Jupiter, the largest planet in the solar system, has come closest to Earth in an extremely rare occurrence in 59 years. The planet is approximately 600 million miles away from Earth at its farthest point. But it came as near as 367 million miles on Monday.
Though Jupiter's opposition occurs every 13 months, this time it was different due to its closest approach, which made it larger and brighter than any other time of the year. The next time the planet comes this close to the Earth will be 107 years from now in 2129.
From the viewpoint of Earth's surface, opposition happens when an astronomical object rises in the east as the Sun sets in the west, placing the object and the Sun on opposite sides of Earth.
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Adam Kobelski, a research astrophysicist at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, earlier suggested a larger telescope to see Jupiter's Great Red Spot and bands in greater detail.
He recommended a 4-inch or larger telescope and some filters in the green to blue spectrum might improve the visibility of these features.
