Jupiter brilliant at sunset

摘要

The giant planet Jupiter is now a few weeks past opposition, shrinking from 43 to 41 arcseconds diameter during the month. However, it transits the London's southern meridian among the stars of Virgo at the sociable time of 21:30 GMT (22:30 BST) by mid-month and, by the end of May, at 20:15 GMT (21:15 BST).This is just a few minutes after sunset, which, strangely enough, is often the best time to view the planet in a steady sky. If you know exactly where to look, Jupiter can easily be tracked down with the naked eye in a bright blue sky, as soon as the Sun has set.