Duan’s photo captures Jupiter in all its splendour
The massive planet is approximately 600 million miles away from earth at its farthest point.
Local stargazer Duan Knoetze, a grade 11 learner form the Technical High School managed to capture history through his camera lens.
On Monday, September 26 Jupiter was closest to earth in 59 years. This last happened in 1963.
According to Nasa Blogs this happens because earth and Jupiter do not orbit the Sun in perfect circles – meaning the planets will pass each other at different distances throughout the year. Jupiter’s closest approach to earth rarely coincides with opposition, which means this year’s views will be extraordinary.
At its closest approach, Jupiter will be approximately 367 million miles in distance from earth, about the same distance it was in 1963. The massive planet is approximately 600 million miles away from earth at its farthest point.
“The stars and planets fascinate me. Monday night was extraordinary,” Duan said.
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