• The moon is still close to Jupiter on December 26, 2012, but over the coming nights the moon will move farther away from this very bright planet. You can easily identify Jupiter tonight as the brightest object in the moon's vicinity. Aldebaran, a bright star but fainter than

Jupiter, is nearby. You can identify Jupiter any night as the brightest object in the night sky (besides the moon) until Venus rises before dawn.
• Given clear skies, everyone with a decent backyard telescope should be able to view Jupiter's moons, even on this moonlit night. In their outward order from Jupiter, these four major moons are Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto.
• First, find Jupiter with the unaided eye. That shouldn't be too difficult because this dazzling world beams much more brightly than any star. Look for the almost-full waxing gibbous moon and Jupiter in the eastern sky at dusk and early evening. From temperate latitudes in the Southern Hemisphere, look for them more in the northeast. Afterwards, throughout the night, the moon will chase Jupiter westward across the sky. They'll be highest up for the night around 10 to 11 p.m. and will set in the west at or before dawn.
• hen looking at Jupiter's moons with the telescope, start with low power because it'll be easier to get a sharper focus. Jupiter's moons appear as pinpoints of light, all on nearly the same plane. Now and again, a moon might be "missing" because

these moons routinely swing behind and in front of Jupiter.
• As seen from North America this evening, Jupiter's four moons all appear on the east side of Jupiter. Starting around 6 p.m. Central Time, the order of the moons from east to west (outermost to innermost) are as follows: Callisto, Europa, Ganymede and Io. To know the positions of Jupiter's moons for any given time or date,

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