Jupiter’s rule of the evening sky is coming to a close. Catch some action at the giant planet while you can, shortly after sunset this evening.
Jupiter and its Galilean moons are visible for a short window an hour after sunset. This image shows their configuration about an hour after sunset in the Midwest; your location and time zone will affect their positions as they move. Credit: Alison Klesman (via TheSkyX)
The Moon passes 5° north of Jupiter at 9 A.M. EDT. Just six percent illuminated by this evening, you can try to spot the young crescent Moon hanging above the gas giant in the western sky after sunset.
An hour after the Sun disappears, Jupiter (shining at magnitude –1.9) is just 4° high in the west. Some 8.5° above it is the crescent Moon, near the border of Gemini and Auriga. You should be able to spot the brightest stars in these constellations quite well — Castor and Pollux mark the heads of Gemini to the Moon’s upper left, while Capella anchors the outline of Auriga to the Moon’s upper right. High above the Moon, the Big Dipper appears to stand on the end of its bowl in the early evening, its handle sticking straight up into the sky.
Jupiter’s Galilean moons are also visible this evening, but spotting them may be challenging with the planet so low. If you want to try, note that your location — which will affect the time you’re viewing the planet — will affect their positions.
About an hour after sunset on the East Coast, Ganymede lies farthest from Jupiter to the east, with Europa closer to the planet. Callisto sits just off the gas giant’s northeastern limb, while Io may be hidden in the planet’s shadow — it will reappear just after 9:30 P.M. EDT just east of the planet, roughly in line with its equator and south of Callisto.
An hour after sunset in the Midwest, Io is now farther from the planet than Callisto (still near the northeastern limb), while Europa lies just to Io’s east, with Ganymede still farthest from the planet. An hour after sunset in the Mountain time zone, Callisto has moved into Jupiter’s shadow and is invisible, while Io has moved northeast of Europa and the latter is now closer to the planet. (They stand directly in line with each other with Io north of Europa around 9:10 P.M. MDT, potentially visible to those in the eastern half of this time zone.)
Finally, by an hour after sunset on the West Coast, Callisto is again visible, forming the northern apex of a triangle with Europa to its southwest and Io to its southeast. Ganymede still lies far east of the other three moons, and all are still east of the planet.
Sunrise: 5:35 A.M.
Sunset: 8:20 P.M.
Moonrise: 6:31 A.M.
Moonset: 10:46 P.M.
Moon Phase: Waxing crescent (4%)
*Times for sunrise, sunset, moonrise, and moonset are given in local time from 40° N 90° W. The Moon’s illumination is given at 12 P.M. local time from the same location.
For a look ahead at more upcoming sky events, check out our full Sky This Week column.
