Dubai: Stargazers in the city will be treated to another celestial event, this time when planet Jupiter will be at its closest to earth.
Astronomers say the largest planet in the solar system will shine its brightest among the evening stars on Friday, when earth is approximately in between the sun and Jupiter, making Jupiter directly opposite the sun.
Catching a glimpse of Jupiter is said to be more spectacular than watching the last supermoon in Dubai, so keep your telescope handy and prepare to venture the outdoors at nightfall this weekend.
Rohan Roberts, founder of Cafe Scientifique Dubai, explains that unlike the recent super moon, Jupiter will be clearly visible as a very bright star in the night sky. But he still highly recommends using a powerful telescope to really see the details of the planet and enjoy the rare cosmic sight.
“The supermoon was overhyped and so people were disappointed. The increase in moon size is barely discernible to the naked eye,” Roberts tells Gulf News.
“On Friday 6 February, Jupiter will be at opposition. What this means is Jupiter will be directly opposite the sun. It will also be closer to earth and brighter than it will be for the next four years.”
The planet is so large that even 1,000 earths could fit inside it. However, since it lies more than 600 million kilometres away, Jupiter’s increased brightness is best viewed through a telescope.
“When viewed through a powerful telescope, Jupiter will be clearly visible - along with its red bands of clouds and its four Galilean moons.”
However, if you don’t have a telescope, Roberts says you can look to the east after 6:45 pm on Friday. “You will see Jupiter with the naked eye as a bright star.”
Cafe Scientifique is organising an outdoor meetup on Friday to give Dubai residents an opportunity “to truly engage with the cosmos.”
During the meetup, which will also be attended by some of Dubai’s astronomers, Keith Cobby, Amol Mane and Stefan Zietara, event-goers will have a chance to look through power telescopes. They will also have a guided tour of the night sky and learn about some of the constellations they can see with the naked eye.
“Many of us are so busy in our day-to-day lives that we rarely stop and look up at the night sky, and if, by chance we do, we have no idea what we are looking at. We are very passionate about astronomy at Cafe Scientifique Dubai and, once one looks through the telescope and sees distant celestial objects, it is a truly breathtaking, life-changing, perspective-shifting experience,” adds Roberts.
