Moons
Jupiter’s four big moons show in steady binoculars. Titan needs a small telescope. Here are the moons SkyMate can point you toward.
Moons in SkyMate
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The status shows where each moon’s planet is tonight. The moons themselves need the equipment listed.
Seeing other planets’ moons
Jupiter’s four largest moons, Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto, were discovered by Galileo in 1610 with a telescope weaker than most modern binoculars. Brace your binoculars against a wall or use a tripod, and you’ll see up to four points of light in a line beside the planet. Their positions change from night to night, and sometimes within an hour, as they orbit.
Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, shows in almost any telescope as a star-like point a few ring-widths from the planet. Rhea and Iapetus are fainter and need a telescope and a darker sky. Neptune’s Triton is a challenge even for large amateur instruments.
Looking for our own Moon? See the Moon tonight.