Here's something you might be interested in.
Jupiter, the brilliant, star-like object glowing like a beacon in the eastern sky after nightfall, comes to "opposition" (180° away from the sun) on Monday, September 20. Rising at sunset and setting at sunrise, the giant planet is as close and as bright as it will get this year. In fact, Jupiter is both brighter and closer to Earth during this opposition than it has been at any time since 1999. Jupiter can be recognized not only by its exceptional brilliance, but also by its tendency not to twinkle as much as the other stars do. Jupiter's light, which emanates from a tiny "disk" (as opposed to a pinpoint) in the sky, is less susceptible to optical distortions when passing through Earth's atmosphere. Generally speaking, any planet seen in the sky twinkles much less than any stars appearing in the same part of the sky.
Jupiter, the brilliant, star-like object glowing like a beacon in the eastern sky after nightfall, comes to "opposition" (180° away from the sun) on Monday, September 20. Rising at sunset and setting at sunrise, the giant planet is as close and as bright as it will get this year. In fact, Jupiter is both brighter and closer to Earth during this opposition than it has been at any time since 1999. Jupiter can be recognized not only by its exceptional brilliance, but also by its tendency not to twinkle as much as the other stars do. Jupiter's light, which emanates from a tiny "disk" (as opposed to a pinpoint) in the sky, is less susceptible to optical distortions when passing through Earth's atmosphere. Generally speaking, any planet seen in the sky twinkles much less than any stars appearing in the same part of the sky.