Jupiter will take center stage in the sky this month as it nears opposition to the sun. At opposition, expected on Oct. 29, Jupiter shines opposite the sun in our sky. Jupiter will rise in the eastern sky at sunset, stay out all night long and set in the west at sunrise. The Earth in its orbit swings between the sun and Jupiter on Friday night (Oct. 28). Skywatchers may be able to view Jupiter and some of its moons with a modest telescope this weekend.
CREDIT: Jean-Luc Dauvergne
This means the giant planet will be up all night, rising in the east at sunset and soaring overhead at midnight. Jupiter at opposition shines ~36 times brighter than a 1st magnitude star, so it’s easy to find.
Oppositions of Jupiter occur roughly every 13 months. It takes the gas giant much longer to circle the sun than it does Earth — about 11.9 Earth years. Periodically, Earth overtakes Jupiter, crossing between that planet and the sun, to create opposition.
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