Jupiter, Moon to sit together in sky: How to watch
What's the story
On October 13, the Moon will appear close to Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. The best time to catch a glimpse of this noteworthy phenomenon is late Monday night into early Tuesday morning. The Moon will rise above the east-northeastern horizon shortly before midnight, with Jupiter shining about six degrees to its right.
Observation tips
How to measure the distance between the 2 celestial bodies
To view the Moon and Jupiter, extend your clenched fist at arm's length. The distance between the two celestial bodies will be a little more than half of your fist. While the Moon is only 378,195km away from Earth, Jupiter is much farther away. This means that when they appear close together in the sky, it's just an illusion of perspective.
Planetary position
Jupiter will rise above the east-northeast horizon
Currently, Jupiter is located in the constellation of Gemini, near the star marking Pollux's right hand. It will be visible just above the east-northeast horizon around 11:40pm local daylight time (US). However, it won't reach an altitude of 30 degrees above the horizon until 2:30am. This is considered a good time for viewing as sharp telescopic views are rarely possible until an object reaches this height due to Earth's turbulent atmosphere.
Telescopic view
Jupiter's cloud bands and satellites will be visible
When viewed through a telescope, Jupiter is always an interesting sight. The light and dark cloud bands in its atmosphere appear parallel to the equator and change slowly. The famous Great Red Spot appears to be shrinking as well as wobbling while undergoing dynamic fluctuations and changing shape. During the late hours of Monday night into Tuesday morning, all four Galilean satellites will be visible with steady-held binoculars or a telescope.