Current Astronomy News

Image Credit: Courtesy of NASA/JPL/University of Arizona

Currently, both Jupiter and Saturn are about as close to Earth as they get during the year. On December 3, Saturn reached opposition. At opposition, a planet lies opposite the Sun in Earth's sky. The planet rises at sunset, reaches its highest point in the sky at midnight, and sets at dawn. Jupiter came to opposition on New Year's day. A planet reaches its closest point to Earth on or within a few days of opposition. At opposition, the Sun, Earth, and the outer planet form an imaginary straight line in space.

"Whether using the naked eye or a telescope, the best time to observe Jupiter and Saturn is when they come closest to Earth," says Naeye. "Even through a small telescope, you can easily see Jupiter's four largest moons, along with red, white, and brown parallel bands in the planet's upper atmosphere. Saturn's rings are also easy to see with a telescope. One can usually see several of Saturn's largest moons as well."

Both Jupiter and Saturn are easy to find with the unaided eye. Saturn currently appears as a very bright "star" in the constellation Taurus, near the bright star Aldebaran. Jupiter is even easier to find. It is by far the brightest "star" in the evening sky, and lies in Gemini, near the radiant of the Geminid meteor shower. Saturn rises around sunset, while Jupiter rises nearly two hours later.

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