NEW DELHI: In a celestial retreat, skygazers will have a rare opportunity to watch Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, from close quarters tonight.
The giant planet will make its closest approach to the Earth on Friday night, February 6.
The phenonmemon is called Jupiter’s Opposition by scientists. In this phenomenon the planet comes closest to the earth on its opposition date when earth passes more or less between the Sun and the Jupiter.
According to the Planetary Society of India, skywatchers can see the planet at its brightest with naked eyes in the evening till February 23.
For people who want to watch it in morning, the planet can be seen with naked eyes in the opposite direction of sunrise. However, using binoculars or a telescope will give better visibility.
The gas giant was the fifth planet from the Sun and orbits it every 12 years and rotates every ten hours, making it the fastest-spinning planet in the solar system.
NASA has sent a new spacecraft named Juno to Jupiter, which would arrive at the planet’s orbit in 2016.
