Jupiter Moves Closest to Earth Tonight …Its Moons Seen with Binoculars

USA Today/

Skywatchers, Monday night is your best chance of the year to see the biggest planet in our solar system.

That’s when Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth in 2019. 

This annual event is officially known as “opposition,” when Jupiter, Earth and the sun are arranged in a straight line with Earth in the middle, according to NASA.

Jupiter will be visible with the naked eye as it rises in the east at sunset and climbs high through the sky all night, before setting in the west as the sun rises Tuesday.

Using a telescope or binoculars, you’ll also be able to spot four of Jupiter’s moons on both sides of the planet.

“You can pretend you’re Galileo and rediscover its four brightest moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto,” Sky & Telescope reported. 

Jupiter will shine more brightly than any star in the evening sky and is the second-brightest planet, after Venus According to Astronomy.com. However, Venus will only shine for a short while before sunrise while Jupiter stays out all night long.

But if you’re also out and about later in the week, Jupiter will still be plenty big in the sky: “Although opposition takes place on a specific date, the entire month or so around opposition is an equally good time to observe the planet,” NASA said.

The best time to observe the planet is when it’s highest in the sky – around midnight local time, AccuWeather said. 

Jupiter comes to opposition about every 13 months, EarthSky said. 

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jupiter will be so close tonight, its moons will be visible with binoculars

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