Doha: Jupiter, the Solar System's largest planet and a gas giant, will pass directly behind the Sun and show up on the opposite side from the perspective of Earth-based observers on Wednesday evening, July 29, Qatar Calendar House (QCH) has said. It added that the astronomical phenomenon, known as Jupiter's solar conjunction, will occur at 3:05 p.m. Doha local time.
According to Qatar News Agency, Dr. Bashir Marzouk, an astronomical expert at QCH, explained that during this phenomenon, Jupiter will reach its farthest distance from Earth, with the planet located approximately 942.5 million kilometers away. The Jupiter-Sun conjunction marks Jupiter's transition from appearing in the evening sky after sunset above the western horizon to appearing in the dawn sky before sunrise above the eastern horizon.
In the coming days, the angular separation between Jupiter and the Sun will increase, allowing observers in Qatar and surrounding Arab countries to view Jupiter in the dawn sky above the eastern horizon before sunrise during the second half of next August. Dr. Marzouk noted that Jupiter's solar conjunction occurs once annually, with the last one taking place on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, and the next one scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2026.
On Wednesday, Jupiter's rising and setting times will coincide with the Sun's in Qatar's sky, making it impossible for observers worldwide to spot Jupiter during the conjunction. The alignment necessary for this conjunction involves the centers of the Sun, Earth, and Jupiter forming a straight line, with the Sun between Jupiter and Earth.
Jupiter, with a diameter about 11 times that of Earth, is the fastest-rotating planet in the Solar System. It completes a rotation on its axis faster than any other planet and boasts 79 moons, including the well-known Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.