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Jupiter at opposition: Jakarta planetarium holds free public viewing until June 17
The planetarium is holding a free weeklong viewing of the giant gas planet as it passes the sky at its brightest and closest point to Earth.
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The sun sets over the Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory, located in the Taman Ismail Marzuki arts and science complex in Cikini, Central Jakarta. (Shutterstock.com/Harismoyo )
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he Jakarta Planetarium and Observatory is offering from June 10 to 17 a free public viewing of Jupiter at opposition – its brightest and closest point to the Earth.
Visitors must register at the planetarium for the viewing from Monday to Friday between 6:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to get a glimpse of the biggest planet in our solar system.
“There are no visitor quotas for this event, but we have limited registration to only one hour,” Eko Wahyu, the planetarium’s CEO for performance and publication, said on Wednesday as quoted by kompas.com.
Eko said that the public viewing was being held for only one week while the planet was at optimum visibility.
"We offer the public a chance to observe [Jupiter] themselves," said Eko.
The Jupiter viewing is part of the planetarium's public education program.
The planetarium, which is located in the Taman Ismail Marzuki complex in Cikini, Central Jakarta, received 110 visitors on June 10-11 and expects visitor numbers to grow as the week progressed. It has provided five telescopes: four for viewing Jupiter and another for viewing the moon.
Visitors can also view Saturn, but the ringed planet is only visible after 10 p.m.
According to NASA, June will see many astronomical events, including Jupiter at opposition, during which the planet is in alignment with the Sun and the Earth. (eyc)
