Shore Environment

Moonlight, Jupiter Shine Over the Ocean on ‘Black Friday’ at the Jersey Shore

by
Daniel Nee
November 24, 2023

Shopping can wait! A fair-weather day brought Shore residents and visitors outside the day after Thanksgiving this year, with a notable scene having unfolded just after sunset over the ocean.

The video above, and our still photos below, show Jupiter brightly shining to the left of a beaming moon. According to Time and Date, an app that tracks objects in the night sky, Jupiter began to rise at 3:16 p.m. and could be seen beside the moon just after sunset, which occurred at 4:34 p.m. (Note: some ad blocking software may interfere with the video player.)

Technically, according to the guide, Jupiter shines brightest at 10:03 p.m. before fully setting down by 4:51 a.m. the following morning. The view opportunity is rated as “excellent” and the alignment of the two objects in the sky should be roughly the same tomorrow for those who’d like to catch a glimpse of a unique night sky over the ocean.

The moon (center) and Jupiter (left) over Manasquan Inlet. (Photo: Shorebeat)

According to the National Weather Service, Saturday looks to bring another dose of fair weather to the region before conditions deteriorate a bit Sunday. The forecast states:

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 41. North wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.

Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. Calm wind.

Sunday: A chance of rain after 4pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph becoming southeast in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Sunday Night: Rain, mainly between 7pm and 4am. Low around 43. Southeast wind around 10 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.

Monday: A chance of rain before 7am. Partly sunny, with a high near 49. Breezy. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.