Planets and Moons  ID: 4567

2017 Jupiter Opposition

Visualizations by Kel Elkins Released on April 6, 2017
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Visualization depicting Jupiter opposition occurring on Apri 7 2017
On April 7, 2017, Jupiter and the sun will be positioned on opposite sides of the Earth in what is known as a "Jupiter opposition." Jupiter’s closest approach to Earth for the year always falls on or near this Jupiter's opposition date. In 2017, Jupiter comes closest to Earth one day after its opposition date, on April 8, coming to within 414 million miles (666 million kilometers) of Earth. If Jupiter and Earth had perfectly circular orbits, closest approach would occur at the same time as opposition. However, since Jupiter and Earth both have elliptical orbits, the closest approach is not aligned with opposition, and varies from year to year.
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Visualization depicting Jupiter opposition occurring on Apri 7 2017 - no onscreen dates
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Date display for period of time leading up to 2017 Jupiter opposition
 

Used Elsewhere In

Hubble Views Jupiter at Opposition

Visualization Credits

Kel Elkins (USRA): Lead Visualizer
Laurence Schuler (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Technical Support
Ian Jones (ADNET Systems, Inc.): Technical Support
Katrina Jackson (USRA): Producer
Michelle Handleman (USRA): Producer
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

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https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4567

Keywords:
SVS >> Hyperwall
NASA Science >> Planets and Moons