If I am sharing Jupiter’s moons at a public session it would be my habit to consult Stellarium and do a drawing of the positions of the moons at the projected time of the star party. It’s marvellous for planning to share the sky with others in particular for observing the moons of Jupiter or Saturn.
It shows you the sky above your head from any place on Earth at any time, past, present or future. Stellarium is a free real-time sky software. So if you are an armchair astronomer with just a passing interest, perhaps the following information will get you outside a little more often. Anything can happen, the observable universe is vast, populated with star making nebula, magical moons and a unique beauty to constantly lift your spirit. Perhaps a supernova will grace our eyes with wonder. My hopes are for a comet in outburst similar to 17/P Holmes in 2007.
The future and the past combined, a wonderful sight, a complex drawing. Observing M42 we also look back in time about 1,500 light years. We look from our gardens at a place where stars are born. A drawing to look forward to attempting as M42 is truly special. I observed what looked like cracks in the molecular cloud, it was so totally mesmerizing however my view was soon eliminated by fog creeping up and over me. Once several years ago I saw it in a very dark sky, the detail was outstanding even in my 8 inch dob. Magnificent Orion is slowly making a return with its extremely detailed nebula, a sketching target of mine. Thoughts of winter constellations and log fires warm my heart as we lean towards autumn. Virginia creepers are turning red, evening light drops noticeably, a chilled breeze tosses leafs around the garden.
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