The fifth planet of the Solar System, Jupiter, will be during this week at its shortest distance to Earth since 1963, as announced by NASA.
The moment of greatest luminosity and size will occur on Monday night, when Jupiter is located 592 million kilometers away . To the naked eye, it will shine brighter than any other celestial body except the Moon, approximately three times brighter than Sirius, the brightest star in the sky. And it will be visible from dusk until approximately 5 in the morning.
The Earth is placed between Jupiter and the Sun every thirteen months ( opposition ), and it is the moment of maximum closeness between both planets. But because their orbits are elliptical, they are not always the same distance when this happens. Tonight Jupiter will be around 75 million kilometers closer than in previous encounters . And to see a similar show we will have to wait until 2022.
