On Friday (Sept. 16), skywatchers will get the chance to view Neptune in opposition because it strikes reverse the sun within the evening sky.
Skywatchers will be capable to see Neptune for almost all of the evening, from across the time the sun units to roughly the time the sun rises. The planet will seem within the constellation of Aquarius.
In New York, observers will see Neptune rising 21⁰ levels above the southeastern horizon from round 9:07 p.m. EDT (0107 GMT on Saturday, Sept. 17) till 4:40 a.m. EDT (0840 GMT) on Saturday, Sept. 17. Presently the planet will transfer beneath the horizon within the southwest. (A fist at arm’s size equals round 10 levels within the sky.)
Associated: Night sky, September 2022: What you can see tonight [maps]
This would be the finest probability to see this elusive ice giant this yr, as Neptune can be at its brightest as seen from Earth through the opposition with a magnitude of seven.8. This is because of the truth that it is going to be in its closest strategy to our planet, also referred to as its ‘perigee.’
As a result of Neptune is the furthest planet within the solar system from our star, sitting at about 30 instances the space from the Earth to the sun, its shut strategy will not make it seem a lot bigger within the sky than standard.
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The planet will nonetheless be round 2.7 billion miles (4.34 billion kilometers) away, and consequently will nonetheless seem as a star-like level of sunshine to the bare eye, solely turning into clearer when considered with a telescope.
On the time of Neptune’s shut strategy to Earth, the solar system can be organized in such a means that the sun, Earth, and Neptune can be in a line with our planet in between our star and its outermost world.
A planet’s distance from the sun is a vital ingredient of opposition. Solely the extra distant worlds — Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune — expertise this astronomical association.
For Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, opposition happens yearly, however Mars solely strikes in opposition as soon as roughly each two years.
Although the opposition of Neptune is an annual occasion, its timing shifts by a number of days as a result of measurement of the distant planet’s orbit across the sun. Neptune takes round 165 Earth years to finish an orbit, that means when our planet realigns with it every year throughout its journey across the sun, Neptune has moved ahead a bit of in its orbit.
Skywatchers who miss Neptune in opposition this yr will be capable to spot it once more on Sept. 19, 2023.
Astronomers who cannot look forward to this occasion can as an alternative see Jupiter transfer into opposition on Sept. 26, 2022, when the gas giant can be nearer to our planet than it has been for seven a long time.
You possibly can try our guides for the best binoculars and the best telescopes to identify Neptune or every other planets after they’re at opposition. Should you’re hoping to seize a very good photograph of Neptune, try our suggestions for one of the best cameras for astrophotography and best lenses for astrophotography.
Editor’s Observe: Should you snap a photograph of Neptune and want to share it with House.com’s readers, ship your photograph(s), feedback, and your title and placement to spacephotos@space.com.
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