Muscat: Stargazers worldwide will get a great view of Jupiter on Monday night, NASA said.
“On Monday, Jupiter will be at its closest point to Earth in 59 years, where it will be 367 million miles away from Earth, which is almost the same distance it was in 1963. At its farthest point from Earth, it is about 600 million miles away. On Monday, it can be seen as a big shining star as it rises from 6 pm to 6 am, the Oman Astronomical Society said in a statement.
The moon will appear with a larger size estimated at about 15 percent, and with a brightness of about 30 percent more than it is at the farthest point, due to the full moon at 3:52 pm Oman time and passed at the closest point to the Earth at 11:55 am on Sunday morning.
At 357,658 km from Earth, its color will be reddish or orange because of the dust in the atmosphere around the Earth. The horizon will appear in the usual silver-white color and will continue to decorate the sky throughout the night until sunset with sunrise on Wednesday at 4:50 am.
The best time to observe and photograph this astronomical phenomenon is at the rising or setting of the moon, where it can be compared with what is around it, thus showing the difference in its size and brightness, stressing that it is difficult to distinguish this difference when it becomes high in the sky.
The largest planet will be close to the Earth on Monday, astronomers said. It marks the first time Jupiter has been this close to Earth in 59 years, according to NASA.
The Gas Giant will reach opposition that night when it will rise in the east as the Sun sets in the west, placing the planet and the sun on opposite sides of the Earth.
The dynamic makes for a rare and extraordinary viewing of the giant planet.
Jupiter’s opposition occurs every 13 months, making the planet appear larger and brighter than any other time of the year, according to NASA.
This massive planet is approximately 600 million miles away from Earth at its farthest point.
According to NASA, with good binoculars, three or four of the Galilean satellites should be visible.
A month ago, NASA released new images of Jupiter and its moons taken by the James Webb Space Telescope.
Additionally, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has been providing excellent images since it began orbiting Jupiter six years ago.
The next time Jupiter will come this close will be in 2129.
