Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system and is its brightest at opposition. The term opposition (in this case) means
The sun ——— Earth and you ——– Jupiter
forms a straight line. Also called syzygy.
During opposition, the chances of you seeing the planet distinctly from its dimmer moons, without interference from the sun’s rays, is higher.
I was so thrilled to set up my 130 mm Celestron telescope. I saw a beautiful disk of Jupiter, which is difficult to see otherwise, since it is a gas giant. The bands including the gorgeous orange hues could be seen. I also saw three of the brightest moons. IO, Ganymede, and Callisto.
Europa is slightly closer to Jupiter. So I couldn’t really see it as well. The other moons are out of the question. There are a total of 79 moons and counting. What an absolute thrill! It was my very own #Obsidian Rim