You may have noticed a bright "star" in the eastern sky after sunset, but that's no star: it's the mighty planet Jupiter, and it's almost at its peak brightness.

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, is reaching opposition, an event that occurs when a celestial object rises in the east as the sun sets in the west, putting both the sun and the object on opposite sides of Earth.

But what also makes this special is that the planet will be the closest it has been to Earth in 59 years, meaning it will also be brighter than usual.

The reason planets vary in their distance from Earth is because their orbits aren't perfectly circular, but rather slightly elliptical.

While Jupiter's opposition happens roughly every 13 months, it's not common for it to coincide with its closest approach, making this a particularly special treat.

You can find the planet in the east after sunset. It's hard to miss, even from a light-polluted city, as it is the brightest object in the sky.

You don't need a telescope or binoculars to see it, but if you do have a pair of binoculars or a telescope, you can have some fun over the coming days.

One of the special things about Jupiter is its four brightest moons: Callisto, Io, Ganymede and Europa.