August 8, 2021
Today marks new moon for August starting lunation 1220. Our Moon was the only Moon known until the invention of the telescope. In 1610, Galileo pointed a telescope at Jupiter discovering four new moons. Today we call them Io, Europa, Ganymede and Calisto. Those with binoculars can find Jupiter and these four moons in the southeast by 10:00 pm. See how many moons you can find tonight.
The Galilean moons are four of 79 moons that orbit Jupiter as of August 8, 2021. This number will likely increase in the future. Image Credit: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA00743