Jupiter Facts

[Radrook]

I'm not sure if you're totally familiar with telescopes and how they work, but the first thing to look for is the diameter of the objective, whether it's a lens on the front end, or the mirror on the back end, depending on the type of scope it is. I had an 8" reflector and usually used 30x to 90x magnification. More than that made images blurry and distorted. The detail I saw on Jupiter was mostly several of the cloud bands. Of course, the 4 largest moons could clearly be seen, but those can be seen with even a smaller scope. Also, planets are easily observed under the sky conditions you have in urbans areas. Galaxies, nebulae, star clusters and other such faint objects need a much darker location. Once you're in a dark sky setting and have a good scope, you're in for a real treat!

Thanks for the info. I had binoculars and a small telescope as a kid but only used to focus on people below from the 11 floor apartment we lived in. Don't recall having focused it on the moon but I doubt it would have made much difference since its magnifying power wasn't too good.

 

[Aldebaran]

Thanks for the info. I had binoculars and a small telescope as a kid but only used to focus on people below from the 11 floor apartment we lived in. Don't recall having focused it on the moon but I doubt it would have made much difference since its magnifying power wasn't too good.

I think you'd be surprised about the moon. It doesn't take very much of a telescope to bring out quite a bit of detail on the moon. It's the sky's easiest target. Even a telescope with a 50mm lens and 30x does quite a bit for the moon. I had that when I was a kid. Of course as I got older, I wanted bigger scopes. But now that I'm stuck under city lights and have been frustrated numerous times when it comes to astronomical events, my interest faded. Now I have a pair of 7x35mm binoculars. At one time, I had 11x80mm binoculars. Under dark skies in the country, WOW!

 

[Radrook]

I think you'd be surprised about the moon. It doesn't take very much of a telescope to bring out quite a bit of detail on the moon. It's the sky's easiest target. Even a telescope with a 50mm lens and 30x does quite a bit for the moon. I had that when I was a kid. Of course as I got older, I wanted bigger scopes. But now that I'm stuck under city lights and have been frustrated numerous times when it comes to astronomical events, my interest faded. Now I have a pair of 7x35mm binoculars. At one time, I had 11x80mm binoculars. Under dark skies in the country, WOW!

Thanks for the magnification info. I will take it under consideration when I buy binoculars or a scope.

BTW
Because of the smog issue n the big cities, I have considered the alternative of buying special equipment to focus on the Sun our nearest star. That view would really be something! I mean, to actually witness a solar flare or the prominences would be awe inspiring!

 

[Ophiolite]

Because of the smog issue n the big cities, I have considered the alternative of buying special equipment to focus on the Sun our nearest star. That view would really be something! I mean, to actually witness a solar flare or the prominences would be awe inspiring!

Health and Safety Advisory: I am confident you are aware of this Radrook, but other readers may not be.

Never, ever, under any circumstances look directly at the sun through a telescope or binoculars. Permanent damage to your eyes, up to and including blindness is probable. Even looking directly at the sun with the naked eye should be actively discouraged.

The image of the sun should be projected onto a flat, matte white surface.

 

[Radrook]

Health and Safety Advisory: I am confident you are aware of this Radrook, but other readers may not be.

Never, ever, under any circumstances look directly at the sun through a telescope or binoculars. Permanent damage to your eyes, up to and including blindness is probable. Even looking directly at the sun with the naked eye should be actively discouraged.

The image of the sun should be projected onto a flat, matte white surface.

Thanx for posting this info. I assumed that everyone is aware about the hazards of looking directly at the sun with unprotected eyes and that might not be the case.

The Sun can only be viewed directly when filters specially designed to protect the eyes are used. Most of these filters have a thin layer of chromium alloy or aluminum deposited on their surfaces that attenuates both visible and near-infrared radiation. A safe solar filter should transmit less than 0.003% (density ~4.5) of visible light and no more than 0.5% (density ~2.3) of the near-infrared radiation from 780–1400 nm...The longer infrared between 1400 and 2500 nm does not get past the tears and front of the eyeball, so is not a problem.

If you can't afford a solar filter, you can always build a small pinhole projector or other indirect viewing method. You can also hold the binoculars a few feet in front of a white card and orient them towards the Sun. This will project a magnified view of the Sun onto the paper, allowing you to safely study its shadows during an eclipse.
http://gizmodo.com/5926497/what-happens-when-you-stare-at-the-sun

 

[Aldebaran]

Thanx for posting this info. I assumed that everyone is aware about the hazards of looking directly at the sun with unprotected eyes and that might not be the case.

