The largest planet in the solar system Jupiter will run to the closest position to the earth during this rendezvous cycle. Wang Kechao, director of science popularization at the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, introduced that the "meeting" between Jupiter and the earth is about 3.95 astronomical unit , which is about 591 million kilometers. What's going on when Jupiter "meets" with the Earth? What does it have to do with the well-known " Jupiter opposition "? The popular science experts from the Purple Mountain Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences will help you solve your doubts one by one.
Jupiter is the fifth closest planet to the sun and the largest planet in the solar system. Its mass is about 2.5 times the sum of other planets in the solar system. This huge mass produces powerful gravity, allowing it to capture many asteroids passing near its orbit, comets . Jupiter is therefore called the "big broom" in the solar system, and to a certain extent, it has become the "protector" to clear the invading celestial bodies of the earth.
Wang Kechao introduced that Jupiter and the earth revolve around the sun, and their distances are sometimes far and sometimes close. The rendezvous period of these two planets is 399 days, or about 13 months. In each cycle, Jupiter and Earth will usher in a "meeting". However, since the orbits of the two orbits around the sun are elliptical and have an inclination, the closest distance between the Earth and Jupiter will be different during each rendezvous period.
Following the "meeting" of the wooden ground on the 26th, Jupiter will face the opposition to the sun at 3:33 on the 27th. External planets like Jupiter are bright for a period of time around the day and have a large diameter, which is suitable for observation, and feel that they are somewhat close to the "meeting" of the wood. "But in fact, the time when the closest distance between the sun and the wooden ground is different." Wang Kechao said that the so-called "sun" refers to the time when the opioid elongation of Jupiter and the sun's center is 180 degrees apart, that is, the time when the earth and Jupiter orbit around the sun and move to the same side of the sun, approximately in a straight line. This moment is closer to the moment when Jupiter and Earth "meet", but it is not consistent.
This year, Jupiter oppositions to the sun, Jupiter is located near the perihelion point, which means that Jupiter is closer to the earth and looks bigger and brighter, and interested public can watch it.
Source | Xinhua News Agency
Editor | Wu Anqi
Editor:
Source: Xinhua News Agency
