About to be a bit closer and brighter than normal is Jupiter, the gas giant and largest planet in our solar system. It is named after the Roman god of the sky, who ruled over the entire world with his terrifying thunderbolt.
Jupiter will be the closest to Earth of the year on Friday, December 6, when it is 380 million miles away. However, that’s still quite a distance: It is equal to more than 15,260 circumnavigations of the Earth’s equator. Additionally, it’s not as near as it could be: Jupiter passed close 367 million miles of Earth in 2022 and 1963.
Jupiter will be in opposition the following day, which means that the Earth will be in the center of its perfect alignment with the Sun. Jupiter will be blazing brighter than it does at any other time of year since the sun will be directly overhead.
“The bright planet will be rising around 4:20 p.m. on Dec. 7; people in Oregon should look to the southeast horizon to find it,” said Jim Todd, director of space science education at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. into the evening, the planet will travel southward in the sky and remain visible into the night.
It might be an excellent night to see the stars because a crescent moon will set at 11:21 p.m. The Geminid meteor shower, which peaks on the evening of December 13, coincides with Jupiter’s opposition.
If the weather holds, that is. Although Oregon has seen beautiful skies this week, the National Weather Service predicts rain or clouds for the entire state on Friday and Saturday evenings. The far southeast region of the state appears to have the best prognosis, with only partially overcast sky expected there.
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–Jamie Hale co-hosts the Peak Northwest podcast and writes about travel and the outdoors. You may contact him at [email protected], 503-294-4077, or HaleJamesB.
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