[지금은 우주] Jupiter is the closest to Earth in 70 years

[아이뉴스24 정종오 기자] Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, is closest to Earth. When Jupiter’s closest approach to Earth in September, Jupiter will reach approximately 587.41560 km from Earth. When Earth and Jupiter are furthest apart, the distance is approximately 965.6 million miles.

This is a phenomenon that occurs because the planets of the solar system have different orbital periods and orbit on elliptical orbits.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said: “Jupiter will be the largest and brightest before and after September 26”. The opposite side of Jupiter from Earth occurs every 13 months. As this cycle coincides with its closest approach to Earth in 70 years, Jupiter appears larger and brighter.

NASA said: “If you use binoculars to observe Jupiter, you can find three or four Galilean moons.” Jupiter has about 70 moons, of which Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto are called Galilean moons.

It was first discovered with a telescope by Galileo Galilei in 1610. On September 26, you can find Jupiter and its moons by finding the brightest light near the moon.

Meanwhile, Juno, the Jupiter probe, will approach Jupiter’s moon Europa on the 29th at a distance of 321 km. Juno has been studying Jupiter’s atmosphere since 2016. The mission has also been extended until 2025.

The “Europa Clipper” project is also promoted. Europa Clipper is a Europa-centric spacecraft, believed to contain liquid water. It will conduct a close-up survey of Europa and investigate whether Europa, an icy satellite with an underground ocean, has the ability to embrace life.

Europa is scheduled to launch in October 2024.

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