Earth flies between Jupiter and the sun on December 7


Star chart with dot for Jupiter and colorful, different-sized dots for stars.
In early December 2024, Jupiter will rise around sunset and be visible through dawn. It’ll be near the bright stars of golden Capella, ruddy Betelgeuse and orangish Aldebaran. Also nearby are the open star clusters the Pleiades and the Hyades. Chart via EarthSky.

Jupiter in 2024: Starting in June 2024, you might have noticed Jupiter in the morning twilight. By November, it was the very bright object ascending in the east a few hours after sunset, brighter than all the stars. But December is best for Jupiter in 2024!
Jupiter will reach opposition at 21 UTC (4 p.m. CDT) on December 7, 2024. That’s when Earth will fly between Jupiter and the sun, bringing th giant planet opposite the sun in our sky. As seen from around the globe, Jupiter will rise in the east as the sun sets in the west. It’ll be shining at its highest in the sky, more or less where the sun was at your local noon, around midnight (the time each day when the sun will be below your feet). That’ll be true no matter where you are on Earth.
Jupiter will be closest to Earth one day before its opposition, at 10 UTC (5 a.m. CDT) on December 6, 2024. At that time, its distance will be 380 million miles/ 611 million km/ 34 light-minutes from Earth. Read more: Why is Jupiter closest before opposition?
Opposition constellation: Taurus the Bull.
Brightness at opposition: Magnitude -2.8. Jupiter will shine as the 4th-brightest object in the sky, after the sun, moon and planet Venus. It’ll be the brightest starlike object visible for most of the night (after Venus sets in the evening sky).
Size at opposition (as seen through a telescope): 48.2 arcseconds across.
Through binoculars (anytime): Jupiter reveals a bright disk. If you look closely, you’ll see several of its four Galilean moons appearing as pinpoints of light, arrayed in a line that bisects the giant planet.

December finder charts for Jupiter

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Star chart with the moon labeled December 12 and dots for Jupiter, Aldebaran and the Pleiades.
Around the evening of December 12, 2024, bright Jupiter and the Pleiades star cluster will be close to the waxing moon. Also look for the fiery orange star Aldebaran – Eye of Taurus the Bull – near Jupiter. They’ll be visible from sundown until a few hours before dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
Star chart with two moons labeled December 13 and 14 and dots for Jupiter, Capella, Aldebaran and the Pleiades.
On the evenings of December 13 and 14, 2024, the almost full moon will slide between the planet Jupiter and Capella, the brightest star in Auriga the Charioteer. Near Jupiter lies the orange giant star Aldebaran, the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull. Also, the shimmering glow of the delicate Pleiades star cluster will be nearby. They’ll rise shortly after sunset and be visible through dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
Sky chart with round two full moons, one higher than the other, next to steep green ecliptic line. A small dot, Jupiter, is to their right, and two small dots representing stars Castor and Pollux lower down.
The moment of the Full Cold Moon will fall at 9:02 UTC (3:02 a.m. CST) on December 15, 2024. The moon will look full on the evenings of December 14 and 15, too, and – on both of those evenings – will be near bright Jupiter. Also, the twin stars of Castor and Pollux will twinkle nearby. Chart via EarthSky.

How often does Jupiter reach opposition?

Jupiter takes 12 earthly years to orbit the sun once. So, the giant planet comes to opposition roughly every 13 months. By the same token, that’s how long Earth takes to travel once around the sun relative to Jupiter. Therefore, according to our earthly calendars, Jupiter’s opposition comes about a month later each year. Add to that the fact that there are 12 constellations of the zodiac. And there are 12 months in a year. So Jupiter appears in front of a new zodiacal constellation at each year’s opposition (last year, Aries; this year, Taurus).

