STARSTRUCK
Super bright planet will illuminate the sky TONIGHT – best times to spot it
Later this month the Geminid meteor shower will also peak with up to 150 shooting stars per hour
JUPITER is set to peak in brightness tonight, and will be visible all night as its orbit turns to align with Earth.
It won't be shine this bright until next December.
3
3
The planet, the fifth in our solar system, will appear 60° above the horizon tonight (7 December) as it reaches opposition.
All the planets in our solar system orbit around the sun.
At certain points during these orbits, the Earth finds itself directly between the Sun and another planet.
Tonight, it will be Jupiter's turn to be directly facing Earth.
READ MORE ON SPACE
Rising in the east-northeast near the Taurus constellation, Jupiter will be best viewed through a telescope or binoculars for details like the Galilean moons and atmospheric belts.
Jupiter has 95 moons that have been officially recognised.
These rocky satellites will appear as small but bright star-like objects on either side of the planet.
Taurus is one of the most prominent constellations in the Northern Hemisphere's winter sky.
Most read in Science
The zodiac constellation can be found north-east of Orion.
Northern Lights and Perseid meteor shower light up the sky & stun stargazers
If you're struggling to place it in the sky, download a stargazing map app on your iPhone or Android.
The best time to catch a glimpse of the shining planet will be between midnight and 5:30am - when the sky is darkest.
You should give your eyes at least 15 minutes to adjust to the dark so you can see Jupiter's fainter moons
This means you need to put that phone screen down.
Make sure that your star gazing spot also has an unobstructed view of the horizon and above.
Away from treelines or cityscapes is best.
3
Upcoming meteor shower
Later this month, around 14 December, Jupiter will sit between the nearly full moon and Taurus’s brightest star, the orange-tinged Aldebaran.
It's around this time the Geminid meteor shower will also peak with up to 150 shooting stars per hour, albeit under challenging moonlit skies.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Between 14 and 15 December, plenty of bright meteors - with streaking light trains - will be visible to the naked eye.
However, they will peak when the moon is full, so the viewing conditions won't be favourable.
All you need to know about planets in our solar system
Our solar system is made up of nine planets with Earth the third closest to the Sun. But each planet has its own quirks, so find out more about them all...
- How old is Earth? Plus other facts on our planet
- How many moons does Mercury have?
- What colour is Venus?
- How far away is Mars to Earth? And other facts on the red planet
- How big is Jupiter?
- How many moons does Saturn have?
- Does Uranus have rings?
- How many moons does Neptune have?
- How big is Pluto?
- How hot is the Sun?
Topics