The king of the night sky

What is the bright ‘star’ rising in the evening towards the east? It is Jupiter, the largest planet.

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet within our solar system. It is a gas giant with two and a half times the mass of all the other planets in our solar system.

It has a diameter 11 times that of Earth and rotates much faster, with its day lasting just under 10 hours.

Jupiter is a gaseous planet, so our view is restricted to the clouds in its upper layers of the atmosphere.

Late in October, Jupiter was opposite the sun in Earth’s sky, but in November it will shine brightly and rise as the sun sets.

Around this time the gas giant offers stunning views of its stormy, banded atmosphere and large Galilean moons. This sharp snapshot of Jupiter (pictured) was captured on October 20 by Leonard Ellul Mercer from his observatory in Attard. The image shows oval-shaped vortices and planet girdling dark belts and light zones. Also seen in remarkable detail is the Great Red Spot. Known for its size and longevity, this massive anticyclonic storm has been observed for several hundred years.

Jupiter’s moon Ganymede is also visible as it circulates the planet together with the remaining 63 moons which orbit around it.

In ancient Roman religion and myth, Jupiter was the king of the gods, and the god of the sky and thunder.

For up-to-date information join the Facebook group at www.facebook.com/groups/maltastro.

Events this month

Nov 9: The moon close to Jupiter (evening sky).
Nov 10: Full moon.
Nov 14: Mercury at greatest elongation (visible in the evening sky towards the west).
Nov 18: Maximum of Leonids meteor shower. Last quarter moon.
Nov 25: New moon.
Nov 26: The moon near the planet Venus (morning sky).