My very first view of Jupiter

[Planet Guy]

Hi all,

I am very new to astronomy and tonight was the first time I have seen Jupiter! I am using a celestron Astromaster 130 EQ. I was using the 10mm eyepiece. Jupiter was quite low, and the image I saw was quite not quite detailed, but I could just make out the red bands.

Is Jupiter this low all year? I'm in Australia, and I'm not sure how planet go through "cycles".

Thanks

Planet Guy

[thing]

Download this http://files.uberdownloads.com/apps/Stellarium/index.php, it will tell you where everything is. Jupiter gets really high in the sky in Oz but unfortunately it does so at the same time as the Sun at the moment!

[Talitha]

Congratulations on your first view of Jupiter!

The planet was setting when you saw it, which is why the view wasn't too good... anything within 30° altitude of the horizon is within what we call the 'airmass' (read: garbage zone). When an object is low, you're looking at it through our layered atmosphere at an oblique angle, and the opposing movement within the separate layers causes atmospheric turbulence. In short, it's like trying to read a newspaper through a waterfall.

Wait a few months.. it'll get better. Jupiter will be setting for you at about the same time the Sun does pretty soon, and will then be an early morning object, rising before the Sun does. It will begin to rise for you before midnight in May, and will rise at sunset in August, gaining its maximum altitude of approximately 70° at 1:00am.

[Planet Guy]

Thankyou for your advice . Jupiter was getting lower as I was viewing it, so it would have been setting.