1 00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:21,921 OPPOSING JUPITER! 2 00:00:22,022 --> 00:00:23,923 JAMES: WELCOME TO STAR GAZERS. 3 00:00:24,024 --> 00:00:26,760 I'M JAMES ALBURY, DIRECTOR OF THE KIKA SILVA PLA PLANETARIUM 4 00:00:26,860 --> 00:00:28,094 IN GAINESVILLE FLORIDA. 5 00:00:28,194 --> 00:00:30,463 DEAN: AND I'M DEAN REGAS, ASTRONOMER FROM THE CINCINNATI 6 00:00:30,563 --> 00:00:31,664 OBSERVATORY. 7 00:00:31,765 --> 00:00:33,233 JAMES: ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN FOR VIEWING MY 8 00:00:33,333 --> 00:00:36,436 FAVORITE GAS GIANT PLANET AT ITS BIGGEST AND BRIGHTEST! 9 00:00:36,536 --> 00:00:37,504 DEAN: THAT'S RIGHT, JAMES! 10 00:00:37,604 --> 00:00:40,173 ON JUNE 10TH, JUPITER WILL BE AT OPPOSITION. 11 00:00:40,273 --> 00:00:43,076 THIS MEANS THAT ITLL BE IN A GREAT LOCATION FOR VIEWING. 12 00:00:43,176 --> 00:00:44,811 JAMES: WHAT ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? 13 00:00:44,911 --> 00:00:46,212 LET'S SHOW YOU! 14 00:00:46,312 --> 00:00:48,848 DEAN: JUPITER IS THE LARGEST OF ALL THE PLANETS 15 00:00:48,948 --> 00:00:54,454 IN OUR SUN'S FAMILY AND IS THE FIFTH PLANET FROM THE SUN, OUR EARTH BEING NUMBER THREE. 16 00:00:54,554 --> 00:01:00,360 EARTH IS, ON AVERAGE 93 MILLION MILES AWAY FROM THE SUN, WHEREAS JUPITER'S AVERAGE DISTANCE 17 00:01:00,460 --> 00:01:03,163 IS 484 MILLION MILES. 18 00:01:03,263 --> 00:01:08,401 THOSE ARE PRETTY BIG NUMBERS AND BECAUSE THE PLANETS ARE SO FAR AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, ASTRONOMERS 19 00:01:08,501 --> 00:01:12,972 DONT OFTEN REFER TO THE DISTANCES IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM USING MILES OR KILOMETERS. 20 00:01:13,073 --> 00:01:17,410 THAT WOULD BE LIKE MEASURING THE DISTANCE FROM YOUR HOUSE TO THE GROCERY STORE IN INCHES 21 00:01:17,510 --> 00:01:18,645 OR CENTIMETERS. 22 00:01:18,745 --> 00:01:21,081 JAMES: INSTEAD, WE USE THE AVERAGE DISTANCE BETWEEN 23 00:01:21,181 --> 00:01:24,050 THE EARTH AND THE SUN AS OUR MEASURING STICK. 24 00:01:24,150 --> 00:01:27,320 WE CALL THAT DISTANCE AN ASTRONOMICAL UNIT OR A.U. 25 00:01:27,420 --> 00:01:33,259 SO, IF WE CONVERTED OUR UNITS FROM MILES TO AUS, EARTH IS ONE ASTRONOMICAL UNIT FROM THE 26 00:01:33,359 --> 00:01:37,597 SUN AND JUPITER ON AVERAGE IS 5.2 ASTRONOMICAL UNITS FROM THE SUN. 27 00:01:37,697 --> 00:01:40,600 DEAN: AS JUPITER AND EARTH ORBIT THE SUN, THEY CONSTANTLY 28 00:01:40,700 --> 00:01:42,702 VARY THEIR DISTANCE FROM EACH OTHER. 