Jupiter: Rising Bright by 10 PM

The King of the Gas Giants is rising again in our night sky. For several months, Jupiter was up at the same time as the Sun, so we couldn't see it in our sky. As Earth orbits the Sun, our view of the other planets changes. Now, Earth and Jupiter are just about on the same side of the Sun, so when it is night on Earth, we can see the Sun's light reflecting off Jupiter. 

Earth is about to lap Jupiter in its orbit. Because Earth is moving in between the Sun and Jupiter, the gas giant is visible in our night sky. Image Credit: ThePlanetsToday.com

Jupiter rises at about 9 PM, and will be bright and easily visible by 10 PM in the east. Look for the brightest object in the east and you have probably found Jupiter. You may get confused by Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky, but it will be higher and more towards the south than Jupiter, and not quite as bright. I'll talk more about Sirius in a future post.

Jupiter is low and bright in the east by 10 PM. Note Sirius a bit higher and towards the southeast. Image credit: Stellarium

As the night moves on, Jupiter will rise higher in the sky, and remain visible until sunrise. It is close to the constellation Leo the Lion now, a spring constellation. You can see lots of pretty pictures of Jupiter in a previous post, here.

Leo is marked by the backwards question mark near Jupiter. Image credit: Stellarium

Jupiter is an enormous gas giant. It is composed almost entirely of hydrogen and helium. If you wanted to land on it, you couldn't! You would descend through layers of clouds until all that air pressure crushed your spaceship. 

Jupiter imaged by Cassini in November of 2003. Image Credit: NASA/JPL/SSI

Speaking of spaceships and Jupiter, NASA is sending a spacecraft to Jupiter! Juno left Earth in 2011, and will arrive in 2016 to study Jupiter's core and magnetic field. You can learn all about Juno in my previous blog post, and by visiting this site. Also, Bill Nye has done a bunch of nifty videos explaining the mission. Watch one below!

 

You can learn more about all the planets in our Solar System by visiting the Dome Planetarium at the Peoria Riverfront Museum. We have a new show in January and February, called Tour the Solar System - Live! We will use our immersive Uniview software to fly through the Solar System, answering your questions along the way. Playing Tuesday-Sunday at 3 PM. 

Also, join us next week for Relax Under the Stars! Take a break from your hectic day to find some serenity under our beautiful starry dome. Free program, Wednesday, January 7, Noon-1 PM.