Jupiter opposition 2024 key facts<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>

Best time to see:<\/strong> 7 December, 00:00 UT<\/li>
Altitude:<\/strong> 59\u00b0<\/li>
Location:<\/strong> Taurus<\/li>
Direction:<\/strong> South<\/li>
Features:<\/strong> Complex atmosphere, Galilean moons<\/li>
Recommended equipment:<\/strong> 75mm scope or larger<\/li> <\/ul> <\/div>

Credit: Pete Lawrence <\/figcaption> <\/figure> <\/div> <\/div>
Observing Jupiter in December 2024<\/strong><\/h2>
December\u2019s long nights offer an opportunity to observe a full rotation of Jupiter, the planet spinning once on its axis in just under 10 hours.<\/p>
It\u2019s a bit of a marathon to do this, but fascinating to devote an entire night to observing Jupiter.<\/p>
It really allows you to connect with the planet, your eyes noticing every nuance of its complex atmosphere delivered by your telescope.<\/p>
$\"Chart$
Chart showing the location of Jupiter in Taurus during its opposition, December 2024. Credit: Pete Lawrence <\/figcaption> <\/figure>
If you\u2019re able to image or sketch a full rotation, software such as WinJUPOS (freeware) will allow you to build a full surface map.<\/p>
Of course, in order to observe a full rotation, you\u2019ll need to be lucky with the weather.<\/p>
Find out more in our guide on how to photograph Jupiter<\/a> and how to sketch Jupiter<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>
$\"The$
The freeware program WinJUPOS can also be used to predict upcoming Jupiter moon events. <\/figcaption> <\/figure>
Jupiter opposition 2024 observing highlights<\/strong><\/h2>
There are a number of interesting Jovian moon encounters this month to look out for too.<\/p>
Near opposition, a moon will appear to pass across Jupiter\u2019s disc in line with its shadow.<\/p>
The alignment is normally displaced north or south, depending where Jupiter is in its seasons and it\u2019s rare to get a moon and its shadow transiting precisely at opposition.<\/p>
$\"Double$
Double Transit of Ganymede and Io over Jupiter by Houssem Ksontini, Tunis, Tunisia. <\/figcaption> <\/figure>
Despite this, the transit of Ganymede and its shadow on the evening of 8 December will appear to have both of them virtually touching.<\/p>
The full Moon (the Moon technically also at opposition) joins Jupiter on the evening of 14 December, the pair separated by just 4.6 earlier in the evening.<\/p>
On 31 December 2024, Jupiter sits 5.8\u00b0 northeast of Aldebaran<\/a>, with the Hyades <\/a>and Pleiades <\/a>open clusters nearby.<\/p>
The planet reaches its peak altitude of 60\u00b0 all month long under truly dark sky conditions.<\/p>
If you observe or photograph Jupiter at opposition, let us know by emailing contactus@skyatnightmagazine.com<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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By Pete Lawrence Published: Wednesday, 27 November 2024 at 14:53 PM Magnificent Jupiter is ablaze in the December night sky. Reaching opposition on 7 December, Jupiter shines brightly at mag. \u20132.7 located against the stars of Taurus the Bull and is visible all night long. In this guide we’ll reveal how to make the best […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":66085,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":{"readingTimeMinutes":"3"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/11\/jupiter-is-currently-wonderful-in-the-night-sky-on-7-december-youll-get-to-see-the-gas-giant-at-its-best.jpg",1200,1200,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/11\/jupiter-is-currently-wonderful-in-the-night-sky-on-7-december-youll-get-to-see-the-gas-giant-at-its-best-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/11\/jupiter-is-currently-wonderful-in-the-night-sky-on-7-december-youll-get-to-see-the-gas-giant-at-its-best-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/11\/jupiter-is-currently-wonderful-in-the-night-sky-on-7-december-youll-get-to-see-the-gas-giant-at-its-best-768x768.jpg",768,768,true],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/11\/jupiter-is-currently-wonderful-in-the-night-sky-on-7-december-youll-get-to-see-the-gas-giant-at-its-best-1024x1024.jpg",800,800,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/11\/jupiter-is-currently-wonderful-in-the-night-sky-on-7-december-youll-get-to-see-the-gas-giant-at-its-best.jpg",1200,1200,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/77\/2024\/11\/jupiter-is-currently-wonderful-in-the-night-sky-on-7-december-youll-get-to-see-the-gas-giant-at-its-best.jpg",1200,1200,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"By Pete Lawrence Published: Wednesday, 27 November 2024 at 14:53 PM Magnificent Jupiter is ablaze in the December night sky. Reaching opposition on 7 December, Jupiter shines brightly at mag. \u20132.7 located against the stars of Taurus the Bull and is visible all night long. In this guide we’ll reveal how to make the best…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/66084"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66085"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcskyatnight\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

Jupiter opposition 2024 key facts<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3> Best time to see:<\/strong> 7 December, 00:00 UT<\/li> Altitude:<\/strong> 59\u00b0<\/li> Location:<\/strong> Taurus<\/li> Direction:<\/strong> South<\/li> Features:<\/strong> Complex atmosphere, Galilean moons<\/li>