Doha, July 29 (QNA) - Jupiter, the Solar System's largest planet and a gas giant, will pass directly behind the Sun and show up on the opposite side from the perspective of Earth-based observers on Wednesday evening, July 29, Qatar Calendar House (QCH) has said.

It added that the astronomical phenomenon, known as Jupiter's solar conjunction, will occur at 3:05 p.m. Doha local time.

Dr. Bashir Marzouk, an astronomical expert at QCH, said that during this phenomenon, Jupiter will reach its farthest distance from Earth, with the planet located approximately 942.5 million kilometers away from Earth.

In essence, the Jupiter-Sun conjunction is one of the significant astronomical phenomena, as it marks Jupiter's transition from appearing in the evening sky after sunset above the western horizon to appearing in the dawn sky before sunrise above the eastern horizon.

During the coming days, the angular separation between Jupiter and the Sun will increase, allowing folks in Qatar and Arab countries in the region to behold Jupiter in the dawn sky above the eastern horizon before sunrise during the second half of next August.

Dr. Marzouk explained that Jupiter's solar conjunction occurs once annually, and the last one happened on Tuesday, June 24, 2025, while it will occur again on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2026.

Jupiter's rising and setting times on Wednesday will coincide with the Sun's rising and setting times in Qatar's sky. Therefore, observers around the world won't be able to spot Jupiter during this phenomenon.

The condition for the occurrence of this conjunction is that the centers of the Sun, Earth, and Jupiter are aligned in a straight line, with the Sun positioned between Jupiter and Earth.

Overall, Jupiter has a diameter about 11 times that of Earth. It is also the fastest-rotating planet in the Solar System, completing a rotation on its axis faster than any other planet.

It has 79 moons, the most famous of which are the Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. (QNA)