How to Track Jupiter's Moons
Get a telescope., Consider using binoculars., Find a star chart or app., Get graph paper or a tracking sheet.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Get a telescope.
If you don’t already have a telescope, even a common, small 60 mm refractor will allow you to see Jupiter’s cloud bands and moons.
You can find this type of beginner telescope for between 50 and 100 US dollars, depending on quality.More powerful telescopes that are still great for beginners can cost upwards of 300 to 400 US dollars, but provide better imaging.
Some even interface with a tablet or smartphone, allowing you to easily track the sky using your mobile device. -
Step 2: Consider using binoculars.
If you don’t have a telescope but do own a good pair of binoculars, you can use them to see Jupiter’s moons.
You’ll need a pair with a minimum of 7x magnification, or seven times more powerful than human vision.
While they’ll only be visible as tiny dots, you should be able to make out the moons clearly.A good pair of modern binoculars is about as powerful as the telescope Galileo used when he first discovered Jupiter’s four large moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. , You can find a star chart or almanac online that will give you the locations of stars and planets on a given night.
Even easier, you can download a mobile app that automatically locates a specific celestial body.SkySafari and Google Sky Map both allow you to search for your stellar object and help you locate it in your patch of sky.
JupiterMoons for iOS lets you find Jupiter’s location in the sky and current appearance., You’ll need lined graphing paper in order to track moons’ transits over the course of several nights.
A pencil will also come in handy, and if you’d like, you can use four different colored pencils to distinguish the moons when you graph them.
You can also download a moon tracking activity sheet online. -
Step 3: Find a star chart or app.
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Step 4: Get graph paper or a tracking sheet.
Detailed Guide
If you don’t already have a telescope, even a common, small 60 mm refractor will allow you to see Jupiter’s cloud bands and moons.
You can find this type of beginner telescope for between 50 and 100 US dollars, depending on quality.More powerful telescopes that are still great for beginners can cost upwards of 300 to 400 US dollars, but provide better imaging.
Some even interface with a tablet or smartphone, allowing you to easily track the sky using your mobile device.
If you don’t have a telescope but do own a good pair of binoculars, you can use them to see Jupiter’s moons.
You’ll need a pair with a minimum of 7x magnification, or seven times more powerful than human vision.
While they’ll only be visible as tiny dots, you should be able to make out the moons clearly.A good pair of modern binoculars is about as powerful as the telescope Galileo used when he first discovered Jupiter’s four large moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto. , You can find a star chart or almanac online that will give you the locations of stars and planets on a given night.
Even easier, you can download a mobile app that automatically locates a specific celestial body.SkySafari and Google Sky Map both allow you to search for your stellar object and help you locate it in your patch of sky.
JupiterMoons for iOS lets you find Jupiter’s location in the sky and current appearance., You’ll need lined graphing paper in order to track moons’ transits over the course of several nights.
A pencil will also come in handy, and if you’d like, you can use four different colored pencils to distinguish the moons when you graph them.
You can also download a moon tracking activity sheet online.
About the Author
Stephanie West
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in organization and beyond.
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