29 00:01:42,802 --> 00:01:47,273 WHEN JUPITER IS AT ITS FARTHEST DISTANCE FROM US AND IS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE SUN AS 30 00:01:47,373 --> 00:01:51,945 SEEN FROM EARTH, IT CAN BE AS FAR AS 6.2 ASTRONOMICAL UNITS AWAY. 31 00:01:52,045 --> 00:01:54,948 JAMES: HOWEVER, ONCE EVERY YEAR, EARTH AND JUPITER 32 00:01:55,048 --> 00:02:00,320 LINE UP ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE SUN AND ARE A WHOLE 2 ASTRONOMICAL UNITS CLOSER TO EACH 33 00:02:00,420 --> 00:02:02,122 OTHER. 34 00:02:02,222 --> 00:02:05,658 WHENEVER THIS HAPPENS WE SAY JUPITER IS AT OPPOSITION BECAUSE JUPITER IS OPPOSITE THE 35 00:02:05,758 --> 00:02:07,727 SUN IN THE SKY AS SEEN FROM EARTH. 36 00:02:07,827 --> 00:02:10,130 DEAN: AND WHEN JUPITER IS AT OPPOSITION, IT IS 37 00:02:10,230 --> 00:02:14,434 ALWAYS AT ITS CLOSEST, BRIGHTEST AND BEST FOR VIEWING. 38 00:02:14,534 --> 00:02:17,770 JUPITER WILL BE AT OPPOSITION THIS YEAR ON MONDAY, JUNE 10TH 39 00:02:17,871 --> 00:02:21,107 AND JUST UNDER 4.3 ASTRONOMICAL UNITS AWAY. 40 00:02:21,207 --> 00:02:24,811 SO, THIS MAKES IT GREAT FOR VIEWING IN A SMALL TELESCOPE. 41 00:02:24,911 --> 00:02:28,781 DEAN: OK, WE HAVE OUR SKIES SET FOR 11:00 PM, ANY 42 00:02:28,882 --> 00:02:30,517 NIGHT THIS WEEK. 43 00:02:30,617 --> 00:02:34,020 IF YOU LOOK TOWARD THE SOUTHEAST, YOU'LL SEE JUPITER AMONG THE STARS OF OPHIUCHUS 44 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:35,855 THE SERPENT BEARER. 45 00:02:35,955 --> 00:02:41,194 ON JUNE 10TH, JUPITER WILL FORM A TRIANGLE WITH THE STAR ANTARES IN SCORPIUS AND SABIK 46 00:02:41,294 --> 00:02:42,462 IN OPHIUCHUS. 47 00:02:42,562 --> 00:02:44,430 JAMES: IF YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING JUPITER OVER THE LAST 48 00:02:44,531 --> 00:02:50,436 FEW MONTHS, YOU PROBABLY NOTICED IT MOVING FROM EAST TO WEST BETWEEN SCORPIUS AND SAGITTARIUS. 49 00:02:50,537 --> 00:02:55,708 WE CALL THIS RETROGRADE MOTION, AND IT'S AN OPTICAL ILLUSION CAUSED BY US PASSING JUPITER 50 00:02:55,808 --> 00:02:57,577 IN OUR ORBIT. 51 00:02:57,677 --> 00:03:01,681 JUPITER BEGAN IT'S RETROGRADE MOTION ON APRIL 15TH THIS YEAR AND PERFORMS THIS APPARENT 52 00:03:01,781 --> 00:03:04,884 BACKWARD MOTION FOR ALMOST 120 DAYS EACH YEAR. 53 00:03:04,984 --> 00:03:07,320 DEAN: IF YOU KEEP ON EYE ON JUPITER AS WE TRAVEL 54 00:03:07,420 --> 00:03:12,692 PAST IT, YOULL NOTICE IT CONTINUES TO TRAVEL WESTWARD THROUGH OPHIUCHUS, REACHING ITS CLOSEST 55 00:03:12,792 --> 00:03:16,262 APPROACH TO SCORPIUS ON AUGUST 11TH. 56 00:03:16,362 --> 00:03:19,866 JUPITER WILL APPEAR TO PAUSE AND THEN BEGIN TRAVELLING EASTWARD AGAIN. 