Jupiter, ascending: When the solar system’s biggest planet will be visible at its brightest

Weather permitting, Jupiter will not only be brighter than most other stars and planets in the evening sky, but will also be visible all night long.

People around the world will have a chance this weekend to catch what could be the year’s most stunning view of the largest planet in our solar system.

Jupiter on Saturday will shine at its brightest for the year, as Earth’s orbit swings our planet between Jupiter and the sun. Weather permitting, the gas giant will not only be brighter than most other stars and planets in the evening sky, but will also be visible all night long.

If conditions are clear, anyone with a pair of binoculars or a telescope may even be able to pick out details, such as Jupiter’s four largest moons — Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa. The four "Galilean moons" were named after Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who is thought to have discovered them in 1610.

As night falls, Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast, among the stars that make up the constellation of Taurus, according to NASA.

Around Dec. 14, Jupiter will be visible in the night sky between the nearly full moon and a reddish-orange star called Aldebaran, which shines brightest in the Taurus constellation and can be seen with the naked eye.

https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/jupiter-when-visible-brightest-winter-triangle-rcna182510

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