Tuesday
evening, after you've had Christmas dinner with the family, go outside
set up the telescope if you have one. Jupiter and the moon are having a
Christmas conjunction.
For anyone who gets a telescope
for Christmas, the timing is perfect. Jupiter and the Moon are among
the most satisfying targets for backyard optics. A quick sweep of the
telescope from Jupiter to the Moon and back again will reveal Jupiter's
storms and cloud belts, the Moon's mountains and impact craters, and of
course the four Galilean satellites circling the giant planet like a
miniature solar system.
Jupiter's trademark Great Red Spot will
also be on display--and it is worth a look. Astronomers recently
announced that the enormous swirling storm, twice as wide as the planet
Earth, is "spinning up."
Actually, explains planetary scientist
Glenn Orton of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, "the Red Spot is
shrinking." He likens it to "the iconic picture of a figure skater
pulling her arms in to spin faster. As the size contracts, the spin rate
increases."
Even if you don't have a telescope, you'll still be able to see Jupiter, although not the red spot.
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