General
Was Jupiter The Star of Bethlehem? by Gary Nugent
(Contd. from page 2...)
And that's what Jupsat Pro does for you. It models the positions of Jupiter's four largest satellites so you'll always know where they are in relation to Jupiter and each other. It'll also tell you when the satellites cross in front of Jupiter, when the satellite shadows cross the planet and when the satellites are hidden behind Jupiter. A satellite track diagram shows how the satellites interact over the course of a month. And you can animate the Jovian system forwards and backwards so you can see how everything interacts (you can even set the speed).
People like looking at the Great Red Spot, especially when you consider its size. Jupsat Pro calculates when the Spot crosses the center of Jupiter (the best observing opportunity) and produces a table of times for the month you're interested in. And when you animate the display, the Great Red Spot is also shown rotating on Jupiter.
It should be mentioned that Jupsat Pro shows data for the time and date you select or when an animation is running. You can even zoom in and out to get the best view of what's happening. Satellite information is color-coded so you can easily see when satellites are crossing in front of or behind Jupiter. If you want close-up views of the Jupiter or its satellites, you can have them too.
Not all telescopes are the same and so they don't all show the same view. Some flip the view left to right; some upside down; and others still, a combination of both. Whatever telescope you have access to, Jupsat Pro will simulate the view through that 'scope. It makes everything so much easier.