2023 Jupiter opposition – November 3
2024 Jupiter opposition – December 7
2026 Jupiter opposition – January 10
2027 Jupiter opposition – February 10

Jupiter events in 2024

January 1, 2024: Jupiter was at perihelion or closest point to the sun for 2024.
May 18, 2024: Jupiter was at solar conjunction, or behind the sun as seen from Earth.
October 9, 2024: Jupiter began retrograde motion, that is, westward motion on the sky’s dome, a sign that opposition lay just ahead.
December 6, 2024: Jupiter at perigee, or closest to Earth for 2024.
December 7, 2024: Jupiter at opposition, or opposite the sun as seen from Earth.
February 4, 2025: Jupiter will end retrograde motion, a sign that the best time to observe Jupiter is ending. However, the planet will remain somewhere in the night sky through April 2025. Then it’ll emerge in the morning sky in July 2025.

Two photos of Jupiter side by side with one of them considerably larger, with labels.
A comparison of the apparent size of Jupiter at opposition (December 7, 2024) and when it is most distant from the Earth at solar conjunction (May 18, 2024). Image via Dominic Ford’s In-the-Sky.org. Used with permission.

View from above the solar system, December 2024

Circle with sun at center, planets around, and zodiac names on outer edge.
Heliocentric view of solar system, December 2024. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2024 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

A failed star

Perhaps you know that Jupiter isn’t a rocky planet like Earth. In fact, it’s more like a failed star, not massive enough or hot enough inside to spark thermonuclear fusion reactions, but some 2 1/2 times more massive than all the other planets in our solar system combined. Jupiter is big! But, without that thermonuclear reaction it can’t shine as stars do.

Overall, you’d need some 80 Jupiters – rolled into a ball – to be hot enough inside to spark fusion. So, Jupiter isn’t a star. That is, it doesn’t shine with its own light, but instead by reflected sunlight.

Yet in December 2024 – as bright Jupiter rises in the east opposite the sunset – you can stand on Earth all night and peer toward bright Jupiter in our sky. And indeed, you can imagine that, if the giant planet did have enough mass to shine as stars do, then around Jupiter’s opposition, we’d have no night at all. Instead, Jupiter would shine as a tiny 2nd sun, all night long.

Read more: How to see Jupiter’s moons

Animation showing Earth moving around and around the sun faster than Jupiter.
Jupiter (red) completes one orbit of the sun (center) for every 11.86 orbits of the Earth (blue), since our orbit is smaller, and we move faster! Animation via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

For precise sun and Jupiter rising times at your location:

Old Farmer’s Almanac (U.S. and Canada)

timeanddate.com (worldwide)

Stellarium (online planetarium program)

In-the-sky information and finder chart for your location

Simple diagram of orbits, showing Earth between an outer planet and the sun.
Opposition happens when Earth flies between an outer planet, like Jupiter, and the sun. Illustration via Chris Peat/ Heavens-Above. Used with permission.
Jupiter with colorful, swirly banded atmosphere, spotted with oval storms. Titles and scale of size.
Jupiter and its stormy atmosphere as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope on September 4, 2021. Image via Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC)/ Michael H. Wong (UC Berkeley)/ Hubblesite.

EarthSky Community Photos

Tan, banded Jupiter rotating, with the big oval red spot crossing it, and two bright dots for moons nearby.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Surry, Virginia, created this animation of Jupiter from images captured in the wee hours of October 19, 2023. It’s a beauty! Thank you, Steve. And, if you look closely, you can see Jupiter’s moons Europa and Io, in the upper left and right, respectively. Wow! Read: How to see and enjoy Jupiter’s moons.
Slightly fuzzy large banded planet with small white dot nearby.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Aurelian Neacsu of Visina, Dambovita, Romania, captured this image of Jupiter on August 22, 2023, and wrote: “The bright dot visible on the right bottom corner is not a planet’s satellite; it’s the star Sigma Arietis.” Thank you, Aurelian.

Got a picture of Jupiter? We’d love to see it. Submit them here.

Bottom line: Giant Jupiter is closest to Earth for 2024 on December 6. Then Earth will fly between the sun and Jupiter – bringing Jupiter to opposition – on December 7.

Read more: Jupiter: Closest to the Earth December 6, 2024

Read more: Jupiter’s moons: How to see and enjoy them

Read: Why is Jupiter closest to Earth 1 day before opposition?

