Jupiter reaches its biggest and brightest in nearly 60 years

In 2022, Jupiter reaches opposition — the point in its orbit opposite the Sun as seen from Earth — on Sept. 26. It’s also the giant planet’s closest approach to Earth since October 1963. On the 26th, Jupiter will blaze at magnitude –2.9, making it the brightest starlike object until Venus rises shortly before sunrise.

If you can’t observe Jupiter exactly at opposition because of a personal commitment or clouds, don’t fret. You’ll have plenty of time to see the king of the planets while it’s big and bright: At no time from July 20 through Dec. 3 does its magnitude dip below –2.6.

On its opposition date, Jupiter sports an apparent diameter of 49.9", which is quite close to its greatest possible size of 50.1". And between the two dates above, its apparent size is at least 43". So, now is the time to set up your telescope, crank up the power, and observe Jupiter and its moons in all their glory.

Moving right along

Jupiter first entered Pisces in mid-April; then, from late June until early September, it crossed in front of some stars in the northwestern corner of the constellation Cetus the Whale before returning to Pisces. This whole region lacks any bright stars, so it will provide a huge contrast to Jupiter’s brilliance. In fact, the nearest 1st-magnitude star, Fomalhaut (Alpha [α] Piscis Austrini), lies nearly 35° away.

Crank up the power

Through a telescope, Jupiter shows more detail than any other celestial object except the Moon. Even a 2-inch scope will show the planet’s four largest moons. The moons look like bright stars flanking Jupiter and can form some unusual arrangements.

When you turn your gaze back to the planet, insert an eyepiece that provides a magnification around 100x, and the first details you’ll notice will be a pair of dark stripes oriented parallel to the planet’s equator. These stripes — one above and one below Jupiter’s equator — are the North and South Equatorial Belts. Through larger telescopes and with higher magnifications, more belts and zones come into view. Planetary observers call the light-colored bands zones and the darker ones belts.

Full article at Astronomy.com