How to view Jupiter during opposition

Jupiter will be visible to the naked eye — it’ll look like a star if viewed without any magnification. Thanks to its increased brightness, it’ll be easily viewable in cities and the suburbs as well, although you will get a better view if you head out of town and away from the light pollution.

Things get a lot more interesting with magnification. A pair of high-powered binoculars will give you a pretty good glimpse of the gas giant, and you might potentially catch a glimpse of Jupiter’s moons if your binoculars are strong enough. Stepping up to a telescope, even a low-powered one, makes viewing the planet and its moons much easier.

There are several free resources if you need help finding Jupiter, including Stellarium’s sky map and Time and Date’s sky viewing tool. The weather should also be relatively decent, with many parts of the US experiencing unseasonably warm temperatures.

Jupiter will rise from the eastern horizon right around sunset local time. It’ll streak across the southern sky before setting in the west right at sunrise. That should give sky-gazers plenty of time to find and view Jupiter before it sets. It’ll repeat this process for weeks, so if you do have to miss it tonight due to weather or other reasons, you can check it out tomorrow or next week as well.