Jupiter at solar conjunction

Thursday 24th Jul 201419:49

From our vantage point on the Earth, Jupiter will be unobservable as is passes around the far side of the Sun from the Earth. At its closest approach to the Sun in the night sky, Jupiter will be a mere 00°23′ away from it, becoming totally lost in the Sun’s glare for several weeks.

At around the same time, Jupiter will also be at its most distant from the Earth – receding to a distance of 6.28 AU since the two planets will lie on opposite sides of the Solar System.

As a result, not only will Jupiter be unobservable on account of its closeness to the Sun in the sky, but it would also – if it could be observed – appear at its smallest and faintest. If it could be seen, it would measure 30.7 arcsec in diameter.