Jupiter at Opposition

Don’t miss a chance to observe the largest planet in our Solar system! On June 10, 2019, Jupiter reaches opposition. Gas giant will be well placed for observation all night long. After sunset, look for the bright planet shining at magnitude 2.6 in the constellation Ophiuchus.

In astronomy, two celestial objects are said to be in opposition when they are on opposite sides of the celestial sphere, as observed from Earth. On June 10, Jupiter will be exactly opposite the Sun, reaching its highest point in the sky at around midnight. Opposition marks the middle of the best time of year to see a planet. This also means that Jupiter will rise in the east and dominate the sky throughout the June night, after the Sun sets in the west.

At around the same time that Jupiter passes opposition, it makes its closest approach to the Earth which makes the planet’s disk appear at its brightest and largest for the year. The exact date of Jupiter at its closest this year is June 12.

Around opposition, Jupiter and its four large Galilean moons frequently eclipse and occult one another. Those moons alternately cast small round black shadows on the Jovian cloud tops and vanish behind the giant planet.

With our comprehensive astronomy guide Star Walk 2 you will easily identify any object in the sky, find out the exact time of the celestial event for your location, view objects in 3D and learn a lot of additional information.

Keep looking up and explore the sky with Star Walk 2!