Jupiter (Planet)
© NASA/Cassini
Finder chart
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From Cambridge , Jupiter is visible in the evening sky, becoming accessible around 16:31 (EST), 9° above your eastern horizon, as dusk fades to darkness. It will then reach its highest point in the sky at 22:58, 69° above your southern horizon. It will continue to be observable until around 05:35, when it sinks below 7° above your western horizon.
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|
Name
Jupiter
|
Object type
Superior planet
|
Current position
| Computed for: | 15 December 2024 |
| Right ascension: | 04h54m [2] |
| Declination: | +21°56' [2] |
| Constellation: | Taurus |
| Magnitude: | -2.79 (V) [1] |
| Angular diameter: | 47.0 arcsec[2] |
| Distance: | 4.10 AU 34.11 lightmin [2] |
| Angular motion (speed): | 8.15 arcmin/day[2] |
| Angular motion (pos ang): | 264.7° |
Orbital elements [2]
| Semi-major axis: | 5.20 AU |
| Eccentricity: | 0.048386 |
| Inclination: | 1.30° |
| Longitude ascending node: | 100.47° |
| Argument of perihelion: | -85.75° |
| Epoch of elements: | 01 January 2000 |
| Mean Anomaly at epoch: | 19.67° |
| Absolute mag (H): | -9.38 [1] |
| Slope parameter (n): | 2.00 [1] |
Derived quantities
| Perihelion: | 4.95 AU |
| Aphelion: | 5.45 AU |
| Orbital period: | 11.87 years |
Sources
| [1] | Robin M. Green, Spherical Astronomy, 1985, ISBN 0-521-31779-7 |
| [2] | Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac, 2013, Urban & Seidelmann, Eds., Table 8.7, ISBN 978-1-891389-85-6 |
Visibility from Cambridge
All times shown in Cambridge local time.
Events
| 06 Dec 2024 | – Jupiter at perigee |
| 07 Dec 2024 | – Jupiter at opposition |
| 04 Feb 2025 | – Jupiter ends retrograde motion |
| 24 Jun 2025 | – Jupiter at solar conjunction |
| 26 Jun 2025 | – Jupiter at apogee |
| 11 Nov 2025 | – Jupiter enters retrograde motion |
| 09 Jan 2026 | – Jupiter at perigee |
| 10 Jan 2026 | – Jupiter at opposition |
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