![]() ![]() And there are times when we can’t see Jupiter at all. So, there are better and worse times to view Jupiter. At the farthest, we are over 600 million miles apart, which would be when Jupiter is on the other side of the Sun from the Earth. At our closest, we are a little less than 400 million miles apart. ![]() And since Earth circles the Sun faster, the distance between Jupiter and the earth is constantly changing. Jupiter and the Earth travel in elliptical orbits, meaning they are not perfect circles. ![]() Why isn’t Jupiter always visible in the night sky?Īll the planets orbit the Sun, however, their orbit periods differ. But Jupiter’s clouds present a very interesting show. So when we observe Jupiter we are looking at the gaseous outer layer of Jupiter. As far as we know there is no solid surface beneath the cloud tops of Jupiter. Jupiter is called a gas giant because it is composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. Relative to Earth it is the next planet out after Mars. So, Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun. We will also discuss stargazing tools to enhance the experience and challenges we face when observing Jupiter.įirst, let’s take a look at where Jupiter lies in the scheme of the 8 planets. We will consider what can be seen and what to look for as you observe. We will learn a little about Jupiter, then we will discuss observing Jupiter with your binoculars and with a telescope. Jupiter is huge! And it is easily observed even with a small telescope. In fact, you could take the seven other planets and put them all inside Jupiter and there would be room to spare. Jupiter’s diameter is approximately eleven times that of the Earth. Jupiter is often called the king of the planets because it is the largest of the eight planets. ![]()
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