JAKARTA (Lenteratoday) – This week we can see the planet Jupiter in a state of the naked eye. Because, the planet is in its greatest and brightest moment. This phenomenon is called Jupiter opposition.
Jupiter Opposition is the time when Jupiter, Earth and the Sun are in a straight line. The opposition to Jupiter is the same as the opposition phase of the Moon or full moon, so Jupiter can be seen at its brightest when viewed from Earth.
Quoting from Pussaina Lapan, the peak of Jupiter’s opposition occurred at 07.53 WIB / 08.53 WITA / 09.53 WIT with an apparent magnitude of -2.9. Jupiter’s angular width at opposition is 0.82 arc minutes at a distance of 4.013 sa or 600.3 million kilometers from Earth.
Unfortunately, Jupiter is still below the horizon during opposition when observed in Indonesia, so it can only be observed from the East-Southeast to West-Southwest direction from before sunset to after sunrise.
In addition to Jupiter’s opposition, the gas giant planet is in a position directly opposite the sun and Earth’s sky on August 19.
This is related to the conjunction Triple Moon-Saturn-Jupiter. This phenomenon lasts for five days from 19 to 23 August. It can be seen from the East-Southeast from 20-45 minutes after sunset until 3.00-4.30 local time from the West-Southwest direction.
Jupiter’s brightness is constant at 2.87 while Saturn’s brightness varies from +0.31 to +0.33. The Moon is in the phase of a Big Moon (Early Bump) to a Shrinking Moon (Late Bump) when in conjunction with Jupiter and Saturn.
“August is probably the best time of year to enjoy seeing Jupiter and Saturn, as the two planets reach lunar opposition this month,” NASA said.
Quoting from space.com Friday (20/08/2021) about how to find the two planets which are also in close proximity in the sky.
If you look to the southeast, Jupiter is directly above the moon on Saturday (21/8/2021). Incidentally, the full moon of August is called the “Blue Moon” because of the unclear scheduling rules that have nothing to do with color.
To see Jupiter, look to the left of the full moon (or right, if you’re using a telescope) and you’ll see two bright spots a few degrees apart along the path of the planet’s moon in our sky. Saturn will be just to the left of the moon, and Jupiter will be a little further to the left from the moon.
Not only Saturn and Jupiter. Pluto and Neptune will also show their presence throughout the month of August. Pluto will be very faint (seen only in medium-sized telescopes), but just above the moon on August 19. Neptune will also be dim and low in the southeastern sky. However, Neptune will be to the left of the moon on August 22 and you might catch a glimpse of it with a telescope.
In the coming weeks, Jupiter will remain highly visible. To find the arrowhead-shaped constellation, look for the Summer Triangle star pattern and draw a line from Vega (fifth brightest star in the night sky) through Altair (twelfth brightest star in the night sky) to the lower southern sky.
If you have a telescope, Sky & Telescope recommends looking for the 4 largest jovian or “Galilean” stars (Callisto, Europa, Io, and Ganymede) on the night of August 24 to 25, when the moons line up on either side of Jupiter.
“Small telescopes will clearly show all of the Galilean ducks and their twists and turns around Jupiter’s hen,” explains Sky & Telescope.
“Slightly larger instruments, in the 4 to 6 inch range, will reveal the shadows the moons cast as they transit in front of the planet, as well as disappearance and reappearance on the branches before and after they were bewitched by Jupiter. Ganymede, the largest moon, casts the darkest and easiest-to-see shadows, while Europa, the smallest moon, requires more concentration.” (Ist).
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