Celestial kiss: Jupiter moves closest to the Earth in nearly 6 decades on Tuesday
The solar system’s largest planet, Jupiter, will be shining bright in the night sky on Tuesday as it moves closest to the Earth in 59 years.
The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (Narit) said on Saturday that for the first time since October 1963, Jupiter will be just 591 million kilometres away from our planet.
After sundown on Tuesday, a “very bright” Jupiter will be visible in the eastern skies until sunrise if there are no clouds, Narit said on its Facebook page.
If stargazers use a four-inch telescope with a magnification of at least 30 times, they will even get to see the ring of tiny dust particles around Jupiter as well as its four major moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
The “big four” are collectively called “Galilean moons” as they were discovered over four centuries ago by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei.
Narit is holding a stargazing event in four locations across the country that people can join to spot Jupiter and its Galilean moons from 6pm to 10pm on Tuesday.
The event will be held at Princess Sirindhorn Astropark in Chiang Mai, Nakhon Ratchasima Observatory, Chachoengsao Observatory, and Songkhla Observatory. Entrance is free.
Narit is also working with about 560 schools across the country to make telescopes freely available for this rare celestial event. The agency will also live-stream Jupiter’s movements on its Facebook page from 7pm onwards.
