Don't miss Moon and Jupiter's meet-up in night sky!

An exciting celestial event is set to unfold as the Moon and Jupiter come together in the night sky on Monday (September 4). Both, the Earth's natural satellite and the largest planet in our solar system, will be up close and one can witness this too. As per Space.com, both the Moon and Jupiter will be situated within the Aries constellation during this close approach and conjunction. The Moon will be in its waning gibbous phase. At this phase, 64 per cent of its lunar surface will be bathed in sunlight. Meanwhile, Jupiter will be remarkably close to the Moon, within a mere 3-degree separation, which is roughly equivalent to the width of two fingers held at arm's length.

How can you watch?

From New York City, this cosmic rendezvous will be visible starting shortly after they rise above the eastern horizon at around 10 pm EDT (0200 GMT) and will continue until just before they dip below the horizon at approximately 11:52 am EDT (1552 GMT) on Tuesday (September 5). Jupiter will position itself just above and to the right of the moon during this event.

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Conjunction

This celestial alignment not only marks a close approach but also a conjunction, where the two celestial bodies share the same celestial longitude in the sky, known as right ascension.

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In terms of brightness, on Monday (September 4), the Moon will shine with a magnitude of -12.3, while Jupiter will have a magnitude of -2.7 (lower or negative values indicate brighter objects).

Consequently, the Moon will outshine Jupiter in the night sky and appear significantly larger due to its proximity to Earth. Jupiter, despite its massive size, will be dimmer in comparison.

While the Moon dominates the night sky during the close approach, it's important to note the vast size difference between the two.

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Jupiter boasts a width of approximately 89,000 miles (143,000 km), making it 11 times larger than Earth. The Moon, with a diameter of about 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometres), is a fraction of Jupiter's size.

To span Jupiter's equator, it would take at least 44 Moons lined up.

Jupiter's impressive moons

Jupiter is home to some moons that surpass not only our moon but also some of the solar system's planets in size.

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Ganymede, the largest Jovian moon, boasts a diameter of 3,270 miles (5,268 km), surpassing even the planet Mercury, which has a diameter of 3,032 miles (4,879 km).

Observing the event

Although the Moon and Jupiter will have a close encounter, they will still appear too distant to be seen together in the narrow field of view of a telescope, as per Space.com. However, binoculars, with their wider field of view, will provide a great way to observe both the moon and Jupitersimultaneously.

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