Jupiter is the main attraction in the evening sky this fall. Look southeast shortly after dark and there it is- a bright and steady yellow-white planetary light. Tonight we were lucky to catch the space station flying overhead as well. We looked at Jupiter through the telescope, and then placed a camera at the eyepiece and took some pictures.
This first picture is of Jupiter with four large moons. The large disk at the center is the planet, and the four points of light near it are the four ‘Galilean’ moons of Jupiter. Close together are Io and Europa, and on the other side are Callisto and Ganymede.
Jupiter and Four Moons, October 28 2010
The disc of the planet is so much brighter than the moon themselves that its next to impossible to take a picture of both together. The above exposure lasted a few seconds, while the exposure below was a fraction of a second. This short exposure makes it so we can’t see the moons, but we can see details on the ‘surface’ of Jupiter, namely tops of cloud bands. Note that there is only one equatorial cloud band (there were two for the past several decades).
Jupiter, high magnification, October 28, 2010
