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Why is Jupiter closest to Earth 1 day before opposition?
- Jupiter will be closest to Earth on December 6, 2024, when the distance will be at its minimum for the year, which is 380 million miles, or 611 million km.
- Less than 24 hours later, on December 7 at 21 UTC (4 p.m. CDT), Jupiter will reach opposition when it is opposite the sun in our sky, just as the Earth flies between the sun and Jupiter. That’s when Jupiter will be 471 million miles, or 759 million km, distant from the sun and 34 light-minutes away from Earth.
- Jupiter’s last opposition, when the Earth was between it and the sun, was on November 3, 2023 and before that on September 26, 2022, when it was closest to the Earth it had been in 70 years.
- The reason for Jupiter being closest to Earth one day before opposition is because of the elliptical orbit of both Earth and Jupiter around the sun, which causes the distance between them to vary.
- Jupiter’s perigee, or the point in its orbit closest to Earth each year, fell at the same time as its perihelion, or the point in its orbit closest to the sun every 12 years, in September 2022, which led to the close approach of Jupiter.
- Since space is vast, Jupiter’s orbit has still been affected by its closest point to the sun in 2022 and is slowly getting farther from the sun every day.
- Earth and Jupiter have nearly circular orbits, but are slightly elliptical causing Jupiter’s distance from the sun to vary. Earth always reaches perihelion around January 4 each year, whereas Jupiter’s perihelion falls on different dates each year, every twelve years.
- After reaching aphelion, or the point furthest from the sun, in February 2017, Jupiter was moving closer to the sun each day, until it reached perihelion in September 2022. Now it is moving farther away from the sun, every day and will continue to do so until 2028.
- On December 6, 2024, Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth and will reach opposition less than 24 hours later, on December 7 at 21 UTC.
- Jupiter’s closest point to the Earth in 2024 will be 380 million miles, or 611 million km.
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