Jupiter will be at its brightest Monday. This is how to see it in Ontario.
Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is going to be the closest it has been to Earth in almost 60 years Monday night.
Rachel Ward-Maxwell, Ph.D., Researcher-Programmer, Astronomy & Space Sciences at the Ontario Science Centre told CTV News Toronto the gas giant is at its opposition, which means it is directly opposite the Sun from what we can see on Earth.
“You can think of it kind of like a sandwich. You’ve got the Earth positioned between the Sun and Jupiter, and when Jupiter’s at its closest to us, it looks as though it is one of the brightest objects in our sky,” she said. “Actually, tonight it will be the brightest object in our sky.”
The last time Jupiter was this close to the Earth was 59 years ago, in 1963, and Ward-Maxwell says the next time this will happen will be in 2129.
“The next opposition will occur in November 2023,” Ward-Maxwell said. “But the time when it’s at both its brightest and its closest will be over 100 years until it’s as close as it is now.”
While on Monday night the planet will be at its brightest, stargazers will still be able to see Jupiter shine brilliantly over the next few nights. The planet will even be visible well into early 2023.
HOW CAN I SEE JUPITER?
Jupiter will be visible in the eastern sky shortly after the Sun sets at 7 p.m. EST, according to Ward-Maxwell, and it will get higher and higher in the sky as the night carries on.
However, clear skies and unobstructed views will be best for viewing. According to the Weather Network, the forecast for Toronto calls for rain, and some cloudy skies, starting at around 10 p.m.
Since Jupiter will be so close, you will be able to see it without using a telescope or binoculars. But if you do have either of these, there will be some added bonuses.
“If you do have a good pair of binoculars or a telescope – it doesn’t have to be a very powerful one – even so, you would be able to see some of the details or the features of Jupiter,” Ward-Maxwell said. “Jupiter is a gas giant planet, it has different coloured cloud tops… you can see different cloud bands and different colours and the Great Red Spot, a giant storm on Jupiter.”
Stargazers with binoculars can even see Jupiter’s four largest moons, too.
Outside of Jupiter, Ward-Maxwell says Mars and Saturn will be visible in the sky, though they won’t be as bright.
WHERE CAN I SEE IT?
“Even if you’re in a light-polluted city, it is going to be so bright that you’ll certainly be able to see it brighter than any stars in our main sky,” Ward-Maxwell said.
If you’re planning on seeing Jupiter as the Sun rises or when it’s low in the eastern sky at sunset, finding a spot with a high elevation that isn’t blocked by any surrounding trees or buildings will be key.
Ward-Maxwell recommends going to any nearby park, or if you’re in Toronto, to go to the Beaches by the lake to catch a glimpse of Jupiter.
“I think even if you could go for a walk down the street and find a clear, clear view of the southeastern sky … you’ll be able to spot it,” she said. “You won’t have to go too, too far, because it’s going to be very bright and very high.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.