Casper Could See Jupiter And Its Moons Tonight
There's something about an autumn sky that never ceases to amaze us. And now, the sky just might be adorned with the planet Jupiter and its four moons!
That's according to the National Weather Service in Riverton, who wrote that the conditions are perfect to see the planet at its closest point to earth in 60 years!
"With a mainly clear sky tonight, the view of the night sky will be excellent," The Weather Service wrote on its Facebook page. "And we will have a rare event to witness tonight. The planet Jupiter will at it's closest approach in almost 60 years! So, it will appear brighter than normal. If you have binoculars, you may be able to spot some of it's moons."
You may have already noticed Jupiter this month.
If you've found yourself staring up at the night sky recently, and you've seen an exceptionally bright, somewhat larger looking figure, that was Jupiter.
"Jupiter now appears 11% larger and more than one and a half times brighter than it did back in April 2017, when it was near aphelion (that point in its orbit farthest from the sun)," the literal website for Space wrote. "Even steadily-held 7-power binoculars will show Jupiter as a tiny disk. A small telescope will do much better, while in larger instruments, Jupiter resolves into a series of red, yellow, tan and brown shadings, as well as a wealth of other telescopic detail. Amateur astronomers have been imaging this big planet all summer long as it has been approaching the Earth."
The site also notes that Jupiter was named after the king of the gods and the king of the planets, so it would be a shame not to bask in all of its glory tonight, when it will be most visible.
The National Weather Service shared a photo of what the sky could look like tonight, and it named Jupiter's moons which are, in order from left to right: Europa, Io, Ganymede, and Callisto.
So if you're out and about tonight, take a quick look up at the sky. You may just see Jupiter and its moons.