On Thursday, 30th of September from 8:00pm Astronomy Ireland will be hosting Jupiter Telescope Watches in various locations all around the country.

September represents a great month to observe Jupiter. It is favourably placed in the evening skies. Astronomy Ireland will be setting up very powerful telescopes on the night which are open for all guests to use.

Jupiter and the four Galilean Moons as seen at our last Jupiter Watch in September 2009

What to Expect

Along with the telescopes, the main Watch in Dublin will have Ireland's most powerful hand held laser to point out various elements in the night sky. Volunteers and staff will be on hand to answer all your questions and teach guests how to find their way around the sky using these powerful lasers. This will show you how to look for double stars, star clusters, the ISS (International Space Station) and more.
 
The event also gives astronomers of all levels (beginners and experts) an opportunity to meet other astronomers, to share their views and knowledge of astronomy with each other and maybe make some new friends.
 
The event is free and open to everyone. We would advise everyone to wrap up warm when coming along to the event as the evenings can get very cool especially under clear skies which is what we always hope for.

Locations

Astronomy Ireland Public Watches are regularly held at the locations below.
 
Please note that locations will be confirmed and added on an ongoing basis: Please check back regularly date for an up to date list of confirmed locations.
 
There will also be a map and directions available to help you reach your local event.

Facts about Jupiter

• Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest planet in the Solar System.
  
• Jupiter's volume is equal to 1,321 Earths, yet is only 318 times as massive.
• Jupiter's broad magnetic field is 14 times as strong as the Earth's.
• The average distance between Jupiter and the Sun is 778 million km (about 5.2 times the average distance from the Earth to the Sun)
• It takes 4331.572 (11.86 years) earth days for the Jupiter to come around the Sun.
• One day on Jupiter is equal to 10 hours on Earth..
• Jupiter is named after the ancient King of Roman Gods.
• The best known feature of Jupiter is the Great Red Spot. It is a storm that has been going on for over 300 years. You can fit 100 earths into the Great Red Spot.
• Jupiter has 63 named moons. Almost all of them are less than 10 kilometres in diameter. he four largest moons, known as the "Galilean Moons", are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Ganymede, is the largest moon in the Solar System, measuring 5262 km across.
• Jupiter has a ring just like Saturn and Uranus.