Jupiter at opposition: visible tonight at its brightest

Jupiter reaches opposition this evening and will appear at its biggest and brightest in the eastern sky; binoculars can reveal its four largest moons and the Great Red Spot.

The wolf moon has lit winter nights across Ynys Môn, and as that moon wanes Jupiter has reached opposition and is unusually prominent this evening. Opposition means Earth lies between Jupiter and the sun, so the planet appears larger and brighter than usual. Jupiter rises in the east and outshines nearly every star. The article contrasts the glowing Moon with the planet’s strong presence in the night sky. Key facts: - Jupiter is at opposition, which places Earth roughly between the planet and the sun. - The planet rises in the east and is exceeded in brightness among stars only by Sirius. - Jupiter’s volume is said to equal about 1,300 Earths; the article describes an atmosphere about 1,000 km thick above a layer of liquid hydrogen roughly 20,000 km deep. - A Jovian day lasts under 10 hours, and winds of nearly 1,450 km/h produce banding and long-lived storms such as the Great Red Spot, which is reported as about three times the diameter of Earth and visible through binoculars. - Binoculars can reveal Jupiter’s four largest moons — Callisto, Ganymede, Europa and Io — first observed by Galileo in 1610; Io is noted as roughly the size of Earth’s moon and highly volcanically active. Summary: Jupiter’s opposition this evening makes it unusually prominent in the eastern sky and increases its apparent size and brightness. The coverage notes that binoculars can show the planet’s major moons and that the Great Red Spot is visible through modest optics. Undetermined at this time.