Disappearing moon (now with enlarged photos) [View all]

[Mousetoescamper]

Last edited Sat Nov 30, 2024, 03:01 PM - Edit history (1)

While out under the stars shooting the Orion Nebula last night, I also took some shots of Saturn and Jupiter. The Saturn shots were a bust, but my first shots of Jupiter included four of the planet's moons: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. Three hours later, one of the moons had disappeared behind the planet. The moon was probably Io, which of the four has the shortest orbital period around Jupiter: 1.7 Earth days. Europa's is 3.5 days, Ganymede's is 7.1, and Callisto's is 16.6 Earth days. Nothing is static in the night sky.

***I've replaced the originals with enlargements for easier viewing***

11:33 PM, November 29, facing east


2:21 AM, November 30, facing west