JUPITER

Jupiter Apparition - Opposition 2012 DEC 02

A plotting of the planet in equatorial coordinates of current date during 2012 JUL 10 to 2013 APR 24

Jupiter Declination - 2008-19

A plotting of the declinations of the planet at oppositions from 2008 to 2019

Jupiter Stellar Magnitude - 2012

Graph of the brightness of Jupiter measured in stellar magnitude during 2012

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Shadow Transit - Overhead View - Suspended

Previews of Galilean satellite shadow transits will resume after Jupiter emerges from behind the glare of the Sun in June.

                                            2011-12 APPARITION OF JUPITER

Brilliant Jupiter reached opposition by greatest elongation from the Sun on 2011 OCT 29. At that time it was rising around sunset, transiting the local meridian near local midnight, and setting about sunrise. Each night afterward these events have been occurring about four minutes earlier.

   Jupiter reached the perihelion (closest to Sun) of its nearly 12-year orbital cycle on 2011 MAR 17 and was only 3.9698 AU from Earth on OCT 27 at an angular diameter of 49.6 arcseconds and magnitude -2.9. That’s just slightly further and virtually the same brilliance as at its 2010 opposition, which is about as bright as it ever gets. That’s significantly brighter than the brightest fixed star Sirius, but noticeably less bright than Venus.

  Jupiter’s opposition declination has been improving for northern hemisphere observers since the low of 2008. This past oppostition it was +11.9°. So its transit altitudes for observers north of the tropics have been better than in recent years, but not quite as good as the next few years.

   As viewed from Earth the tilt of Jupiter’s equatorial plane at opposition appeared to be +3.3° which is near the maximum. The orbital planes of the four Galilean satellites lay close to that plane and mutual events (transits, occultations, eclipses) not involving Jupiter will not occur during the current apparition. In fact for now Callisto will always appear to pass north or south of Jupiter during conjunctions. Of course the events involving Jupiter and the inner three Galilean satellites and their shadows will still happen during every one of their orbital periods.

  Jupiter resumed apparent direct motion in right ascension on 2011 DEC 26, and reached eastern quadrature (90° from Sun) on 2012 JAN 22, at which time was setting around local midnight. Conjunction behind the Sun was achieved on MAY 13.

NOTE: Events are geocentric in Universal Time unless otherwise noted.

*  A meridian transit occurs when a celestial body crosses an observer’s local north-south line in the sky. That is practically simultaneous with culmination, i.e. the highest altitude for the day. The Jupiter meridian transit times in the above linked graph can be easily transformed for your location. The given times are nearly the same for the central meridians of all time zones, i.e. those evenly divisible by 15° such as 75°, 90°, 105° or 120°. Do not adjust to UT. Simply add 4 minutes for each degree west of a central meridian, or subtract 4 minutes for each degree to the east. If on daylight savings time, add an hour.

     © Curt Renz

Shadow Transit - View from Earth - Suspended

Previews of Galilean satellite shadow transits will resume after Jupiter emerges from behind the glare of the Sun in June.

Galilean Satellite Daily Event Timetable - Suspended

Schedule of Galilean satellite events will resume after Jupiter emerges from behind the glare of the Sun in June.  

Jupiter Angular Diameter - 2012

Graph of the equatorial apparent angular diameter of Jupiter measured in arcseconds during 2012  -  Distance in AU = 196.88 / angular diameter

Jupiter Illumination Phase - 2012

Graph of the percentage of Jupiter’s apparent disk illuminated during 2012

Jupiter Apparent Axial Tilt Graph - 2012

Graph of the tilt of Jupiter’s rotational axis as viewed from Earth during 2012 Somewhat similar tilts for the orbital planes of its four Galilean satellites

Jupiter Meridian Transit Time* - 2012

Graph of the times that Jupiter transits the prime meridian in 2012

Galilean Satellite Array - Suspended

Hourly depictions of Galilean satellite arrays will resume after Jupiter emerges from behind the glare of the Sun in June.