Jupiter's current right ascension is 21h 46m 27s, and its declination is -14deg 07' 29". (topocentric coordinates computed for the selected location: Greenwich, United Kingdom [change]). The planet is fainter than the star but exhibits a clear orange-white hue due to airglow.
In astronomy, Jupiter is the largest planet in the Solar System. It is also by far the most massive, with more than eleven times the mass of all the other planets combined. Astronomers estimate that if all the matter within Earth's orbit were gathered into a single object, it would be almost as heavy as Jupiter. By comparison, Saturn has approximately nine Earth masses.
The name "Jupiter" comes from the Roman god Jupiter, who was also known as Jupiter Dolichenus ("sky jove" or "jovial sky"). The ancient Greeks called the planet Zeus. Today, some people may be confused about the identity of Jupiter and Saturn because they both have strong bands across the night sky and appear to be different sizes. But Jupiter is actually over 100 times more massive than Saturn!
Astronomers use a scale called the Jansky Scale to measure the brightness of celestial objects. This scale ranges from 1 microjansky (1 uJ) up to 10 nanojanskys (10 nJ).
It is visible in the morning sky from Mountain View, becoming visible at 21:33, when it reaches a height of 7 degrees over your south-eastern horizon. At 02:09, it will reach its greatest position in the sky, 39 degrees above your southern horizon...
| 14 Jul 2020 | – Jupiter at opposition |
|---|---|
| 02 Nov 2023 | – Jupiter at opposition |
Jupiter, a very brilliant planet in our sky, is opposite the sun due to our quicker velocity. As the sun sets behind the western horizon, Jupiter rises in the east.
Its morning star role ends at sunset, when it disappears from view for the night. However, if you're up late watching for meteors, or some other night activity, then you might see it again in the morning.
It's worth mentioning that even though Jupiter is invisible during the day, it doesn't go away completely. It's still there, just covered by sunlight. The only problem is that you can't see it because its surface is mostly made of gas instead of rock and soil. So, the best way to see Jupiter is with the help of a telescope.
The planet was first spotted by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei using a telescope built by himself. Since then, scientists have learned a lot about Jupiter's history and nature thanks to observations made by astronomers all over the world.
Galileo also discovered four more planets while studying the motion of moons around Jupiter. He named them "Medicean Stars" after the Medici family who supported his work.
Learn about your Jupiter sign, or the sign Jupiter was in on any particular day.
| Jupiter Ingresses close to 2020 (2010-2030): | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Time (UTC) | Event |
| May 25, 2024 | 11:15 PM | Jupiter enters Gemini |
| June 9, 2025 | 9:02 PM | Jupiter enters Cancer |
| June 30, 2026 | 5:52 AM | Jupiter enters Leo |
Jupiter's position in the Solar System / NASA. Jupiter is 779 million kilometers (484 million miles) from the sun and takes around 12 years to complete a full orbit around the sun. Its year is about 10 hours long.
Jupiter has four large moons: Io, Ganymede, Europa, and Metis. The largest of these, Jupiter, contains enough hydrogen for which there is no stable isotope. It has a magnetic field around it that is nearly five times as strong as Earth's.
Jupiter was the first planet to be discovered by astronomers using the telescope. It was also the first planet found beyond Earth's orbit. Today, it is still regarded as one of the most important planets because it plays such an important role in determining how many other planets are out there.
In Roman mythology, Jupiter is the god of thunder and king of gods. His symbols are the eagle and the hammer. In English culture, Jupiter is known as the god of luck because he is the first planet to be seen in the morning sky after the Moon has risen.
Jupiter is believed to have been visible even before the invention of the telescope due to its great size compared to the rest of the stars in the night sky.
Jupiter is presently in the Capricorn constellation. The planet reaches its highest point in the sky at midnight on February 16, and drops down to its lowest point at midnight on April 25.
Jupiter is actually below the horizon for half of our day. It rises around 5:30 a.m. EST (12:30 a.m. PST) and sets about 18 hours later. So during those hours it's not visible from Earth.
When it does come up it's usually over some sort of ocean or large body of water. This morning, for example, people across the globe will be able to see Jupiter over the Pacific Ocean. Right now it's shining so brightly that people can see it with their own eyes from nearly 200 miles away!
Astronomers use telescopes to look at objects outside of the Earth's atmosphere. They work by projecting an image onto a screen using light beams called rays. The telescope focuses these rays onto a sensor which converts them into an electronic signal that computers can understand. On its own, this signal isn't enough to make precise measurements; scientists need multiple signals to determine location, direction and speed.
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