06/14/2019 – Ephemeris – Jupiter at opposition

Ephemeris for Monday, June 10th. Today the Sun will be up for 15 hours and 30 minutes, setting at 9:27, and it will rise tomorrow at 5:56. The Moon, at first quarter today, will set at 2:59 tomorrow morning.

The planet Jupiter now rises around sunset. Today at 11:11 a.m. it will be officially in opposition from the Sun. This isn’t some conflict, but the simple fact that Jupiter will be opposite the Sun in our sky. It then becomes an evening planet and for this summer will become a dazzling fixture in our evening sky. Jupiter is the second brightest planet after Venus, which is now in the morning Sun’s twilight glare. Watch for it in Wednesday’s planet report. Though the second brightest planet Jupiter by far is the largest planet and an easy planet to view in a small telescope. It’s mass exceeds the combined masses of all the other planets times two. Currently NASA’s Juno spacecraft is orbiting it.

The times given are for the Traverse City/Interlochen area of Michigan. They may be different for your location.

Addendum

Jupiter is the largest planet.  Its average distance from the Sun is 5.2 astronomical units (AU) from the Sun or 5.2 times the Earth’s distance from the Sun.  Here is how its size changes from conjunction with the Sun to opposition.

The apparent size difference between Jupiter at conjunction and at opposition as seen in a telescope. The Jupiter at opposition is its appearance tonight. Click on the image to enlarge. Created using Cartes du Ciel (Sky Charts).