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'Thrilled' Vancouverites share jaw-dropping snaps of rare Jupiter event

This event won't take place for another whopping 107 years.
Elana Shepert
Elana Shepert
jupiter-close-to-earth-2022-vancouver
The largest planet in our solar system was in direct opposition to the sun while it approached perigee. Vancouver locals shared images of the rare event.Photo via @tylerblack32/Twitter

Did you happen to spot Jupiter last night?

You might have spotted the dazzling behemoth in Metro Vancouver skies — even if you weren't looking for it. 

For the first time since October 1963, the largest planet in our solar system was in direct opposition to the sun at the exact same time that it approached perigee, which refers to the time when the planet and Earth are closest to each other in their orbits.

Since Earth was positioned directly between Jupiter and the sun, the massive planet looked especially bright in the night sky. Additionally, it looked especially large due to its close proximity to Earth.

These two events also won't take place concurrently for another 107 years in 2129.

While it was possible to spot the interstellar display with the naked eye, a pair of binoculars or a telescope provided the ideal view of the planet's details, such as the cloud belts and the Galilean moons.

Tyler Black shared a spellbinding, highly-detailed photo of the planet on Twitter that he captured at 3:40 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27. He adds that the planet's "great red spot" was facing Earth. 

The image was taken from his balcony in downtown Vancouver "using a Takahashi FSQ85EDX Telescope and a QHY268M astrophotography camera," the local man told Vancouver Is Awesome. 

"It's taken by taking >3000 photos and "stacking" the top 10 [per cent] of photos."

Have a look at some more of the photos Metro Vancouver locals snapped of the "once-in-a-lifetime" event.