Saturday 7 December at 9.19pm Italian time Jupiter will reach theopposition with the Earth, with the latter it will find itself exactly between the Sun and the gas giant along an imaginary line that connects the three celestial bodies: this means that the planet is in the period of maximum proximity to the Earth and therefore of maximum apparent brightness (it will have a magnitude of –2.8), being clearly visible even to the naked eye in the constellation of Taurus.
When a planet is in opposition, it is exactly from opposite side of the celestial vault with respect to the Sun, which maximizes the number of hours of visibility of the celestial body. In fact, Jupiter already rises at sunset and sets at dawn. At 9.19pm, at the time of opposition, it will be easily identifiable in Italy due to its brightness east/south-east direction about 50° high above the horizon, just above the well-known constellation of Orion.
Despite being visible to the naked eyeusing binoculars or a telescope it will be possible to see, in skies that are not too polluted, even its Medici satellitesnamely Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. On December 14, the gas giant will also be in conjunction with the Moon, meaning it will appear particularly close to our satellite in the sky. The next opposition of a planet in the Solar System will be that of Mars January 16, 2025.
Where and when to see Jupiter’s opposition in the sky
The exact moment when Jupiter will be in opposition falls Saturday 7 December at 9.19pm Italian time. At that time Jupiter will be very high in the sky, at approximately 50° of height above the horizon in east/south-east direction. Jupiter will be easily recognizable due to its brightness, equal to approximately –2.8 magnitudes. A simple but effective method to distinguish planets (like Jupiter) from stars is to check their light it does not flicker in the sky unlike
During this period, Jupiter is in the constellation of Taurusnot far from the star Aldebaran (the brightest of the constellation) and give Pleiades. Another way to identify it is to see the well-known east/south-east direction constellation of Orionwhose unmistakable hourglass shape makes it visible even in not particularly dark skies. Identifying in particular the red super-giant star Betelgeusethe “left shoulder” of Orion, you just need to look up just above this star to find Jupiter.
On Saturday 7 December none of Jupiter’s 4 main satellites, the so-called Medici satellites Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, will be obscured by the gas giant. For this reason our advice is to equip yourself with binoculars or a small telescope and observe Jupiter with it. Although in fact the opposition of Jupiter is visible to the naked eyeit is only through these optical instruments that it will be possible to observe the Medici satellites.
What does planet in opposition mean
In Astronomy a planet is in opposition when it is in direction diametrically opposite to the Sun compared to the Earth. Therefore, considering an imaginary line connecting the three bodies, a planet in opposition will be found at 180° precise where the Sun is in the sky. Consequently, in opposition, when the Sun sets, the planet rises, and vice versa. This implies that when a planet is in opposition, its visibility window is maximum.
Only i outer planets to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun they can be in oppositionthen Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The astronomical event contrary to the opposition is the conjunctionwhich occurs when the Sun comes between the Earth and the object along the imaginary line connecting the three bodies. In general, any object with an orbit outside the Earth can be in opposition, while the conjunction can occur for any object, even for those with an orbit inside the Earth’s orbit around the Sun. The next opposition in order of time it will be that of Mars of January 16, 2025.
