THE DAWN'S SKY--

At 5 a.m. today the temperature was minus 2.2 degrees and last night’s full moon conspired with the snow covered ground to imitate dawn.

In the east-southeast sky about 20 degrees above the horizon a solitary bright star dominates the view.

That bright “star” actually is the planet Jupiter; our nearest giant neighbor in the solar system. The word “giant” is fitting. Next to the sun it is the largest object in our celestial vicinity with a diameter of over 88,000 miles. The earth’s diameter is a relatively puny 8,000 miles--give or take a few--by comparison.

When you are looking at Jupiter you can be proud of your stunning eyesight. You are seeing an object that is about 400 million miles away. On the next clear morning, take a peek with your binoculars. You will be able to see three or four (usually) of Jupiter’s many moons. Make a sketch of what you see. When you look again a day or so later, they will be in different positions—because they are orbiting their planet. That’s how you can prove they are moons and not background stars.

Ahhh; many visual rewards are available to us when we simply take a look.