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Jupiter (March, 2018) ⬅︎
Jupiter, our solar system's largest planet, is easy to find because it is so bright in our night sky. Only Venus and the moon are brighter. Jupiter can be an awesome sight in a telescope because features in its atmosphere like its horizontal bands and the famous Great Red Spot are easily seen.

Jupiter has 92 moons and its four largest can be seen in telescopes and binoculars -- Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. From one night to the next, you can watch them change positions as they orbit the planet. On occasion, you may be able to watch a shadow of one of the moons transit Jupiter's surface -- a lunar eclipse.

The best time to view Jupiter is during an opposition when Earth is closest to Jupiter. Oppositions occur every 13.2 months. Because Jupiter moves so slowly in earth's sky -- about one constellation of the zodiac eastward each year -- once you learn its location it is easy to find year after year.
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* Jupiter is visible all month mainly as a bright, morning planet.
* On March 7th the moon passes Jupiter (see above).
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WARNING
Never use binoculars or telescopes to view near the sun.