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Jupiter in opposition Monday night, closest to earth than it has been in over 50 years

Jupiter will dazzle the night sky on Monday!

Sept. 26, as the sun sets, go outside and look for bright Jupiter rising in the east!

Opposition refers to when a celestial body is opposite the sun in our sky. As the sun sets, Jupiter will rise in the east and stay up all night until it sets in the west in the morning.

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Jupiter reaches opposition every 13 months making it bigger and brighter than how it looks the rest of the year. What is special about 2022 is that since the orbits of Earth and Jupiter around the sun aren’t perfect circles, they don’t always stay the same distance from each other.

This year, opposition of Jupiter will occur at the same time it is closet to Earth during orbit — this hasn’t happened since 1963!

If you go outside Monday night to look for Jupiter, grab a pair or good binoculars.

As the night progresses, it rises higher into the sky, eventually appearing in the southeast around 11 p.m. ET. on Monday.

They should help you see Jupiter’s central band and three of the four moons that are around the planet, according to NASA.

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