Step 1 – Is Jupiter in the Night Sky Tonight? Follow the steps below to work out where to look.
#Jupiter through telescope how to#
How to Find Jupiter in the Night Skyīeing so bright, Jupiter is very easy to find with the naked eye when it is visible. Throw in Galilean moons and vibrant surface features, and you’ll see why many backyard astronomers think of Jupiter as the ‘goto’ planet of choice. This is all excellent news for those of us who own a smaller telescope because that big disc is bright enough to show us super details. When you are on the hunt for smaller details, it pays to look at opposition because the planet is up to 60% larger than when at its most distant. When Jupiter reaches opposition, its disc can reach a diameter of 50 arcseconds. In contrast, Jupiter never appears smaller in our sky than 29.8”. At Mars’ closest approach, which happens every two years, the red planet has a maximum angular diameter of 25.1”. So, even though Jupiter is much further away from us than Mars, it appears much more significant in our telescopes, even when Mars is at its closest approach. How big is Jupiter? Our home planet would fit inside it 1,300 times! Which is why new astronomers often ask is Jupiter a failed star? (No, is the quick answer). Jupiter has more than twice the mass of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune combined. In fact, it’s the biggest in the solar system by quite some margin.
If you own a scope of 6 inches or smaller, then keep reading to learn how to find Jupiter and what you should aim to observe. This is our guide to help you see Jupiter in a small telescope.
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