Friday evening in the eastern sky, everyone can already admire the bright and enchanting planet Jupiter, which will shine high in the sky when it sets before midnight.
This phenomenon is also special because the planet came closest to the Sun in January 2023 during its 12-year orbit.
Planets orbiting outside Earth’s orbit have a distinct position called opposition to the Sun. During opposition, as seen from Earth, the planet is on the exact opposite side of the Sun, so Earth is between the Sun and the planet.
This happens when the planet is closer to Earth, which is why it appears larger and brighter.
In its 12-year orbital cycle, Jupiter comes closest to the Sun on January 22, 2023. The opposition before and after is called the Great Opposition. This is when the planet is closest to the Sun and Earth. During opposition last September, the planet was a hair’s breadth larger, at 49.9 arcseconds in diameter, and now it will be 49.5 arcseconds.
Jupiter, the brightest object in the eastern evening sky (when the moon is not visible), is hard to miss and dominates the sky until Venus rises at dawn.
This brightness will continue at least until Santa Claus.
According to the announcement, Jupiter will be visible in its full glory at its peak until the end of January. After that, they will die down earlier and earlier, until they finally disappear into the sunlight at the beginning of April.
Jupiter will also be stunning with the naked eye, but it truly reveals its beauty through binoculars. Its four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto, can be seen even with a small hand-held telescope.
Visitors can observe this phenomenon at observatories spread throughout several parts of the country. In Budapest, Svábhegyi Csillagvizslagó staff give presentations to visitors in November and December.
