view Jupiter! The image above is for about 8pm on 10th January. On this date, Jupiter is at what is called “opposition” and means its closest to Earth for the year. It also means that this is the ideal time to view Jupiter through telescopes.
If you have a telescope and are keen to find Jupiter, wait until it rises further above the horizon. Objects are always best viewed in telescopes when they have risen higher in the night sky. This is because when objects are higher, we look through less atmosphere and the view is clearer.
Use the above image as a guide. Astronomical images provided by SkySafari, a Simulation Curriculum Company, All rights reserved www.simulationcurriculum.com.
When and where to look:
8pm during January above the north eastern horizon.
Something interesting
“Opposition” is a word that astronomers often use. A planet is said to be in “opposition” when it is on the opposite side of Earth to the Sun.
“Opposition” only occurs for planets that are further out from Earth’s orbit around the Sun. Mercury and Venus can never be in “opposition” because their orbits are closer to the Sun than Earth’s. Earth can never be in between these planets and the Sun!