I was about to mention that about observing the sun too. Pretty much any telescope at all can be used to project the image of the sun onto a surface, although I'm not clear on how long it's safe for a telescope to do that. I've heard that it can start melting the eyepiece after awhile, but then again, I've seen people do it for extended periods of time. Not sure if it hurt their eyepiece in the process.

 

[Radrook]

I was about to mention that about observing the sun too. Pretty much any telescope at all can be used to project the image of the sun onto a surface, although I'm not clear on how long it's safe for a telescope to do that. I've heard that it can start melting the eyepiece after awhile, but then again, I've seen people do it for extended periods of time. Not sure if it hurt their eyepiece in the process.

If it will ruin the regular lenses then maybe there are lenses and filters that prevent it? You know, equipment specifically designed for solar astronomy.

BTW
All this dangerous radiation in relation to celestial bodies seems to indicate that the creator doesn't want us anywhere near those places. Even Jupiter's moons are bathed in death dealing radiation and space probes going near require special shielding in order to prevent instrument malfunction.

Hiding from Jupiter's Radiation - Astrobiology Magazine

Radiation in the form of high-energy electrons and ions continuously bombard the top layers of Europa’s icy crust. This deadly dose is due to the fact that Europa—along with the three other Galilean moons (Io, Ganymede and Callisto)—orbits within Jupiter’s radiation belts. - See more at: Hiding from Jupiter's Radiation - Astrobiology Magazine

The radiation belts around Jupiter as seen by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, as it flew by in January 2001. The three radar images show changes in the belts over the course of Jupiter’s 10-hour rotation. Credit: NASA/JPL - See more at: Hiding from Jupiter's Radiation - Astrobiology Magazine

 

[Shemjaza]

I was at a party where someone had set up a telescope to look at the Galilean moons. It was amazing.

(I don't know any specs of the telescope, unfortunately.)

 

[Radrook]

I was at a party where someone had set up a telescope to look at the Galilean moons. It was amazing.

(I don't know any specs of the telescope, unfortunately.)

I envy anyone who has a clear view of the sky and pity those who have never beheld the wonderful view which they are being denied by the glare of city lights and the industrial smog. I guess it's the price we have to pay for what we call progress.

 

[Shemjaza]

I envy anyone who has a clear view of the sky and pity those who have never beheld the wonderful view which they are being denied by the glare of city lights and the industrial smog. I guess it's the price we have to pay for what we call progress.

I live in a large city, but it's sufficiently low density that bright things like Jupiter are still visible in the outer suburbs.

I remember looking at the stars out in the country as a child and wish I could make time to be out there more often.

 

[Radrook]

I live in a large city, but it's sufficiently low density that bright things like Jupiter are still visible in the outer suburbs.

I remember looking at the stars out in the country as a child and wish I could make time to be out there more often.

I find the view awe inspiring and humbling. But what really impresses me is not sop much the lights. What really impressers me about space is its seemingly interminable darkness. Where does it end? Where is al this darkness located? Where is its location located-ad infinitum. The only feeling that I think is similar to it is how scientists felt when they realized that photons react to being observed by modifying how they manifest themselves in the double slit experiment. That must have been a real gut-wrenching shocker! Something akin to seeing the beatific vision! LOL!

 

[Aldebaran]

If it will ruin the regular lenses then maybe there are lenses and filters that prevent it? You know, equipment specifically designed for solar astronomy.

I believe one easy way of doing it safely would be to put a sheet of paper with a small hole in it over the objective lens before pointing it at the sun. That would cut down on how much light would get it and prevent damage. I never actually did that, so I don't know if that would actually work. Another idea is to simply use a tinted sheet of plastic or glass over the objective to cut down on the intensity. Sort of like sunglasses for your telescope. But before anyone takes issue with this, keep in mind that I'm still referring to using the telescope as a solar projector--NOT for looking at the sun directly through the telescope.

 

[Kylie]

Jupiter is a planet that catches our attention just by its sheer size as well as by the constant turbulence of its atmosphere. It seems to mimic a solar system all of its own with its many moons serving as its planets. Some have even imagined it to be a failed star. But of course its mass prohibits that from being so. Failed stars are actually brown giants which approach the required mass for nuclear fusion typical of stars much more closely than Jupiter does.
Brown Dwarfs: Failed Stars Resembling Planets

In any case, here are some details about our biggest planet.

