In my neck of the woods, the frigid temperatures are seemingly endless. I don’t know anyone who isn’t ready for springtime. But the cold weather also brings fairly clear skies, which is great for star and planet gazing.
As I was staring at some huge icicles hanging on the outside of my home, I realized Jupiter (yes, that bright dot!) was out in full force. Can you see the planet between two of the icicles? Apparently, Jupiter’s brightness is unchallenged in the night sky.
If you’re interested in learning about what you can see in the sky this evening, check out the “Stargazing: Tonight’s Sky” menu above.
This past Tuesday evening, I went outside for a break with a colleague. Gazing at the night sky, I saw a bright star just above the tree line to my right. I knew it wasn’t Jupiter because I had spotted the massive planet time and time again, and not to mention, I knew it was located to my left. (North/South: I don’t know. Left/Right: Now you got me!) I took out my handy SkyView app and found that the star was actually Venus! How excited was I? Venus and Jupiter in the same night!
Well, here’s a great infographic that will help you locate Jupiter and Venus tonight. You’ll be able to see their dance for a couple of months.
Want to see what else the sky has to offer tonight? Check out my “Stargazing:Tonight’s Sky” link at the top of my homepage. Everyday, you’ll get an idea of what to expect in the night sky. It’s fabulous.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope caught Jupiter's moon, Ganymede, seemingly playing a game of peek-a-boo in this image from April 2007. Ganymede is shown just before it ducks behind the giant planet. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and E. Karkoschka (University of Arizona)
I do love Jupiter.
It’s a beautiful, massive planet with swirling storms of oranges and reds. That large storm – the Great Red Spot – is twice the size of Earth. Can you imagine a storm larger than our entire planet? And that’s not the worst of it. The storm has been raging on for more than 300 years.
It would be quite fitting that I was introduced to skywatching with my favorite planet in the night sky. I’ve stared at Jupiter more times than I could believe, and each time, I’m still excited. The massive planet has been out for roughly two months, or has it been longer?
Anyway, here’s some advice. Go out and take a look at Jupiter. It’ll be the brightest object in the sky, next to our moon, of course. If you’re in North America, you’ll see Jupiter to the left of the moon, according to EarthSky.org.
For the rest of the year, we’ll be able to see the gas giant and maybe one of its moons, too.
“Given clear skies, everyone with a decent backyard telescope should be able to view Jupiter’s moons. In their outward order from Jupiter, these four major moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto,” according to EarthSky.org.
Here’s a little look at Jupiter via The Universe (on the History Channel). Its one of my favorite shows. This part focuses on Jupiter’s massive storm and some of its mysteries.