Jupiter season!

March 8 is Jupiter Opposition - when Jupiter is on the opposite side of Earth from the sun, rising at sunset, setting at dawn and closest to Earth in its orbit. It will be a little brighter and a little closer to Earth before, during and after March 8. So don't worry if it is cloudy, you have several more months of excellent Jupiter viewing opportunities. The planet, with all its cloud patterns above and below the equator show well, even in the smallest telescope, and even with steady binoculars. The four Galilean moons Io, Europa, Callisto and Ganymede are also easy to see through steadily held binoculars, but much more easily seen in telescopes of all sizes -- except when they are passing behind the planet -- or in front. Near opposition, as a moon passes in front of Jupiter the sun, the moon's shadow appears against the clouds of Jupiter. Astrophotographers are capturing images showing the pearly spheres of Io and Europa and their shadows marching across the face of Jupiter all month long. There are 11 of these double shadow transits in March, and three of them are visible from the US. Unfortunately, they are all on Monday nights and end between 9:30 p.m. and 1:25 a.m. I doubt we'll get telescopes out after work, but we'll let you know if someone is available. In the meantime, make friends with that neighbor with a telescope! Dates and times March 15 02:22 UTC March 14 7:22 p.m. - 9:34 p.m. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) March 22 04:23 UTC March 21 9:23 p.m. - 11:23 p.m. PDT March 29 07:00 UTC March 28, 12:00 a.m. - 1:25 a.m. PDT of the three, March 14/15 had the added bonus of volcanic Io overtaking Europa at the end of the transit. We animated both the shadow transits and a depiction of the view from above Jupiter and from Earth in my March What's Up Video https://youtu.be/MmTINt3vCSw If you have trouble with YouTube, here's the JPL version http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/details.php?id=1417 We're hoping to do sidewalk astronomy in Monrovia, weather and schedules permitting on either March 12 or 19th, maybe both. Jane and the Old Town Sidewalk Astronomers -- Jane Houston Jones @jhjones @NASAInSight What's Up March 2016: Jupiter, its moons, their shadows https://youtu.be/MmTINt3vCSw