57 00:03:19,966 --> 00:03:22,569 JAMES: NO WONDER THEY CALLED THE PLANETS WANDERING 58 00:03:22,669 --> 00:03:23,803 STARS. 59 00:03:23,903 --> 00:03:26,039 DEAN: THE PLANET JUPITER HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN THE 60 00:03:26,139 --> 00:03:27,774 SKY SINCE ANTIQUITY. 61 00:03:27,874 --> 00:03:31,978 THE ANCIENT ROMANS NAMED IT AFTER THE KING OF THEIR GODS, WHOM THE GREEKS REFERED 62 00:03:32,078 --> 00:03:33,246 TO AS ZEUS. 63 00:03:33,346 --> 00:03:35,848 JAMES: BABYLONIAN ASTRONOMERS HAVE RECORDS OF JUPITER 64 00:03:35,949 --> 00:03:38,918 DATING BACK TO THE 7TH CENTURY B.C. 65 00:03:39,018 --> 00:03:43,423 IN HIS BOOK THE ALMAGEST, GREEK ASTRONOMER CLAUDIUS PTOLEMY USED JUPITER'S MOTION WITH 66 00:03:43,523 --> 00:03:47,860 RESPECT TO THE EARTH TO REFINE HIS EARTH-CENTERED MODEL OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM. 67 00:03:47,961 --> 00:03:50,730 JAMES: LASTLY, IF YOURE LIKE ME AND YOU REALLY GET 68 00:03:50,830 --> 00:03:55,668 EXCITED ABOUT CONJUNCTIONS, SET YOUR CALENDARS FOR JUST AFTER SUNSET ON NOVEMBER 23RD OF 69 00:03:55,768 --> 00:03:59,439 THIS YEAR, AND JUPITER WILL BE HAVING A SUPER CLOSE CONJUNCTION WITH VENUS. 70 00:03:59,539 --> 00:04:03,343 DEAN: VENUS AND JUPITER WILL BE ONLY 1.5 DEGREES 71 00:04:03,443 --> 00:04:05,912 (OR 3 FULL MOON WIDTHS) APART THAT DAY. 72 00:04:06,012 --> 00:04:11,050 THEYLL BOTH BE EXTREMELY BRIGHT AND VISIBLE VERY CLOSE TO THE SOUTHWESTERN HORIZON. 73 00:04:11,150 --> 00:04:13,686 JAMES: HOWEVER, IF YOU WANT TO SEE A CRAZY-CLOSE 74 00:04:13,786 --> 00:04:19,492 CONJUNCTION, CHECK OUT JUPITER NEXT YEAR ON DECEMBER 21ST, 2020 WHEN IT HAS A SUPER-CLOSE 75 00:04:19,592 --> 00:04:21,461 PAIRING WITH SATURN. 76 00:04:21,561 --> 00:04:26,833 JUPITER AND SATURN WILL BE ONLY A TENTH OF A DEGREE (OR 1/5TH OF A FULL MOON WIDTH) APART. 77 00:04:26,933 --> 00:04:30,603 THEY'LL BE SO CLOSE THAT YOU'LL BE ABLE TO SEE THEM BOTH IN THE SAME FIELD OF VIEW IN 78 00:04:30,703 --> 00:04:31,604 A SMALL TELESCOPE! 79 00:04:31,704 --> 00:04:33,406 DEAN: WOW! 80 00:04:33,506 --> 00:04:36,342 NOW YOU DON'T HAVE TO PLAN THAT FAR AHEAD TO SEE THE KING OF THE PLANETS THIS WEEK. 81 00:04:36,442 --> 00:04:38,411 IT'S EASY TO SEE JUPITER WHEN YOU REMEMBER TO 82 00:04:38,511 --> 00:04:42,511 BOTH: KEEP LOOKING UP!