The mighty "king" of the planets - Jupiter - makes itself readily visible to those who are in search for it. But to those who particularly want to see it a bit closer, scientists have revealed that next week would a good time to look up the sky to catch a glimpse of this giant ball of gas. The planet along with its moons will be seen from the Earth's atmosphere even without a telescope. Jupiter will be closest to Earth than any other given time for the rest of the year.
NASA, in their most recent post online, gave people some skywatching tips to start the month of June.
"Jupiter is at its brightest and biggest this month. It will be rising at dust and will remain visible the whole night," according to the NASA post. Jupiter will be its closest distance to Earth this year by the middle of the month. While it remains to be very far away from the Earth considering its lightyear distance, people should be able to spot Jupiter and some of its moons even with just a pair of binoculars as it enters its period of opposition exactly June 10 of this year.
"The Jupiter, being the largest planet in the Milky Way galaxy will look like a gem in the night sky. Through binoculars, it will look even more fantastic because you will get to see four of its moons. When you get lucky, you might also be able to see the banded clouds that seem to circle around the planet," NASA explains.
NASA added that while Jupiter may only be this close to Earth for one night, the month of June remains to be a prime month for looking up the sky and seeing Jupiter look like it's close by. Jupiter will be reaching its opposition on June 10. This is the yearly occurrence when all three -- Jupiter, the Earth and the Sun -- are lined up in a straight line. The Earth remains in the middle.
"It's the best time to look up for Jupiter because it will be there the whole night. This year, this is the only time Jupiter will be in its closest distance to Earth," NASA explains.
A pair of binoculars could come in handy at this time. However, if you have a telescope for a hobby of skywatching, you're sure to get a better look of the amazing planet that it is.
