Monday, September 20, 2010

Jupiter will be Close to Earth at Midnight

JUPITER AT ITS BEST: Tonight, Sept. 20-21

Earth and Jupiter converge for their closest encounter in decades, so says Space Weather. The giant planet will soar across the sky at midnight, outshining everything except the Moon itself.

Jupiter, the 5th Planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System, will remain close to Earth for weeks to come. Tonight is the closest it will be. On September 21, Earth will pass between Jupiter and the Sun. As you can guess, these events – Jupiter near the moon, Jupiter closest to Earth, Earth passing between Jupiter and theSsun – are all related, so says Earth Sky.

Jupiter is closer to Earth than it has been since 1963. Jupiter, at 368 million miles away, won't be this close again for twelve more years.

If you're up at Midnight, look up.

No comments: