On the night of November 3, the gas giant Jupiter reaches the point in its orbit where it lies directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth, and so it shines a little brighter and stays visible through the night. It hangs in the eastern sky beside the faint Pleiades and near the radiant points of the Taurid meteor showers, which ride on dust left behind by the ancient rhythms of comet Encke. In a sky that has always offered such quiet alignments to watchers, this is a modest but genuine invitation to step outside, look up, and notice how the heavens keep their appointments.
Jupiter Reaches Opposition as Taurid Meteor Showers Peak Early November
Jupiter will be unmistakable as a large, bright, pale-yellow orb
Mark
So what does opposition actually change about Jupiter tonight?
Mimi
Jupiter lines up opposite the sun from Earth, so it's slightly brighter than usual and visible all night, rising at sunset and peaking around midnight.
Mark
And the meteors are a bonus on top of that?
Mimi
Right. The Taurids radiate from the same general region, so you can look at Jupiter and the Pleiades while watching for streaks.
Luke
Let's be honest about the odds, though. How many meteors should anyone expect?
Mimi
The source says about five per hour on average. It's not a heavy shower.
Luke
So someone might stand out in the cold and see none. The fireballs are a tendency, not a promise.
Mark
Why are there two showers from one comet?
Mimi
Comet 2P/Encke orbits every 3.3 years and leaves debris spread wide enough that Earth crosses it twice. That gives the Southern peak Nov. 4-5 and the Northern Nov. 11-12.
Luke
Worth noting the article gives no forecast for sky conditions or moonlight. Whether you see anything depends on your local weather and darkness, which the piece can't tell us.
Mark
And Uranus?
Mimi
Very dim. It needs a strong telescope and patience.
Der Puls
- Jupiter reaches opposition just after midnight on Nov. 3, briefly outshining its usual self in the eastern sky.
- The Southern Taurid meteor shower is nearing its peak, promising bright fireballs amid a modest count of about five meteors per hour.
- Skywatchers are urged to seek the darkest spot away from light pollution, bundle up, and watch the area around Jupiter closely.
- With the Southern Taurids peaking Nov. 4-5 and the Northern Taurids Nov. 11-12, the sky offers two more chances to look up.
On the night of November 3, the gas giant Jupiter reaches the point in its orbit where it lies directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth, and so it shines a little brighter and stays visible through the night. It hangs in the eastern sky beside the faint Pleiades and near the radiant points of the Taurid meteor showers, which ride on dust left behind by the ancient rhythms of comet Encke. In a sky that has always offered such quiet alignments to watchers, this is a modest but genuine invitation to step outside, look up, and notice how the heavens keep their appointments.
Just after midnight on Friday, Nov. 3, Jupiter reached opposition, the moment it sits directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth. The effect is subtle: the gas giant glows a little brighter than usual, and it stays up through the whole night.
By sunset, Jupiter should already stand bright in the eastern sky, a large, pale-yellow orb that is hard to mistake for anything else. Just below it lies the constellation Aries, whose curved horn can be traced by three stars, and with binoculars or a telescope, observers can glimpse some of Jupiter's four largest moons. Farther left shimmers the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, a cluster of more than 1,000 young stars.
All of this is framed by the radiant points of the Northern and Southern Taurid meteor showers, both nearing their peaks. The Taurids come from comet 2P/Encke, a small comet with the shortest orbit of any in the solar system, whose debris spreads widely enough that Earth crosses it twice a year. The showers are not prolific, averaging about five meteors per hour, but they are known for bright fireballs.
The advice is simple: find a dark place far from city lights, dress warmly, settle in, and keep watch around Jupiter. The Southern Taurids peak this weekend, and the Northern Taurids follow a week later, giving skywatchers more than one chance.
Just after midnight on Friday, Nov. 3, Jupiter reached opposition, the point at which it sits directly opposite the sun as seen from Earth. The effect is modest but real: the gas giant shines slightly brighter than it usually does, and it stays up all night.
By sunset Friday, Jupiter should already be bright and prominent in the eastern sky. By about 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT on Nov. 4), it and its neighbors should stand fairly high in the east. Jupiter is hard to mistake for anything else, appearing as a large, pale-yellow orb. It should reach its highest point right around midnight local time.
The planet sits just below the constellation Aries, the Ram, and can serve as a guide to the three stars that make up the curve of the ram's horn: Hamal, Sheratan and Mesarthim. With binoculars or a telescope, observers should be able to pick out some of Jupiter's four largest moons, known as the Galilean moons. Space.com's recommendation for a beginner hoping to see them is the Celestron Astro Fi 102.
Below and to the left of Jupiter lies Uranus, which is far dimmer. Finding it will take a strong telescope and some patience. Farther left is the Pleiades, the Seven Sisters, also cataloged as Messier 45 or M45. The cluster holds more than 1,000 stars, none older than about 150 million years. Its six or seven brightest stars are visible under most moderately dark skies, while binoculars or a small telescope reveal many more.
Flanking all of this are the radiant points, the apparent places of origin, of the Northern and Southern Taurid meteor showers. Both are nearing their peaks. The Southern Taurids peak between Nov. 4 and Nov. 5, and the Northern Taurids between Nov. 11 and Nov. 12.
The Taurids arrive each year as Earth passes through debris shed by comet 2P/Encke, a small comet about 2.98 miles (4.8 kilometers) across. Encke has the shortest orbital period of any comet in the solar system, circling the sun in just 3.3 years. The dust and rock it leaves behind spread over a stretch wide enough that Earth crosses it twice, producing the two separate peaks. A Messenger spacecraft image released Nov. 25, 2013, captured Encke during its closest approach to Mercury, when it was about 2.3 million miles (3.7 million kilometers) from the spacecraft and 32.7 million miles (52.6 million kilometers) from the sun.
The Taurids are not a prolific shower, averaging around five meteors per hour. They do tend to produce fireballs, meteors that are especially bright. To improve the odds, the advice is to find a dark spot as far from light pollution as possible, dress warmly, get comfortable and watch the area around Jupiter carefully.
With the Southern Taurids peaking this weekend and the Northern Taurids a week later, skywatchers have more than one chance. Space.com also invites readers who photograph Jupiter at opposition to send images, with their name and location, to spacephotos@space.com.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
The Taurids aren't known to be super productive, averaging around five meteors per hour, but they do tend to produce extra-bright fireballs.— Space.com
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