The post Earth flies between Jupiter and the sun on December 7 first appeared on EarthSky.



from EarthSky https://ift.tt/BOJir9n
Star chart with dot for Jupiter and colorful, different-sized dots for stars.
In early December 2024, Jupiter will rise around sunset and be visible through dawn. It’ll be near the bright stars of golden Capella, ruddy Betelgeuse and orangish Aldebaran. Also nearby are the open star clusters the Pleiades and the Hyades. Chart via EarthSky.

Jupiter in 2024: Starting in June 2024, you might have noticed Jupiter in the morning twilight. By November, it was the very bright object ascending in the east a few hours after sunset, brighter than all the stars. But December is best for Jupiter in 2024!
Jupiter will reach opposition at 21 UTC (4 p.m. CDT) on December 7, 2024. That’s when Earth will fly between Jupiter and the sun, bringing th giant planet opposite the sun in our sky. As seen from around the globe, Jupiter will rise in the east as the sun sets in the west. It’ll be shining at its highest in the sky, more or less where the sun was at your local noon, around midnight (the time each day when the sun will be below your feet). That’ll be true no matter where you are on Earth.
Jupiter will be closest to Earth one day before its opposition, at 10 UTC (5 a.m. CDT) on December 6, 2024. At that time, its distance will be 380 million miles/ 611 million km/ 34 light-minutes from Earth. Read more: Why is Jupiter closest before opposition?
Opposition constellation: Taurus the Bull.
Brightness at opposition: Magnitude -2.8. Jupiter will shine as the 4th-brightest object in the sky, after the sun, moon and planet Venus. It’ll be the brightest starlike object visible for most of the night (after Venus sets in the evening sky).
Size at opposition (as seen through a telescope): 48.2 arcseconds across.
Through binoculars (anytime): Jupiter reveals a bright disk. If you look closely, you’ll see several of its four Galilean moons appearing as pinpoints of light, arrayed in a line that bisects the giant planet.

December finder charts for Jupiter

Our charts are mostly set for the northern half of Earth. To see a precise view – and time – from your location, try Stellarium Online.

Star chart with the moon labeled December 12 and dots for Jupiter, Aldebaran and the Pleiades.
Around the evening of December 12, 2024, bright Jupiter and the Pleiades star cluster will be close to the waxing moon. Also look for the fiery orange star Aldebaran – Eye of Taurus the Bull – near Jupiter. They’ll be visible from sundown until a few hours before dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
Star chart with two moons labeled December 13 and 14 and dots for Jupiter, Capella, Aldebaran and the Pleiades.
On the evenings of December 13 and 14, 2024, the almost full moon will slide between the planet Jupiter and Capella, the brightest star in Auriga the Charioteer. Near Jupiter lies the orange giant star Aldebaran, the fiery eye of Taurus the Bull. Also, the shimmering glow of the delicate Pleiades star cluster will be nearby. They’ll rise shortly after sunset and be visible through dawn. Chart via EarthSky.
Sky chart with round two full moons, one higher than the other, next to steep green ecliptic line. A small dot, Jupiter, is to their right, and two small dots representing stars Castor and Pollux lower down.
The moment of the Full Cold Moon will fall at 9:02 UTC (3:02 a.m. CST) on December 15, 2024. The moon will look full on the evenings of December 14 and 15, too, and – on both of those evenings – will be near bright Jupiter. Also, the twin stars of Castor and Pollux will twinkle nearby. Chart via EarthSky.

How often does Jupiter reach opposition?

Jupiter takes 12 earthly years to orbit the sun once. So, the giant planet comes to opposition roughly every 13 months. By the same token, that’s how long Earth takes to travel once around the sun relative to Jupiter. Therefore, according to our earthly calendars, Jupiter’s opposition comes about a month later each year. Add to that the fact that there are 12 constellations of the zodiac. And there are 12 months in a year. So Jupiter appears in front of a new zodiacal constellation at each year’s opposition (last year, Aries; this year, Taurus).

