Jupiter

I had mentioned to some of you that we finally got the boys' (I think it's technically Drew's) telescope set up this past week. This time of year you can look to the south at dusk and prominently see Jupiter. (Looking west you'll see Venus.) And if you train your telescope on Jupiter, you'll see four of his moons as well. Pretty cool for just standing out on the front porch! This is essentially, though probably slightly better than, the view Galileo had when he looked at Jupiter the first time. If you click here, you can see his chart that records the position of the moons.

Another thing you might notice when you look through your telescope is "floaters" (not what you're thinking, Greg). These are detached cones or rods from your retina and they are literally floating around in your aqueous humor. You might have seen them when: 1) looking at bright sky or bright objects on a sunlit day; 2) when reading a book on your lap under a bright light; or, 3) when addressing a golf ball on a bright day. It didn't mention photographers, but it seems like you guys might see them, too.

So, if you haven't looked through a telescope in awhile, try it out. Happy gazing!