Jupiter 
King of the Planets
Part Two: What To Look For
Where To Look
You can't miss Jupiter. It's the third brightest starlike object in the evening sky (behind the moon and Venus). In March, Jupiter is low in the east at dusk, in the hindquarters of the constellation Leo the Lion. For a customized map of your night sky, visit Sky and Telescope and use the Interactive Sky Chart feature, or try Skymaps.com.
Basic Observing
The above image is a sketch I made of Jupiter. On the right
side I have labeled some of Jupiter's "dark" regions, or Belts.
Lighter regions, or Zones, are on the left. Some examples of
Jovian surface features are labeled in gray. The North pole is at the bottom
because this view represents the view in a reflecting telescope, which
inverts the image. The polar regions are unequal because sometimes Jupiter
appears tilted from our vantage point on Earth.
When you first start observing Jupiter, you will most likely not be able
to see such detail as pictured above. To become a keen Jovian observer
requires training, and the best training is to observe as often as you
can! The general rule of thumb when observing planets is to start with
the lowest power you have available. Then work your way up as far as the
"seeing" allows. Seeing is the astronomical term for the clarity and transparency
of the atmosphere. When observing Jupiter at low power, you will notice
that Jupiter is surrounded by 4 bright "stars", which are actually the
4 Galilean moons. They change position every night, and you may also notice
them moving over the space of just a few minutes or hours.
The Jupiter Moons Program
Download this great program created by Eric Smestad. Right click on the link above, click "Save Target As", and navigate to the folder of your choice. Then extract the zip files and you're ready to go. This program allows you to plug in the current time and see the positions of Jupiter's 4 Galilean moons. You can also animate them to see where they will move to over the course of the night! Thanks a lot Eric for sharing this program with us!
The Great Red Spot
The largest and most conspicuous feature on Jupiter is the Great Red Spot.
It is always to be found in the southern part of the South Equatorial Belt.
However, the "red" in the spot has faded in recent years, and now it is
very pale and can be hard to detect. Fortunately, we can predict when the
GRS will be visible; you can find when out by clicking
here. To use this chart you have to understand Universal
Time. We have provided a very brief and (hopefully) clear description
of UT, which can be found here.
Color and Filters
Jupiter is a very colorful planet. Again, the more you observe, the more
you will see. Compare the North and South Equatorial belts. The NEB is
much darker, rust colored, while the SEB is lighter. The changing color
of the GRS is also interesting to watch, as are dark nodules and condensations.
Color filters are fun to play with when observing Jupiter. My favorites
are Light Blue (Wratten 82A), and Yellow (Wratten 12). The blue filter
emphasizes differences in the belts and zones, while yellow brings out
more contrast in festoons and other dark features. If you can't find these
filters locally, they're available from Orion
Telescope online.
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