Jupiter at opposition
Jupiter reaches opposition when Earth passes between the sun and the giant planet Jupiter.
As the sun and Jupiter are on opposite sides of the Earth during opposition, they appear on opposite sides, or 180° apart, in our sky.
As a result, Jupiter rises in the east when the sun sets in the west, reaches its highest point in the sky at midnight when the sun is below your feet, and sets in the west when the sun rises in the east.
Jupiter is best visible around opposition
Jupiter at opposition marks the best time to see the outer planet, as it’s visible throughout the night under clear skies. More precisely, it signifies the middle of the best time of the year to observe the planet.
After opposition, Jupiter disappears from the morning sky gradually as it rises and sets four minutes earlier each day.
So, one month after opposition, Jupiter rises 4*30 minutes = 120 minutes = 2 hours before sunset and sets 2 hours before sunrise.
So, three months after opposition, Jupiter is visible in the evening sky only as it rises 6 hours before sunset, i.e., at noon, and sets 6 hours before sunrise, i.e., at midnight.
Jupiter is closest, largest and brightest around opposition
Jupiter is closest to Earth around the time of its opposition because the sun, Earth, and Jupiter are all lined up in a straight line, and Jupiter is located on the same side of the sun as Earth around the time of its opposition.
Jupiter at opposition and the closest approach of Jupiter to Earth would occur at the same time if the orbits of Earth and Jupiter were perfectly circular.
Jupiter appears largest and brightest in our sky around the time of its opposition, as it marks the closest approach of Jupiter to Earth.
Jupiter at opposition in 2024
Jupiter will reach opposition on December 7, 2024, at 20:00 UTC (3 p.m. EST).
Best time to see Jupiter in 2024: Jupiter will be best visible from late November through late December in 2024, when the planet rises in the east around the time of sunset and is visible all night.
Closest approach of Jupiter to Earth in 2024: Jupiter will be closest to Earth on December 6, 2024, i.e., one day before its opposition in 2024. During the closest approach, Jupiter will be 4.09 A.U., i.e., 611 million km away from Earth.
Brightness at opposition: At its December 7 opposition, Jupiter will be brightest for 2024 and will shine with a magnitude of -2.7. It will be the third brightest object in the night sky after the moon and Venus.
Disk size at opposition: At its December 7 opposition, Jupiter will be largest in size for 2024 and will appear 47.1 arcseconds in diameter through a telescope.
Constellation at opposition: At its December 7 opposition, Jupiter will be located in the zodiac constellation Taurus, the Bull.
How often does Jupiter reach opposition?
Jupiter takes about 12 Earth years to orbit the sun once. So when our Earth makes one full orbit around the sun, Jupiter travels 1/12 of the way around the sun. So to create Jupiter’s opposition, our Earth would have to travel an extra 1/12 of the way in its orbit, which takes about (1/12)*365 = 30 days to travel.
That’s why planet Jupiter reaches opposition once every 1 year and 30 days, or 13 months.
Dates of Jupiter’s opposition
Here are the dates of Jupiter’s opposition from 2024 to 2029, according to NASA:
| Date of opposition | Date of closest approach | Distance of closest approach (A.U.) |
|---|---|---|
| December 7, 2024 | December 6, 2024 | 4.09 |
| January 10, 2026 | January 9, 2026 | 4.23 |
| February 11, 2027 | February 11, 2027 | 4.36 |
| March 12, 2028 | March 13, 2028 | 4.44 |
| April 12, 2029 | April 13, 2029 | 4.45 |
Related article: Saturn at opposition 2025: Best time to see Saturn
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