There’s a lot going on in the night sky over Beaufort this June, and if you take a moment to look up, you could be rewarded with stunning sights.
The star is Jupiter, which is at the biggest and brightest it will be all year. And, now that our 9 days of endless rain have ended, we may even have the chance to see it!
Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and will be directly opposite the sun, meaning Jupiter, the Earth, and the Sun will be aligned. Jupiter is fairly close to Earth and you can spot it lurking in the sky all night long. This entire month offers up great viewing opportunities.
Beaufort is a awesome spot for sky gazing because of it’s low light pollution and big sky views with all of the water.
Because Jupiter will be near its closest distance to the Earth this year, it will appear slightly bigger. Even if Jupiter is visible to the naked eye, it can be more fantastic through binoculars or a small telescope which will allow you to spot the four largest moons and maybe even glimpse a hint of the banded clouds that encircle the planet.
You won’t want to miss this opportunity to see it and its four brightest moons.
Jupiter arrived at opposition on June 10th. While you can see it for most of the remainder of the month, June 16th is the best night according to space.com.
At sundown on June 16th, look low toward the east-southeast horizon for the rising moon and situated prominently about 4 degrees to its upper right will be Jupiter. At around midnight, Jupiter will appear to the right of the moon and by around 5 a.m., Jupiter is just about to set with the moon now standing 8 degrees to its upper left.
Happy stargazing.
