Noticed a 'bright star' in the sky recently? It's Jupiter at its closest approach to Earth in 59 years.

You might have noticed a bright "star" in the sky over the past week.

The bright dot in the sky is Jupiter. Photo by Zheng Zhangxin.

That's Jupiter.

Closest to the Earth in almost 60 years

According to NASA, the largest planet in our solar system Jupiter came the closest it has ever done to Earth in 59 years on Sep. 26, 2022.The gas giant comes close to Earth once every 13 months, where the Earth is in between Jupiter and the Sun this time.

This time, the distance between the two planets was exceptionally short, and the last time it was this close was in 1963.

"This happens because Earth and Jupiter do not orbit the Sun in perfect circles – meaning the planets will pass each other at different distances throughout the year. Jupiter’s closest approach to Earth rarely coincides with opposition, which means this year’s views will be extraordinary," NASA explained.

A research astrophysicist at NASA said that Jupiter should be one of the (if not the) brightest objects in the night sky, other than the moon, in the few days before and after Sep. 26.

A resident in Singapore, Robin Lim, managed to catch a glimpse of the giant planet at 11pm on Sep. 27.

Photo by Robin Lim.

Photo by Robin Lim.

According to the stargazing community, you should still be able to see Jupiter this weekend.

If you do not have a telescope, you can explore the sky with a stargazing mobile app to learn more about our "neighbours".Top image via Robin Lim