Bullish On Jupiter

Silhouetted tree branches in the foreground did nothing to diminish the glow of the -2.83 magnitude planet Jupiter (upper left) as it was rising in the eastern sky just before 8:30 PM on Tuesday, December 4, 2012. This image, a five second exposure at f/1.8, 1600 ISO and 35mm focal length, was captured from alongside the Boyson Park nature trail in western Marion, Iowa about a quarter mile south of Boyson Road and near the border of Cedar Rapids. Right of Jupiter is the constellation Taurus (The Bull), dominated by its brightest star Aldebaran (5 o'clock position from Jupiter). The giant planet reached opposition the night before. Opposition is when Jupiter is closest to Earth and when it rises as the sun sets and sets as the sun rises. Jupiter is currently closest to Earth than it will be again until 2021.