This simulated 7×50 binocular view shows the configuration of the rising 17-day-old waning gibbous Moon, largest planet Jupiter and first-magnitude star Spica in the constellation of Virgo at 10pm GMT on Tuesday 14 March 2017. The trio lie low in the east-southeast as seen from the British Isles at this time. AN graphic by Ade Ashford.If skies are clear on the night of Tuesday 14 March, look to the southeast around 10pm local time to see the 17-day-old Waning gibbous Moon in the same binocular view as planet Jupiter. As seen from the UK and Western Europe, the pair lie just 2 degrees apart. In low-power binoculars you’ll be able to fit first-magnitude star Spica — the primary luminary of the constellation Virgo — into the field of view too!
As viewed from the east coast of North America at 10pm local time, the Moon-Jupiter separation will have grown to 3.7 degrees, but the celestial triumvirate of Moon, planet and star will still make a beautiful grouping in low-power binoculars.
Jupiter is less than a month from opposition (7 April), so it’s very much open season for the Solar System’s largest planet. Now shining at magnitude -2.4, its mighty equator spans 43.3 arcseconds, meaning that a telescope magnifying just 42x is sufficient to enlarge it to the same apparent size of the adjacent Moon to the naked eye.
The apparent proximity of the Moon and Jupiter is, of course, a line of sight effect. The planet lies 423 million miles (681 million kilometres) from Earth on the night of 14 March — some 1,720 times farther away than the Moon.This computer simulation shows the configuration of Jupiter and its four large Galilean moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto at 10pm GMT on 14 March. This is an erect-image view (north up, east left) corresponding to a high-power binocular or terrestrial telescope. Users of Newtonian reflectors (including Dobsonians) need to rotate this view 180 degrees. Those using refractors and Schmidt- or Maksutov-Cassegrain telescopes with a star diagonal should mirror the image left-right to match their eyepiece views. AN graphic by Ade Ashford.If you have the clear skies and stamina to stay up in the UK, Jupiter’s Great Red Spot will be visible on the planet’s eastern limb by 2am GMT on 15 March and the GRS transits shortly after 3am GMT. The Great Red Spot will be close to Jupiter’s central meridian again at 11pm GMT on 15 March.
For predictions of GRS transits and phenomena of Jupiter’s Galilean moons Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto for other dates, times and locations, please consult our interactive online Almanac and ensure that the ‘Add phenomena of Jupiter?’ box is checked.
Inside the magazine
For a comprehensive guide to observing all that is happening in the coming month’s sky, tailored to Western Europe and North America, obtain a copy of the March 2017 edition of Astronomy Now.
NASA’s Juno orbiter, making its 20th pass by Jupiter in May, provided another remarkable view of the giant planet’s turbulent atmosphere thanks to processing by a citizen scientist.
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.
Three naked-eye planets – Mars, Jupiter and Saturn – grow in prominence in the dawn sky this month. If you wish to identify them for yourself, let the waning Moon be your celestial guide from 7–11 March. We also show you what to look for in binoculars and telescopes.
