Catch Jupiter's Brightest Night and a Meteor Shower this Weekend

Get ready for a celestial show! This weekend, Jupiter will be at its brightest all year, visible all night long. It's like Earth is playing tag with Jupiter, as our planet swings between Jupiter and the sun. If you have binoculars or a telescope, you might even spot Jupiter's four biggest moons named after Galileo.

Jupiter will rise in the east-northeast, hanging out with the stars of Taurus. Keep an eye out for the Winter Triangle too, those three bright stars in the night sky. To find it, look for Orion's belt and then check below and to the left for Sirius, the brightest star. Procyon will be higher and to the left, and Betelgeuse will be back toward Orion, looking reddish. Plus, the Geminid meteor shower is happening now! It's usually one of the best, but this year a nearly full moon might make it harder to see the fainter shooting stars.

Actions