On September 27, the night sky will stage the “Jupiter opposition” astronomical spectacle, that is, Jupiter, the earth and the sun are almost lined up, and the earth is located between the sun and Jupiter.
This Jupiter opposition is extremely rare.Due to Jupiter’s proximity to Earth, Jupiter’s apparent brightness is the highest in 71 years. If you miss the opportunity to observe this Jupiter opposition, you will have to wait another 107 years.Moreover, this year’s Jupiter opposition, China and even all over the world have the opportunity to watch it.
The principle of “Jupiter opposition” is that the orbits of the Earth and Jupiter are elliptical, and their eccentricity is 0.0486, which is greater than the Earth’s orbital eccentricity of 0.0167. Jupiter’s orbital period is 11.862 years, so in about 12 years, Jupiter will travel to the closest point to the sun, that is, Jupiter’s perihelion. On January 21 next year, Jupiter will pass its perihelion.
Therefore, this Jupiter opposition is the closest to the earth, only about 591.3 million kilometers, with an apparent diameter of 49.88 arcseconds and an apparent brightness of minus 2.9 magnitudes, the brightest since October 3, 1951 (Jupiter opposition). The next time Jupiter is closer and brighter to Earth will take 107 years, or until October 7, 2129 (Jupiter opposition).
According to the astronomer, “With good binoculars, the ribbon (at least the central belt) and three or four Galilean satellites (satellites) should be visible.” However, it is better to use a larger telescope for more detailed See Jupiter’s Great Red Spot and Stripes.
Visible for days before and after September 26, it should be one of the brightest objects in the night sky, aside from the moon.
at the same time,Jupiter is located in the south direction, becoming a veritable “compass”, and has the largest altitude, the thinnest atmosphere through which starlight passes, and is the easiest to observe and photograph.
