Renowned UK astro-imager Damian Peach created this stunning video of a rotating Jupiter with images captured from Barbados in early to mid-June, three weeks before Juno’s arrival at the gas giant.
Observing
Jupiter continues to delight and amaze observers during April
The impact of a small comet or asteroid on Jupiter observed by European amateur astronomers on 17 March has heightened interest in the solar system’s largest planet. While such an event is uncommon, Jupiter and its family of four bright Galilean moons provide a wealth of other interesting phenomena to view with small telescopes during April.
Observing
See the Moon meet planet Jupiter on the morning of 4 December
In the dawn twilight of Friday, 4 December observers in the British Isles and Western Europe can see the 23-day-old waning crescent Moon just 2.5 degrees (half a 10×50 binocular field of view) below largest planet Jupiter in the constellation Leo high in the southern sky. And if you have a telescope, Jupiter’s largest moon plays hide and seek.
Observing
See the Moon’s dawn encounters with Jupiter, Mars and Saturn, 7–11 February
Set your alarm for 6am GMT if you wish to see three naked-eye planets in the UK dawn sky this week. Find a location that offers an unobstructed view of the horizon from southeast to south and let the waning Moon be your guide to locating Jupiter, Mars and Saturn on successive mornings from 7 to 11 February.