Sky & Telescope - May 2019 - 52
Eyeing Jupiter
Get the most out of your time observing the planet king.
A
s the largest planet in our solar
system, mighty Jupiter is in a class
by itself. It's one of the brightest objects
in the night sky, surpassed only by the
Moon, Venus, and occasionally Mars.
This year, brilliant Jupiter will be slowly
cruising in front of the dense star
clouds of the Milky Way in Ophiuchus,
close to the border with Scorpius.
The combination of Jupiter's large
size, its high surface brightness, and
its dynamic atmosphere makes the gas
giant an outstanding target for casual
observers and solar system aficionados
alike. The planet begins the month at
a respectable 43.3 arcseconds across,
swelling to 45.8″ by the end of May, just
shy of its maximum apparent diameter
this year of 46″ when it reaches opposition on the 10th of June.
Since the planet lurks at the southerly declination of -22° or lower
this year, observers at mid-northern
latitudes will require patience while
awaiting moments of steady atmospheric seeing for the sharpest views.
Plan to observe Jupiter a few hours past
midnight in late May as it transits the
meridian. This is when it's at its highest, and you can view it through less of
Earth's turbulent atmosphere.
Spots, Belts, and Zones
The planet's large size and substantial
brightness allow for even modest apertures of 3 inches or more to reveal its
most prominent features, the normally
dark North and South Equatorial Belts.
Between the two is the usually white
Equatorial Zone, which has recently
undergone a cyclic change. White
ammonia clouds that typically encircle
the planet's equator have cleared,
revealing yellowish and brown cloud
bands hidden from view (see page 10).
Other features visible in modest
apertures include the narrow, ruddy
Temperate Belts closer to the poles,
with the South Temperate Belt hosting several large white oval storms and
oblong reddish barges lasting for months
or years. Flanking each of these belts are
thin whitish zones closer to each of the
majestic planet's grayish polar regions.
Activity within the belts and zones
is in a constant state of flux, which
observers can easily monitor with a
moderate-aperture telescope of at least
6 inches. Barges and ovals slowly pass by
or even merge with others, while white
ovals have changed color from white
to red and back again. Other swirls,
streaks, and elaborate festoons are commonly seen along the boundaries of the
belts. Even the often pale zones can have
disturbances and eruptions of activity.
NASA's Juno spacecraft captured this closeup of a reddish-brown barge in Jupiter's North
Equatorial Belt as it swooped close to the
planet on September 6, 2018.
52
M AY 2 0 1 9 * S K Y & T E L E S C O P E
N ASA / JPL- CA LTECH / SWRI / MSSS / K E VIN M. GILL
MAY 2019 OBSERVING
Exploring the Solar System by Richard Jakiel
Sky & Telescope - May 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Sky & Telescope - May 2019
Contents
Sky & Telescope - May 2019 - Cover1
Sky & Telescope - May 2019 - Cover2
Sky & Telescope - May 2019 - 1
Sky & Telescope - May 2019 - Contents
Sky & Telescope - May 2019 - 3
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