Looking Up

For those of you who like looking at the stars this is a good week for looking up. In the South just above and to the left of the moon is Jupiter. Jupiter is at 'opposition' which means that it is directly opposite the Sun as seen from Earth and the closet to us this year. If you have a good set of binoculars and let you eyes adjust you can see one or two very small pinpoint lights around Jupiter. These are some of Jupiter's largest moons and will change position every night as they move around the planet. I was just out and was able to spot one just to the right of Jupiter.

Also if you look west just after sunset you will see Mars and Saturn just above the horizon. They will be within about 1 degree of each other but will set soon after the sun so look quickly. It's also a great time to look at the Moon while you have the binoculars out. just do it after you have looked at every thing else or you will have to let your eyes adjust again.

Enjoy the night!