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
BREAKING Federal employees will be required to spend 3 days a week in the office
Starting in September, public servants in the core public administration will be required to work in the office a minimum of three days a week. The Treasury Board Secretariat says executives will need to be in the office four days per week.
Concerns about plexiglass prompt inspections at some Loblaws locations in Ottawa
Inspections are underway at more than one Loblaws location in Ottawa after complaints were filed about tall plexiglass barriers.
OPP officer said 'someone's going to get hurt' before wrong-way Hwy. 401 crash
As multiple Durham police cruisers were chasing a robbery suspect on the wrong side of Highway 401 Monday night, an Ontario Provincial Police officer shared his concerns, telling a dispatcher, "Someone's going to get hurt."
Canada's most wanted fugitive arrested in P.E.I. in connection with Toronto homicide
A suspect in a fatal shooting in Toronto’s east end last summer has been arrested in Charlottetown, just one week after he topped a list of Canada’s most wanted fugitives.
Poilievre returns to House unrepentant for calling Trudeau 'wacko,' Speaker not resigning
An unrepentant Pierre Poilievre returned to the House of Commons on Wednesday to pepper the prime minister about his drug decriminalization policies after being booted the day prior for refusing to take back calling Justin Trudeau 'wacko' over his approach to the issue.
Five human skeletons, missing hands and feet, found outside house of Nazi leader Hermann Göring
Archeologists have unearthed the skeletons of five people, missing their hands and feet, at a former Nazi military base in Poland.
Toddler of Phoenix first responder dies after bounce house goes airborne
A two-year-old child died after a strong gust of wind sent the bounce house he was in airborne and into a neighbouring lot in central Arizona, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.
Plane overshoots runway at airport in St. John's, N.L., no injuries reported
Investigators from the Transportation Safety Board of Canada are headed to St. John's, N.L., after a plane overshot a runway at the city's airport this afternoon.
A teen was found buried in a basement in New York. An engraved ring helped police learn her identity two decades later
For more than two decades, the unknown victim was nicknamed "Midtown Jane Doe" because she was found in the Hell's Kitchen neighbourhood of New York City. But this week, investigators finally revealed her identity.