Jupiter makes its closest approach to earth in 59 years 0:50
(CNN) --
Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth in 59 years on Monday, September 26, according to NASA.
The gas giant, the largest planet in our solar system, will be at opposition, meaning Earth will be directly between it and the sun, said Trina L. Ray, deputy science lead for the Europa Clipper Mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. NASA jet, in Pasadena, California.
The space agency originally said Jupiter would make its closest approach to Earth in 70 years, but corrected its statement after discovering the error, a NASA spokesman said.
Between Earth and Jupiter there will be about 590.6 million kilometers, according to NASA.
Jupiter is about 600 million miles from our planet at its furthest point, the space agency said.
Jupiter is at opposition roughly every 13 months, the time it takes for Earth to orbit the Sun relative to Jupiter, according to EarthSky.
Neither Earth nor Jupiter orbit the Sun in a perfect circle, which makes each opposition a slightly different distance, said Ray, who is also NASA's research scientist for the Europa Survey and Assessment Radar: Ocean to the Surface, or REASON, for its acronym in English.
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How to observe it?
Jupiter will appear brighter and larger in the sky, making the event a great opportunity to take a look, NASA said.
Jupiter will appear larger and brighter in the sky on September 26.
Credit: NASA
The gas planet will rise toward sunset and appear pearly white to the naked eye, said Patrick Hartigan, a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University in Houston.
You'll be able to observe the planet's bands with binoculars or a telescope, according to NASA.
Three or four of Jupiter's moons, including Europa, will also be visible, Ray said.
"As I am working on a spacecraft that we are going to send to the Jupiter system to explore Europa," he said, "I am always excited to see Jupiter and even Europa with my own eyes."
To find out precisely when to look in the sky, use The Old Farmer's Almanac's Visible Planets Calculator.
Saturn and Mars will also be visible, so try to spot those planets while viewing opposition Jupiter, Hartigan said.
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Other events in 2022
There will be three more full moons this year, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac:
October 9: Hunter's Moon
November 8: Beaver Moon
December 7: cold moon
Native American tribes have different names for full moons, such as the Cheyenne tribe's "dry grass moon" for the one that occurs in September, and the Arapaho tribe's "bursting trees" for the full moon. full that occurs in December.
According to EarthSky's 2022 Meteor Shower Guide, you'll be able to see the peak of these meteor showers later this year:
Draconids: October 8 and 9
Orionids: October 20 and 21
Southern Taurids: November 5
Northern Taurids: November 12
Leonidas: November 17 and 18
Geminids: December 13-14
Ursids: December 22-23
And there will be another total lunar eclipse and a partial solar eclipse in 2022, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac.
The partial solar eclipse on October 25 will be visible to people in Greenland, Iceland, most of Europe, northeast Africa, and western and central Asia.
The total lunar eclipse on November 8 will be visible in Asia, Australia, the Pacific, South America and North America between 3:02 and 8:56 am Miami time.
But for people in eastern North America, the Moon will set during that time.
Wear proper glasses to view the solar eclipse safely, as sunlight can damage your eyes.
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