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Watch: Sheikh Hamdan captures the 'king of planets' as Jupiter comes closest to Earth in 59 years

Sheikh Hamdan's stunning video records an unmissable celestial event as the planet will not be this close for another 107 years

Published: Mon 26 Sep 2022, 10:01 PM

Updated: Tue 27 Sep 2022, 8:02 AM

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Jupiter will appear bigger and brighter in the sky on September 26. — Photo: Nasa

Jupiter will appear bigger and brighter in the sky on September 26. — Photo: Nasa

The fact that Sheikh Hamdan has an eye for photography is not news to anyone, anymore. He often leaves million of his followers awestruck with his travelogues which he documents with exceptional photographs.

But today, the Crown Prince of Dubai has treated the world with one of the most amazing celestial events after capturing the Jupiter through his lens.

Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum posted a reel on his Instagram, recording the 'king of the planet' in the backdrop of the 'king of buildings' - the Burj Khalifa.

Fazza, as he's affectionately known, captioned the video: "Burj Khalifa meets the king of planets! The planet's closest approach to Earth in 59 years."

Today, Jupiter is at its closest to the Earth in 59 years, and stargazers can get an excellent view of the planet the entire night. This occurrence makes it an unmissable celestial event as the giant planet will not be this close for another 107 years.

The largest planet in our solar system will be at opposition, meaning Earth is directly between it and the sun.

According to Nasa, from the viewpoint of Earth’s surface, opposition happens when an astronomical object rises in the east as the Sun sets in the west, placing the object and the Sun on opposite sides of Earth.

Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth since 1963 and 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 view 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.

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