6 Sky Events This Week: Primetime Jupiter, Asteroid Juno, and Zodiacal Light

Jupiter gives its best show of the year, and the elusive pyramids of light put in a rare appearance.

Watch the sky this week to soak in Jupiter's best appearance of 2015. You might also catch sight of a large asteroid and a ghostly light making tracks across the night sky.

Though the two objects may appear to be close together, this is just an optical illusion. In reality, the moon sits 1.3 light-seconds from Earth, while Jupiter is a whopping 36 light-minutes away.

Shining at magnitude 8, the 160-mile-wide (260 kilometers) Juno will be visible with binoculars or small telescopes, floating among the background stars. Juno appears about 3 degrees west of the faint, 4th-magnitude star Delta Hydrae.

The best way to identify and track this giant space rock is to sketch the same star field over a couple of nights.

DON'T MISS THE REST OF THIS STORY!
Create a free account to continue and get unlimited access to hundreds of Nat Geo articles, plus newsletters.

Create your free account to continue reading

No credit card required. Unlimited access to free content.
Or get a Premium Subscription to access the best of Nat Geo - just $19
SUBSCRIBE

Read This Next

Is banning fishing bad for fishermen? Not in this marine reserve
SeaWorld allegedly violated the Animal Welfare Act. Why is it still open?
'World’s worst shipwreck' was bloodier than we thought

Go Further

Subscriber Exclusive Content

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet

Why are people so dang obsessed with Mars?

How viruses shape our world

The era of greyhound racing in the U.S. is coming to an end

See how people have imagined life on Mars through history

See how NASA’s new Mars rover will explore the red planet