Jupiter: King of the Nighttime Sky

Jupiter is not just a planet. It’s a dreamland of astronomical proportions. From its giant storms to its mysterious moons, something about Jupiter captures our imagination and fuels our sense of wonder.

Jupiter has fascinated humans for centuries. Babylonian astronomers’ first recorded observation of the planet was in the 7th or 8th century BC. Many years later, Galileo Galilei was the first to observe Jupiter through a telescope in 1610. He also observed its four largest moons, now known as the Galilean moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.

As a monstrous planet, it exerts a powerful gravitational force on the other planets and objects in its vicinity. In fact, the next time you’re staring at the behemoth planet, remember it’s protecting us and the other inner planets from potentially hazardous objects like asteroids and comets. Sure, those orphans of the solar system slip by his grasp from time to time, but Jupiter’s gravity can deflect or capture these objects before they collide with us.¹

Observing Jupiter is a popular target among amateur astronomers today, beginners and experts alike. You can easily see the planet and its moons with a small telescope. In addition, the cloud bands on Jupiter’s surface and the Great Red Spot, a giant storm that has been raging for hundreds of years, are also visible through a telescope.

My Observations

I produced both photos of Jupiter below using a video recording technique. First, I shot a 1-minute video for each of these with my Canon 70D DSLR hooked directly into my telescope. Then, I ran the video file through software, which extracted the frames, aligned them, and stacked them. The results are what you see below. I’m mainly a visual astronomer with minimal astrophotography skills, but still, one with little knowledge and some basic equipment can take some decent planet photos.

I’ve seen Jupiter through various telescopes over the years regarding visual astronomy. What I love about Jupiter as a backyard destination is it will always offer something different. For one, the four moons are ever-changing in their position daily. So then, even with a modest telescope, you’ll notice small cloud changes from night to night. In addition, Jupiter’s atmosphere is a canvas of ever-changing colors and patterns, offering slightly different views daily. The planet’s cloud bands are a mixture of oranges, reds, browns, and whites that swirl around the planet in mesmerizing patterns.

Observation on September 16, 2023 at 6:12 a.m.

This is my first time observing in the early morning since starting this site. Autumn is just around the corner, and I can feel it in the cool morning air. It’s peaceful and quiet, as if the world is finally getting some rest. The stars have been fading away in the brightening sky as I finish my sketch of Struve 700 in Orion, but before packing up the telescope on this special morning, I decide to turn to an old friend that’s shining down from high above right now.

I am delighted that I took the time to look at Jupiter. The calm September air has made the planet crystal clear. There is not even a hint of shimmering emanating from the orb, while the moons appear as sharp points of light, filling the field magnificently. This is the clearest view of Jupiter I have ever witnessed. I am grateful for these moments in life.

Sources and Notes

Banner photo of Jupiter by NASA, ESA, and A. Simon (NASA Goddard) is in the public domain. Source file: https://esahubble.org/images/heic1410a/

¹Choi, Charles Q. “Jupiter: A Guide to the Largest Planet in the Solar System.” Space.com, Space, 21 July 2022, https://www.space.com/7-jupiter-largest-planet-solar-system.html.

Photo of Jupiter under “My Observations” by Wayne McGraw