People around the world will have the chance this weekend to see the most stunning view of the year at the largest planet in our solar system.
Jupiter will shine at its brightest this year on Saturday, as Earth’s orbit swings our planet between Jupiter and the sun. Weather permitting, the gas giant will not only be brighter than most other stars and planets in the evening sky, but will also be visible all night long.
When conditions are clear, anyone with binoculars or a telescope can even make out details such as Jupiter’s four largest moons: Ganymede, Callisto, Io and Europa. The four ‘Galilean moons’ are named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, who probably discovered them in 1610.
When night falls, Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast, among the stars that make up the constellation Taurus, according to NASA.
Around December 14, Jupiter will be visible in the night sky between the nearly full moon and a red-orange star called Aldebaran, which shines brightest in the constellation Taurus and can be seen with the naked eye.
People in the Northern Hemisphere can also look out for what is known as the Winter Triangle, a formation of three bright stars in the night sky.
The celestial triangle consists of Sirius in the constellation Canis Major, Procyon in the constellation Canis Minor and Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion. These stars are visible all season long and are often prominent in the winter sky.
To discover the Winter Triangle, you must first look for the three stars that make up Orion’s belt. Slightly lower and to the left of the belt is Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky. From there, Procyon will be slightly higher and to the left. Betelgeuse will be visible by looking back at Orion, with the star appearing reddish on the shoulder of the constellation.
Meanwhile, a meteor shower is underway in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The annual Geminids meteor shower peaks on the night of December 13 to December 14.
As the name suggests, these shooting stars appear to be streaming from the constellation Gemini, but the meteors are actually pieces of debris from an asteroid known as 3200 Phaeton.
The Geminids are usually one of the best and most reliable meteor showers of the year, but according to NASA, a nearly full moon this time could wash out some of the fainter shooting stars.
This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
