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| Statue of Jupiter (Photo by Andrew Bossi) |
It is not surprising that Jupiter, king of all planets, is one of the
brightest objects in the heavens
In an article for SPACE,
Geoff Gaherty tells us that Jupiter is
dominating the night sky this week. It is currently
visible "even in cities with the worst light pollution."
Jupiter's moons can be seen with with the help of binoculars or "the smallest telescope."
They could also be seen by the naked eye if Jupiter itself weren't so bright.
King Jupiter has not only ruled the heavens, but mighty regions of Earth as well. Wikipedia
explains that Jupiter was king of all gods within the ancient Roman Empire. His ancient Greek counterpart was Zeus.
To the Babylonians, this planet was a manifestation of the god Marduk ("patron deity of Babylon").
In the Far East (Korea, Japan, China), it is referred to as the "wood
star" (with reference to the Chinese Five Elements).
Jupiter's astrological symbol is "a stylized representation of the god's lightning bolt." Germanic tradition associates Thor, the Norse god of thunder and lightning, with this jovial gas giant.
Resources
http://news.yahoo.com/jupiter-king-planets-dominates-night-sky-week-122604484.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jupiter
Copyright March 4, 2014 by Linda Van Slyke All Rights Reserved
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