Sky and Telescope - May 2017 - 43

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Binocular Highlight by Mathew Wedel

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WHEN TO
USE THE MAP

Late March 2 a.m.*
Early April
1 a.m.*
Late April
Midnight*
Early May
11 p.m.*
Late May
Nightfall
*Daylight-saving time

upiter is this month's target, for three reasons.
First, it's the most rewarding planet to observe
with binoculars. Even at 7×
7×,
×, the King of Planets
is a disk rather than a point of light. But the real
show is the four Galilean moons - Io, Europa,
Ganymede, and Callisto - visible to either side
(assuming they're not hidden behind the planet). At
15×,
15×
×, the major cloud belts can be seen under good
conditions. Once at a star party, I aimed my tripod15×70s
mounted 15×
×70s at Jupiter. After looking for a long
time, a friend remarked, "With these, you hardly
need a telescope!"
Second, it's no exaggeration to say that observing Jupiter with binoculars is the reason I'm a
Contributing Editor. Back in 2007, I picked up a stargazing guide on a whim. The book made a remarkable claim: The moons of Jupiter were visible in binoculars. "No way!" But I was intrigued, so I dug my
7×35s
old 7×
×35s out of the closet. I went outside, focused
on Jupiter, and behold: one bright light with little
lights lined up beside it. That was it for me. A few
days later I had my first telescope, and now I'm here.
Third, it's fate. I know that celestial objects don't
control our lives, but sometimes they give us hints.
When I went to pick out this month's subject, the
sky was half-covered with patchy clouds. I needed
to get my bearings, so I started with a bright star
peeking out in the east. Was it Arcturus? Spica?
No, it had a companion, had to be a double star.
Wait, more companions? Oh, I get it - Jupiter!
I was unreasonably happy, to have accidentally
repeated my first-ever observation, a decade after
the original.

¢ MATT WEDEL likes to kick back with his
binoculars on a driveway in Claremont, California.
s k y a n d t e l e s c o p e .c o m

* MAY 2017

43
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