Planets, good from here

Jupiter at opposition

Jupiter is opposite the Sun: at its brightest for the year and up all night, in Leo.

When
Thursday, 11 February 2027, 02:17 CAT
Best time
22:00 to 02:00 CAT on Thursday, 11 February 2027
Where to look
North, high around midnight
From Zimbabwe
Good from here. Jupiter rises in the east-north-east at dusk and is about 57 degrees up in the north around midnight.
Jupiter
The largest planet, with its cloud belts and the Great Red Spot, photographed by Hubble. Credit: NASA, ESA, A. Simon (GSFC), M. H. Wong (UC Berkeley) and the OPAL team, CC BY 4.0.

At opposition Earth passes between the Sun and Jupiter. The planet rises at sunset, is highest around midnight, and shines at magnitude −2.6. This is the best time of year to look at Jupiter through a telescope: its cloud belts, the Great Red Spot and its four large moons.

Tips for watching

Binoculars braced against a wall show the moons. Any small telescope shows the cloud belts.

Times are Central Africa Time, worked out for Harare; other towns in Zimbabwe differ by a few minutes. Source: Computed for Harare with Astronomy Engine; date cross-checked with EarthSky.

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