Jupiter, King of the Sky

Amid a shower of Gemini shooting stars, Jupiter was shining last night, dominating the night sky as a King.

A short smear of better seeing resulted in this picture. The planet is currently at 649 million kilometers, and light takes 36 minutes before it reaches Earth. Opposition is in January, the planet will be slightly larger, and it rises almost as the sun sets. In the weeks after, the bright ‘star’ will be visible in the evening sky.

Altitude at the time of capture was 54°.

The diameter of this planet is 142 984 kilometer. That means that the smallest details visible on this picture are about 3000 km.