Planet Jupiter: The "Star" of the Fall Sky

Be sure not to miss Jupiter in the night sky this fall. The largest planet in the solar system hasn’t been this close to Earth since 1951, and will not be this bright again until 2022. Look for the brightest object in the East after sunset. You should even be able to see four of Jupiter’s moons with ordinary binoculars.

This time-lapse animation of Jupiter was taken at the Canadian Space Agency’s observatory, and shows Ganymede, one of Jupiter’s 63 known moons, passing in front of the planet and casting its shadow on Jupiter’s surface. (Credit: Canadian Space Agency)