2.2 See for yourself!
Figure 18 Compare what Galileo sketched with what can be seen with binoculars or a small telescope. You might like to try to see this for yourself.
Jupiter can be seen with the naked eye as a bright yellowish dot. It will be prominent in the pre-dawn sky from October 2015 onwards, and for northern hemisphere observers it will be visible in the southeast by midnight in December. To see its moons yourself, you’ll need some powerful binoculars or a small telescope.
You can find out when Jupiter will be visible in the sky by going to websites such as In The Sky [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] or Naked Eye Planets. The other thing you’ll need is a clear sky!
Next you will explore the surface features of Europa and discover how this icy moon is influenced by the awesome tidal effect of Jupiter.