Another celestial occurrence is expected to astound stargazers years after the big conjunction, when Jupiter and Saturn lined up exactly in the sky above Earth.
Tonight, as Jupiter reaches planetary opposition, it will be at its closest point to Earth in 59 years. Despite the fact that Jupiter’s planetary opposition occurs every 13 months, this closeness to Earth is unusual.
On a cosmic scale, Jupiter will only be 59,06,29,248 kilometres away from Earth when it is at its closest. It was this close before back in 1963. This incredibly unusual occurrence won’t occur again for roughly 107 years. That won’t happen while any of us are here, therefore tonight’s opposition is crucial.
At its closest, Jupiter will be just over 59 billion kilometres from Earth; at its farthest, it will be 96,56,06,400 kilometres. The largest planet in the solar system will look larger and brighter in the skies above Earth as Jupiter gets closer.
A planetary opposition is a rare occurrence that occurs when an astronomical object rises in the east and sets in the west, putting the object and the Sun on opposite sides of the Earth, according to Nasa.
The planet, which takes more than 11 years to orbit the Sun once, will be directly opposite the Sun during this time, making it one of the brightest celestial objects as seen from Earth.
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