Don't miss to catch 'Jupiter Opposition' on April 7: King of planets at its brightest, biggest tonight

New Delhi: Jupiter, king of planets in our Solar System reaches opposition on Friday night, April 7, 2017, when it shines brighter and appears largest than ever before in the night.

According to NASA, Jupiter can be viewed at opposition from sunset on April 7, 2017 to sunrise on April 8, 2017.

During this time, the solar system is lined up so that Jupiter, Earth and the Sun form a straight line with Earth in the middle.

As Jupiter makes its closest approach to Earth on Friday night this year, the planet will "only" be 416 million miles away, closer than any other time of the year, NASA said.

NASA said the best time to view Jupiter is when it appears highest overhead around midnight.

Jupiter will be visible with the naked eye as it rises in the east at sunset and climbs high through the sky all night, before setting in the west as the sun rises Saturday morning. This event allows astronomers using telescopes in space and on the ground to see more detail in the atmosphere of Jupiter, NASA said.

However, using binoculars, you should be able to see Jupiter's four Galilean moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. And through a telescope, Jupiter's cloud belts and zones are easily visible, and the Great Red Spot can be seen beginning its transit -- or crossing-of the disk every 10 hours.

Meanwhile, Astronomy website Slooh.com is providing Live coverage of the event on Friday. Click HERE to watch as Jupiter pays its closest visit to the Earth for the year.

Jupiter comes to opposition about every 13 months.

So skywatchers, stop what you’re doing and mark your calendar! Tonight is your best chance of the year 2017 to get a close look at the gas giant – the biggest planet in our Solar System.