As the nights draw in and the Sun begins to set earlier each day, the autumn months can offer excellent stargazing opportunities, without the chill of winter.
Jupiter will go into opposition on 26 September this year, but what exactly does it mean when we say a planet is in opposition? How can you spot Jupiter in opposition? And, which constellation will Jupiter appear in? Answers to these, and more, are below.
If you’re still able to enjoy the warm weather and (relatively) clear nights, why not make the most of them with our full Moon UK calendar and astronomy for beginners guide? And, in case you missed it, we pulled together the best pictures of the Harvest Moon in 2022.
What is opposition?
Opposition is essentially the planetary equivalent of a full Moon. When a planet is close to the Earth, and on the opposite side of Earth to the Sun, we describe it as that planet being in opposition. The sunlight that shines on the planet is fully reflected, in the same way that sunlight is fully reflected from the Moon every 29.53 days in the lunar cycle.
As the outer planets orbit around the Sun, Earth occasionally finds itself between the Sun and another planet, with all three directly aligned. Oppositions can often provide the best opportunity to observe and photograph a particular planet because of its favourable position and brightness.
At Jupiter’s opposition, Earth will lie directly between Jupiter and the Sun, and will remain in the sky above the horizon for most of the night.
Only those planets that are beyond Earth’s orbit can be in opposition, these are Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Because Mercury and Venus orbit the Sun inside the path of Earth’s orbit, they can never be in opposition.
When is Jupiter in opposition?
Jupiter will reach opposition on Monday 26 September 2022, when it will be at its closest and brightest for the year, essentially creating a ‘full’ Jupiter. The king of the Solar System will rise as sunset falls, at 6:52pm on Monday 26 September and will remain above the horizon until it sets at 6:57am on Tuesday 27 September 2022, as viewed from London (times will vary with location).
Weather permitting, we are expected to be offered perfect visibility of Jupiter. When Jupiter reaches opposition, the gas giant will be situated approximately 591.3 million kilometres (3.95 AU) from Earth.
What will you be able to see?
For naked-eye observers, Jupiter will appear as a very bright point of light that, unlike stars, does not twinkle. A decent set of binoculars (7× to 10x magnification) will provide you with a view of Jupiter’s four largest moons, Ganymede, Europa, Callisto and Io, and a telescope will allow you to view Jupiter’s stripes.
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Jupiter’s bands, the Great Red Spot and even clouds can be seen through a telescope. Jupiter has a fast spin, and eagle eyes may even be able to spot the resulting slightly squashed appearance of its bright disc.
From around 6:52pm on Monday 26 September, Jupiter will rise in the eastern sky, in the constellation Pisces. As night progresses, the planet will travel east and reach its highest in the middle of the night before setting at sunrise, disappearing below the horizon at 6:57am the next day.
If you’re interested in astrophotography or creating an animation of Jupiter, expert Pete Lawrence has put together this handy guide on how to make a planetary animation.
How can I spot Jupiter in the night sky?
Jupiter is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, which makes it relatively easy to spot, even without a telescope. If you’re struggling with orientation, then there are astronomy apps that you can download – all you need to do is point your phone at the sky and the app will tell you what’s what.
For those of you who prefer star hopping, look towards the southeast after sunset. Jupiter will rise in the constellation Pisces, which can be seen anywhere in the world, with the exception of Antarctica. Although Pisces is a large constellation, its stars are relatively dim. However, its distinctive V-shape is one of the largest star formations in the sky.
You can find Pisces by first locating the Summer Triangle, and tracing an imaginary line from the bright star Vega and splitting the triangle perpendicular to the base, which is made up of Altair and Deneb. This line points to the head of the western fish in Pisces. Jupiter will be sitting just below the western fish.
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How often do oppositions occur?
Jupiter’s 12-year cycle
Jupiter lies within the zodiac band of the sky, and it moves through approximately 1/12 of its orbit every year (a single orbit being around 12 years).
In other words, it takes around 12 months for Jupiter to cross one of the zodiac constellations and move on to the next. This means that Jupiter goes into opposition every 13 months, and the planet will pass through all of the zodiac constellations over a period of 12 years.
Like the other planets, Jupiter travels from west to east across the night sky, against a backdrop of stars and distant galaxies. However, when it’s in opposition, the planet also enters into a period of apparent retrograde motion, when it appears to move backwards for a time.
Here are the constellations that Jupiter will appear in over the next 12-year cycle:
- 26 September 2022: Pisces
- 1 November 2023: Aries
- 6 December 2024: Taurus
- 9 January 2026: Gemini
- 10 February 2027: Leo
- 13 March 2028: Virgo
- 13 April 2029: Virgo
- 14 May 2030: Libra
- 16 June 2031: Ophiuchus
- 20 July 2032: Sagittarius
- 25 August 2033: Aquarius
- 2 October 2034: Back in Pisces
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