Last night the Snow Moon shone brightly in the cold winter skies of Southern Ontario. She, however, was not alone. Roughly 11 degrees to the east, the King of the Planets closed in on his chase. I took advantage of the wonderfully clear skies and set up my 6" Celestron Nexstar and my trusted Nikon D3200 out for a spin. I was also not alone. I also took the opportunity to share this wonderful experience with my beloved thru the magic of Skype. I set up a screen share as I imaged the Moon and Jupiter, giving her essentially a live astrowebcam to the heavens. For the first time I managed to capture a clear picture of Jupiter and it four Galilean moons (from top to bottom - Europa, Io, Callisto and Ganymede)!
Tonight, Jupiter will join the Moon in a beautiful conjunction in the night sky. Look south roughly at midnight and if you are lucky enough to have clear skies you will witness a beautiful pairing, the Moon and Jupiter will be only about 3 degrees apart just below the constellation Leo! (SkyMap)