Watch Jupitar Up Close On May 8th

Title: Watch Jupiter Up Close On May 8

Source: Dogo News

By: Meera Dolasia

Article Date: May 8th, 2018

               On May 8th, you would’ve been able to see Jupiter up close. The Earth passed in between the sun and Jupiter. This means that Jupiter will rise shortly after the sun sets, and stay up all night. This will be the best time to see this huge planet. Even though Jupiter shined its brightest on May 8th, it will not reach its closest distance to Earth until May 10th. According to the experts at EarthSky, “If our planets orbits were perfect circles, then yes, we’d be closest together on the date Earth passes between Jupiter and the sun. But Earth’s orbit and Jupiter’s orbit are elliptical, like circles someone sat down on.” Jupiter’s 4 moons were also visible- Ganymede, Callisto, Europa, and Lo.

               If you look at Jupiter for a few days or hours, you notice the satellites, which look like tiny dots moving around. This event is similar to when the Earth gets in between the sun and moon, with one exception- while our satellite is in opposition every month. Jupiter only gets to this position every 13 months, so the next time this happens is on June 10th, 2019. The timing is due to the differing speeds of the two planets. It takes the Earth about 12 months to orbit the sun, while it takes Jupiter about 12 years to orbit this star.The planet’s position is not the only reason Jupiter has been making headlines lately. On May 7, NASA released a stunning five-minute video (embedded below) highlighting some of the coolest discoveries made by the Juno spacecraft when it recently flew over Jupiter’s poles. “As it turns out, Jupiter is just the first of three planetary oppositions in store for stargazers this summer. On June 27, keep your eyes peeled for Saturn and its colorful rings, and about a month later, on July 31, Mars will be visible in its full glory. According to astronomers, the Red Planet will come within 35.8 million miles from Earth — the closest it’s been in 15 years — and appear twice as bright as Jupiter! Though the best days to see the various planets is when they are in opposition, they will be visible for a few weeks before and after the events as well.” I hope that I will be able to see other planets becaus I didn’t get to see Jupiter.

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Tweet: Jupiter and its planets were visible up close on May 8th! @ DogoNews#foxmeadowpride EH