The Romans named it after their god Jupiter.



It is the third-brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus as seen from Earth.



It is the fifth planet from the Sun coming after Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

Don't be mislead. Jupiter didn't come that close to being an actual star. It would need 13 times its current mass to become a brown dwarf, and 60 times more mass to become an actual star.

From Astronomy Cast episode 56: "In fact, it’s so big that Jupiter’s mass is about 2.5 times the mass of all the rest of the planets and rocks and chunks of stuff that aren’t part of the Sun, in the entire solar system combined. SO basically there’s the Sun, there’s Jupiter, and then everything else is way smaller.

It’s so big that if it were just 13 times bigger, there would be deuterium burning in its core. It would be like one type of brown dwarf. If it were just 60 times bigger, it would actually be a full-fledged star with hydrogen burning in its core. We have a big world that a lot of people refer to as a failed star."

Ep. 56: Jupiter | Astronomy Cast

 

[Radrook]

Don't be mislead. Jupiter didn't come that close to being an actual star. It would need 13 times its current mass to become a brown dwarf, and 60 times more mass to become an actual star.

From Astronomy Cast episode 56: "In fact, it’s so big that Jupiter’s mass is about 2.5 times the mass of all the rest of the planets and rocks and chunks of stuff that aren’t part of the Sun, in the entire solar system combined. SO basically there’s the Sun, there’s Jupiter, and then everything else is way smaller.

It’s so big that if it were just 13 times bigger, there would be deuterium burning in its core. It would be like one type of brown dwarf. If it were just 60 times bigger, it would actually be a full-fledged star with hydrogen burning in its core. We have a big world that a lot of people refer to as a failed star."

Ep. 56: Jupiter | Astronomy Cast

First, thanx for the feedback. I love to discuss astronomy!


BTW
I'm sure you meant density and not just bigness.
Newfound Star Smaller than Some Planets

Actually, in the film 2010 a Space Odyssey, where it is gradually transformed into a star, it is Jupiter's density that is increased via the addition of obelisks and not its size. True, it is fiction but the scientific principle is correct.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYvvPZ6zwPE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EDhpxzn2g

 

[Kylie]

First, thanx for the feedback. I love to discuss astronomy!


BTW
I'm sure you meant density and not just bigness.
Newfound Star Smaller than Some Planets

Yeah, density. Well, mass, really.

 

[morse86]

Jupiter is a planet that catches our attention just by its sheer size as well as by the constant turbulence of its atmosphere. It seems to mimic a solar system all of its own with its many moons serving as its planets. Some have even imagined it to be a failed star. But of course its mass prohibits that from being so. Failed stars are actually brown giants which approach the required mass for nuclear fusion typical of stars much more closely than Jupiter does.
Brown Dwarfs: Failed Stars Resembling Planets

In any case, here are some details about our biggest planet.

The Romans named it after their god Jupiter.



It is the third-brightest object in the night sky after the Moon and Venus as seen from Earth.



It is the fifth planet from the Sun coming after Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars.

So to sum it up, a bunch of fiction. Not scientific at all. How do we know it is the fifth planet? There can be many alternative explanations for it's "orbit".

 

[Kylie]

So to sum it up, a bunch of fiction. Not scientific at all. How do we know it is the fifth planet? There can be many alternative explanations for it's "orbit".

Are you suggesting that Jupiter isn't a planet?

 

[morse86]

Are you suggesting that Jupiter isn't a planet?

I'm sorry, have you been to Jupiter? If you had a analog telescope, all you saw was a 2D image. Anything more is trusting "NASA" by faith.

Please don't use a digital telescope and say you saw Jupiter. You didn't see Jupiter, you saw CGI.

 

[Shemjaza]

I'm sorry, have you been to Jupiter? If you had a analog telescope, all you saw was a 2D image. Anything more is trusting "NASA" by faith.

You can also see the moons orbit around it and it's surface change as clouds appear and disappear around its curve.

 

[Radrook]

So to sum it up, a bunch of fiction. Not scientific at all. How do we know it is the fifth planet? There can be many alternative explanations for it's "orbit".

I would like to know about those explanations and why astronomers are mistaken in telling us that it is the fifth planet from our Sun.