July is the largest planet in the solar system, also known as a gas giant. It approaches the Earth every 13 months. At this time, the Earth is located between Jupiter and the Sun, and is relatively close to Jupiter. This is the "July Opposition". On the evening of November 1, students who took the "Interstellar Exploration" course at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, led by Professor Wen Xin of the School of Aerospace, captured the scene of "Juste opposition" on the playground through their mobile phones.
November 1, 2022 Xu Qingyang from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics uses mobile software to find Jupiter
"The next time I wait until this moment, I don't know when it will be." A student told reporters that although Jupiter's hedge occurs every 13 months, this time since September 27th is the closest Jupiter to Earth in the past 59 years. The last time such a recent phenomenon occurred in 1963.
Professor Wen Xin introduced that this time, Jupiter's opposition began at 3:33 on September 27, when Jupiter is in Pisces. After nightfall, Jupiter rises from the east and is quite bright and eye-catching in the night sky. It is located at the elevation angle of the sky in the south of at about 64 degrees. In the past month, astronomical enthusiasts could see Jupiter's opposition. "During this period, Jupiter has always been one of the brightest celestial bodies in the night sky except the moon, so under normal circumstances, it can basically be seen through the naked eye. In metropolis, you can even watch without using the astronomical telescope ."
"This is the 'closeest contact' between Jupiter and Earth in the past 59 years, so I want to take my classmates to take a photo. This is also one of the teaching goals of my "Interstellar Exploration" course. Students can not only recognize the stars in the courseware, but also through their own practice, they can "game stars" outdoors and find the locations of relevant planets." Professor Wen Xin said.
Experts told reporters that the "close contact" between Jupiter and Earth means that we can see some of Jupiter's most fascinating features from Earth. If you use a good binocular , you can see at least three or four Galileo satellites . Like this year, Jupiter is so close to Earth rarely happens. Astronomers predict that the next time Jupiter is closest to Earth will occur in 2129 107 years later.
If you are also an astronomy enthusiast, how can you see Jupiter in the sky through your naked eyes or your mobile phone? The reporter invited Mr. Wen Xin to list several ways to distinguish Jupiter:
(1) With the help of mobile software, such as Star Walk 2. You might as well open the mobile app and raise it. At this time, the APP will issue an instruction. Follow the instructions of the mobile phone, you can identify which Jupiter is, and then easily locate the approximate position of Jupiter.
(2) does not use mobile phone software. First find a place far away from the interference of buildings. When night falls, Jupiter can be seen on the east side of the sky. At this time, Jupiter is the brightest star in the sky, running in Aries .
Looking at Jupiter naked is a highlight
(3) If you have a telescope with a higher magnification, you can judge whether it is Jupiter based on the appearance characteristics of Jupiter. Jupiter's characteristic structure is the Great Red Spot and the "Four Great Moons". When viewed with a telescope, Jupiter's "Great Red Spot" is dark brown. The "Four Major Moons" are one to four different sized particles of light orbiting Jupiter. Using these two characteristics, we can easily recognize Jupiter from many astral bodies.
November 1, 2022 Students who took the "Interstellar Exploration" course at Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics are watching Jupiter
Correspondent Huang Chenyu Xu Qingyang
Yangzi Evening News/Zi Niu News Reporter Yang Tianzi
Proofreading Tao Shangong
