Watching Jupiter’s moons through a telescope is fascinating! You can see their movement over an hour or so. Sometimes you’ll see a transit or an occultation of Jupiter’s moons. This happens regularly.
A transit is when one astronomical body passes in front of another. Jupiter’s moons transit (or go in front of) Jupiter and a shadow is cast on the surface of the planet.
An occultation is the opposite of a transit. It’s when one astronomical object disappears behind another. Jupiter’s moons are often occulted by Jupiter.
There’s a great opportunity to see a transit and the shadow that the moon, Io, will cast on Jupiter’s surface. You will need a medium to large telescope to see this event.
Use the above image as a guide. Astronomical images provided by SkySafari, a Simulation Curriculum Company, All rights reserved www.simulationcurriculum.com.
When and where to look:
From 9:30pm, 26th December. Jupiter is right through the month of December in the north east and north.