Help with question on Jupiter please!

[ABlackholeA]

I have come across a question i can't answer on my astronomy course, I am not sure if it is concerning apparent retrograde motion. I wondered if anyone could help me, this is the question,

If Jupiter is "approaching opposition" and the satellite Callisto is seen to move East to West, in the plane of our line of sight, explain the likely sequence of the phenomena observed.

Thanks...

[barkis]

I am not sure if the answer you seek resides in the pdf file below.

I hope it helps you.

Ron.

http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2000/pdf/1195.pdf

[kniclander]

can you run it on something like stellarium or CdC and see what happens?

[EA2007]

a transition at a guess!

although the moons usually orbit anti clockwise (as far as I know) so if it were east to west then it would be from right to left, therefore I assume hidden by Jupiter........ I'd check out a piece of software to make sure.

However, we see Jupiter inverted in most telescopes so perhaps the real east to west is left to right, therefore a transition would occur!

I may be completely wrong

[barkis]

None of the Gallilean moons are retrograde, therefore they orbit the planet in the same direction as it's spin. Callisto is the outer one of the four, so it takes 16+ days to complete an orbit.

No date or time was given in your question was it?

EA2007 is likely correct with transition but you would need date and time if you are asked to view the event.

Ron.

[EA2007]

yeh, you need to give a time and date if possible

I did some work at uni on the orbits of the medici's (galilean moons) and it was quite interesting..........went under the name of 'CLEA Exercises' if you want to google it.