2023 Jupiter opposition – November 3
2024 Jupiter opposition – December 7
2026 Jupiter opposition – January 10
2027 Jupiter opposition – February 10

Jupiter events in 2024

January 1, 2024: Jupiter was at perihelion or closest point to the sun for 2024.
May 18, 2024: Jupiter was at solar conjunction, or behind the sun as seen from Earth.
October 9, 2024: Jupiter began retrograde motion, that is, westward motion on the sky’s dome, a sign that opposition lay just ahead.
December 6, 2024: Jupiter at perigee, or closest to Earth for 2024.
December 7, 2024: Jupiter at opposition, or opposite the sun as seen from Earth.
February 4, 2025: Jupiter will end retrograde motion, a sign that the best time to observe Jupiter is ending. However, the planet will remain somewhere in the night sky through April 2025. Then it’ll emerge in the morning sky in July 2025.

Two photos of Jupiter side by side with one of them considerably larger, with labels.
A comparison of the apparent size of Jupiter at opposition (December 7, 2024) and when it is most distant from the Earth at solar conjunction (May 18, 2024). Image via Dominic Ford’s In-the-Sky.org. Used with permission.

View from above the solar system, December 2024

Circle with sun at center, planets around, and zodiac names on outer edge.
Heliocentric view of solar system, December 2024. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2024 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

A failed star

Perhaps you know that Jupiter isn’t a rocky planet like Earth. In fact, it’s more like a failed star, not massive enough or hot enough inside to spark thermonuclear fusion reactions, but some 2 1/2 times more massive than all the other planets in our solar system combined. Jupiter is big! But, without that thermonuclear reaction it can’t shine as stars do.

Overall, you’d need some 80 Jupiters – rolled into a ball – to be hot enough inside to spark fusion. So, Jupiter isn’t a star. That is, it doesn’t shine with its own light, but instead by reflected sunlight.

Yet in December 2024 – as bright Jupiter rises in the east opposite the sunset – you can stand on Earth all night and peer toward bright Jupiter in our sky. And indeed, you can imagine that, if the giant planet did have enough mass to shine as stars do, then around Jupiter’s opposition, we’d have no night at all. Instead, Jupiter would shine as a tiny 2nd sun, all night long.

Read more: How to see Jupiter’s moons

Animation showing Earth moving around and around the sun faster than Jupiter.
Jupiter (red) completes one orbit of the sun (center) for every 11.86 orbits of the Earth (blue), since our orbit is smaller, and we move faster! Animation via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).

For precise sun and Jupiter rising times at your location:

Old Farmer’s Almanac (U.S. and Canada)

timeanddate.com (worldwide)

Stellarium (online planetarium program)

In-the-sky information and finder chart for your location

Simple diagram of orbits, showing Earth between an outer planet and the sun.
Opposition happens when Earth flies between an outer planet, like Jupiter, and the sun. Illustration via Chris Peat/ Heavens-Above. Used with permission.
Jupiter with colorful, swirly banded atmosphere, spotted with oval storms. Titles and scale of size.
Jupiter and its stormy atmosphere as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope on September 4, 2021. Image via Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC)/ Michael H. Wong (UC Berkeley)/ Hubblesite.

EarthSky Community Photos

Tan, banded Jupiter rotating, with the big oval red spot crossing it, and two bright dots for moons nearby.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia in Surry, Virginia, created this animation of Jupiter from images captured in the wee hours of October 19, 2023. It’s a beauty! Thank you, Steve. And, if you look closely, you can see Jupiter’s moons Europa and Io, in the upper left and right, respectively. Wow! Read: How to see and enjoy Jupiter’s moons.
Slightly fuzzy large banded planet with small white dot nearby.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Aurelian Neacsu of Visina, Dambovita, Romania, captured this image of Jupiter on August 22, 2023, and wrote: “The bright dot visible on the right bottom corner is not a planet’s satellite; it’s the star Sigma Arietis.” Thank you, Aurelian.

Got a picture of Jupiter? We’d love to see it. Submit them here.

Bottom line: Giant Jupiter is closest to Earth for 2024 on December 6. Then Earth will fly between the sun and Jupiter – bringing Jupiter to opposition – on December 7.

Read more: Jupiter: Closest to the Earth December 6, 2024

Read more: Jupiter’s moons: How to see and enjoy them

Read: Why is Jupiter closest to Earth 1 day before opposition?

The post Earth flies between Jupiter and the sun on December 7 first appeared on EarthSky.



from EarthSky https://ift.tt/BOJir9n

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