See Jupiter today; Saturn, next Monday

The Covid crisis has provided a good opportunity for sky-gazers as they have more time, compared to other years. Besides, there are a good number of astronomical occurrences.

To top it all, July is witness to some fascinating sky events. Already, comets Swan and Neowise have brought joy to those interested in planetary movements. Jupiter will be visible on Tuesday, while Saturn will be visible next Monday (July 20). This is the best time to see these planets, effortlessly. This occurrence is called ‘Opposition’.

‘Opposition’ is when a planet, farther from Sun than Earth, appears opposite the Sun. A planet is at opposition, when it is directly opposite the Sun, from our viewpoint on Earth. This implies, that Sun-Earth-planet are in a straight line. This is when the planet is as close as it can get to Earth, so it is the biggest and brightest. The planet rises when the Sun sets and is up all night, setting when the Sun rises. The planet is illuminated by the sun and appears disk-like, said S A Mohan Krishna, amateur astronomer.

‘Jupiter’ is the bluish-yellow planet and is regarded as the biggest. In 2019, it dominated the night sky in June, July and August. Jupiter reached ‘Opposition’ on June 10, in 2019. Jupiter, the fifth planet from the Sun, will be at a close opposition, providing an excellent opportunity to observe it, he said.

Jupiter is also the second brightest planet, after Venus. A few weeks before and after ‘opposition’ on July 14, Jupiter will be very bright, reaching a visual magnitude of about -2.5 to - 2.6. This will be an excellent opportunity to observe Jupiter, its Great Red Spot and its four largest satellites — Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. These satellites can be seen through a binocular also. A telescope with a magnification of 40 times or above is preferred in observing Jupiter, Mohan Krishna said.

From Mysuru, Jupiter will be perceptible between 7 pm on Tuesday to 6 am on Wednesday. It reaches the highest point or pinnacle in the sky around midnight local time. Jupiter can be seen in the vicinity of constellations ‘Capricornus’ and ‘Sagittarius’. Generally, Jupiter reaches opposition every 13 months and the distance between Jupiter and Earth on July 14 will be 641 million km, he said.

On July 20, Saturn will have a rendezvous with Earth and will be the right time to see this ringed planet. ‘Saturn’ is the sixth planet from Sun and the outermost planet perfectly noticeable with the unaided eye. Saturn reaches ‘opposition’ on July 20 and so it has its best visibility this month, Mohan Krishna said.

From Mysuru, Saturn will be perceptible between 7.30 pm on Monday (July 20) to 6 am on Tuesday (July 21). It reaches the highest point in the sky around midnight local time. Saturn can be seen in the vicinity of constellations ‘Capricornus’ and ‘Sagittarius’, he added.