Jupiter is closer to Earth than it has been in a very long time – NRK Nordland

Jupiter. Bildet er tatt av James Webb-teleskopet.

If there is a starry night sky above you these days, take a look at it.

The orbits of Jupiter and Earth are now closer than they have been for a long time.

Since 1963, the two planets have never been closer.

This means that you can only see the largest planet in the solar system from Earth with binoculars.

– a mosquito in comparison

For star-lovers Stig-Arne Winnem from Bodø, it’s very cool now to be able to see Jupiter so clearly.

You can see the fine surface details and straps. You can also clearly see the largest moons around the planet. I’ve never seen Jupiter so close to me now.

In addition, the planet is high in the sky. This makes it brighter.

From the cabin in Sollitjlma, Stig-Arne snapped a photo of Jupiter with its largest moons.

Photo: STIG-ARNE WINNEM

Jupiter rotates on its axis in less than ten hours. This means that the planet has the shortest day among the planets of the solar system.

In addition, the planet is very large.

Jupiter has twice the mass of all the other planets in the solar system combined.

Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system. The globe is just like a mosquito by comparison. Winim says there are vast distances.

But compared to the Sun, Jupiter is barely a thousandth.

Stig show me winim

Stig-Arne Winnem advises everyone to look a little at the starry sky these days.

Photo: private

– special constellation

Stephanie Werner, a professor at the University of Oslo, says the reason Jupiter is so rare to see as close as now is that the planets move at different rhythms around the sun.

– When they’re both on the same side of the sun, they can come close to each other, she says.

In addition, the path Elliptical.

The ends of the ovals are now on the same side. Earth’s ellipse is farthest from the sun, and Jupiter is closer.

– It’s a special constellation. As for living, it’s exciting. Therefore, you can see Jupiter is bigger now and you can easily see the four moons of Jupiter.

Geophysical Professor Stephanie Werner.

Professor Stephanie Werner, University of Oslo.

Photo: UiO

It takes Jupiter 11.86 years to complete one revolution around the sun. But the planet rotates on its axis in just under ten hours, which means that Jupiter has the shortest day among the planets of the solar system.

In mythology, Jupiter is considered a planet of war. And maybe it’s not so strange, because it hits the planet really well.

Jupiter’s most distinctive feature is the “Great Red Spot,” a storm larger than Earth hundreds of years ago.

shining like a star

And if you look up in the sky and see a star that is a little brighter than other stars in recent days, then it is very likely that it is Jupiter that you saw.

It can be seen with the naked eye.

The stars shine, but the planets don’t twinkle. They even have light because they are closer. Werner explains that this is how you can tell the difference.

Jupiter is also a gas planet. Researchers believe that it is made up of hydrogen and helium, like the sun.

Why isn’t Jupiter a star then?

It’s too small. If Jupiter were 50 times larger, it would be a star. But it lacks the inner vigor of a star.

Small in the grand scheme of things

For fans of the Bodo universe, there’s no doubting what he’s doing when you look at the stars these days.

The endoscope comes out.

Milky Way

Winnem gets many cool themes in the dark in Sulitjelma. With the right equipment and light, you can clearly see the Milky Way in the sky.

Photo: Stig-Arne Winnem

– I think it’s amazing that it can be seen.

For him, the knowledge is precisely that we are very young in the grand scheme of things that make planets and stars so interesting..

We humans are so small in global contexts that we are nothing. There are hundreds of billions of stars in the galaxy. There are hundreds of billions of galaxies left.

That’s why everyone is now advised: find a place with a little light pollution and look south.

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Dalila Awolowo

Dalila Awolowo

"Explorer. Unapologetic entrepreneur. Alcohol fanatic. Certified writer. Wannabe tv evangelist. Twitter fanatic. Student. Web scholar. Travel buff."

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