Jupiter spectacle for earthlings on April 8
Jupiter will be seen at its brightest and biggest on the morning of April 8 in Thailand, as it would be at its closest to Earth, according to the Science and Technology Ministry's National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT).
The Jupiter on April 8 will be visible to the naked eye from sundown to sunrise, and would be at its brightest at 4.28am (local time) as it would be at its closest to Earth at 667 million kilometres, said NARIT deputy director Saran Poshyachinda.
The agency has arranged equipments at four main locations – in Bangkok's Paragon shopping mall, Chiang Mai's Sirindhorn Observatory, Nakhon Ratchasima's Thai National Observatory (TNO) Nakhon Ratchasima and Chachoengsao's TNO to watch this phenomenon from 6pm to 10pm.
NARIT's over 175 networking schools nationwide would also join in hosting the Jupiter observation.
During this Jupiter Opposition, when the largest planet in our solar system would be on the opposite side of the sun, people who observe through binoculars and small telescopes would be able to clearly see four of Jupiter's moons and Jupiter's own complex atmospheric details.