Source | Xinhua Viewpoint
Poster production: Feng Juan
The most anticipated astronomical phenomena in September will be staged soon. According to astronomical popular science experts, Tianyu will usher in , Jupiter opposition to the sun, , on the 27th. During this time of sun conflict, Jupiter is just around the perihelion point (the point closest to the sun in the orbit of Jupiter orbiting the sun), which means that Jupiter is closer to the earth and looks bigger and brighter.
This is a close-up of Jupiter taken by Liu Dongyu in Mentougou, Beijing on September 12, 2022. (Photo provided by me)
As one of the most easily observed celestial bodies with the naked eye, the colorful Jupiter in the telescope's field of view is deeply loved by astronomical enthusiasts. Jupiter is the fifth closest planet to the sun, and it is also the largest and fastest-rotating planet in the solar system. Because the revolution cycle of is about 12 years, it was called " year-old star " in ancient China, which is also the main origin of the concept of " twelve earthly branches " in Chinese traditional culture .
As of now, among the more than 5,000 exoplanets (exoplanets refer to planets orbiting other stars outside the sun), most of them are gas planets like Jupiter - they do not have a hard rock shell like the Earth, and their surface is wrapped with dense hydrogen and helium elements.
htmlOn the 227th, this huge gas planet's performance in the night sky will usher in the climax - Jupiter opposition to the sun. Jupiter opposition to the sun means that Jupiter and the sun are just on both sides of the earth. The three are almost in a straight line. On that day, the side of Jupiter illuminated by the sun will completely face the earth.
Schematic diagram of Jupiter's opposition day: Hu Yanzhu
Director of Tianjin Science Popularization Writers Association and Member of the Beijing Astronomical Society Liu Dongyu introduced that Jupiter's opposition day is not a rare astronomical phenomenon, because the junction period of Jupiter and the earth is about 399 days, which also means that Jupiter's opposition day will be once every 13 months or so.
People can see Jupiter, mainly because Jupiter reflects sunlight, so its brightness is largely affected by its distance from the earth. Since September, Jupiter's brightness has been increasing. During the period around the day of the conflict, Jupiter can reach about -2.94 when it is brightest.
Beijing astronomy enthusiast Zhang Guolin took on September 11, 2022 at Kaisa Beach, Suizhong, Liaoning. (Photo provided by me)
"If the weather is clear, Jupiter will definitely be the bright star that cannot be ignored that night. It rises from the southeast before dusk, and falls in the southwest before dawn, and can be seen all night. Interested public in our country can directly observe it with the naked eye; if you use the binoculars or small telescope to observe, you can not only see the colorful parallel stripes on the surface of Jupiter and the large red spots on the south side of the equator, but also see the 4 Galileo satellites circling near Jupiter. Of course, watching Jupiter is not limited to the day of the opposition, but in fact, the difference between Jupiter seen in the previous month is not very large." Liu Dongyu said.
