or Month of September is about to end with a key – astronomical – of gold. This Sunday (25) takes place one of the most anticipated cosmic events: the opposition of Jupiter, which will be super-illuminated and also the closest to Earth in this century.
It is the perfect opportunity to observe the planet, with the naked eye or with telescopes, and, above all, to make beautiful recordings.
Which is?
The opposition is when a celestial body is positioned on the opposite side of the Sun (with respect to the Earth, which is between the two bodies). This is often the best time to observe any planet.
What makes this opposition even more special is that in September Jupiter also makes its closest approach to Earth in the 21st century, arriving at “only” 590.3 million kilometers from us.
Its visible face will be fully illuminated by the Sun, which shines at a magnitude of about -3 (for comparison purposes, Venus shines at -5 and the full Moon at -13).
As a result, it will appear larger and brighter than at any other time in the past 22 years.