Saturday, September 10, 2011

What will the planet Jupiter's location be (constellation wise) early this September?

I have heard that Jupiter is best viewed in the Northern Hemisphere in September (my location in Ireland) and I hope that is true.


Can anyone tell me where Jupiter's position will be this September, what constellation it can be observed from and what time of night it is best viewed at?


Thanks!|||Jupiter is currently in Capricornus, and will continue to be in Capricornus for the rest of 2009. This is really irrelevant, because Jupiter is far brighter than any of the stars in Capricornus, which is a pretty dim constellation.





The most important date is August 14, when Jupiter is in opposition to the Sun, in other words directly opposite the Sun in the sky. On this night Jupiter will be visible in the sky all night long, rising at sunset and setting at sunrise. Before this date, it's in the "morning sky" which means it rises in the late evening and is visible the rest of the night. After this date, it is in the evening sky, and sets before dawn. Throughout this entire period, from now to the end of the year, Jupiter will be by far the brightest object in the sky other than the Sun, Moon, and Venus (rising just before the Sun). So look south for the brightest thing in the sky, and that will be Jupiter.





So, don't wait until September 1 to look at Jupiter. Stay up late and observe it right now. It rises tonight in Ireland around 11:35 p.m. and will be high enough to observe with a telescope by 1:45 a.m.|||1 September is very easy to find Jupiter:





Just find the moon (almost full), and on its east side is Jupiter.





Other than 1 September, Jupiter will always be somewhere on the south, in the constellation Capricorn. It will be the brightest object on that direction. Just find a bright "star" that blinks less, that's Jupiter.|||Capricornus. It already is: Jupiter does not move that quickly, although right now it is near the border with Aquarius. By September it will have moved further into the constellation.

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