Jupiter - Observations From Earth And Space

Although Jupiter is visible to the naked eye, and has thus been known for thousands of years, much more detail is visible through even a small telescope. Galileo Galilei constructed one of the first telescopes of sufficient quality to make astronomical observations, and turned it toward the Jupiter in 1610. By doing so, he was the first to see the band structure in the planet's atmosphere, and was the first to see its satellites, or moons. In even a low-power telescope, these bands are visible. In a typical pair of binoculars, the four Galilean satellites (described below) are visible.

Today, astronomers observe the Jovian system regularly using both ground- and space-based telescopes. These observations are made in many wavelength regions, since each reveals distinct details. Ultraviolet wavelengths, for instance, are particularly useful for observing phenomena such as the aurora, while infrared observations are used to monitor the temperature of the planet.