<p>This appears to be Jupiter and two of its four "Galilean" moons, being the four discovered by Galileo with his telescope in 1610. I searched with Wolfram Alpha (<a href="http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=jupiter+moon+configuration+march+25th+2016+9pm+US+central+time" rel="noreferrer">http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=jupiter+moon+configuration+march+25th+2016+9pm+US+central+time</a>) to try and determine which moons you were looking at, and the answer was quite interesting.</p>

<p>Callisto was too close to Jupiter (as viewed from Earth) to be seen in your image. The outermost object is definitely Ganymede, and the other object appears to be a combination of Europa and Io, as these were very close (again, as viewed from Earth), so much so that they appear as one object in the image. Hope this helps.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/qYdRo.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/qYdRo.jpg" alt="Screenshot of WolframAlpha results"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-28T19:13:11.210Z
Wolfram never ceases to surprise me. +1'd
Mindwin Remember Monica
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-29T02:15:53.233Z
@Mindwin Same lol
Bobdabiulder
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T16:31:37.370Z
2016-12-02T14:31:27.483Z
2016-12-02T14:31:27.483Z
maguirenumber6
<p>That should be Jupiter and his 4 Galilean moons. </p>

<p>They are usually very well visible even with very cheap equipment and a nice experience for amateur astronomy.
On your picture 2 of them seem missing, maybe they were cut-off by the field-of-view, or possibly as a commenter pointed out, they might be behind the planet.<br>
You can test that notion actually, as Io runs around Jupiter pretty fast and can show significant movement relative to the planet on a timespan of ~2-3 hours (a typical observing session). So if after 2 hours another 'diamond' appears behind Jupiter, you can be pretty sure it to be the volcanic moon Io.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T16:07:17.387Z
The moon in front of Jupiter is strangely sharp. Do you think that has to do with the software in the camera, or is it a real optical effect?
LocalFluff
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T16:19:55.647Z
@LocalFluff: Wouldn't bet my eye on it if the moons differ in sharpness... But I'd say it could be related to the contrast, which decreases for the moon closer in. That should wash out dimmer features and thus make it appear sharper. So in that sense I'd speculate on a real, measurable effect.
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T17:44:56.507Z
@LocalFluff Jupiter looks overexposed. That causes blurriness. The dimmer moons are likely better exposed, so fewer photons in the wrong image sensor cell to blur things up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor
Wayfaring Stranger
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T15:59:35.783Z
2016-03-27T17:32:45.113Z
2016-03-27T17:32:45.113Z
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
<p>You don't say what time you were looking. Here is a screenshot from Stellarium at 10pm Wisconsin time on 25th March 2016. Jupiter is in the ESE, but the altitude is a bit lower than 60 degrees. Seems fairly conclusive. You were seeing Ganymede and a Europa/Io combination.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/J9DNs.jpg"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/J9DNs.jpg" alt="Jupiter"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T20:46:40.787Z
9:20 was the timestamp on the picture
Bobdabiulder
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T20:53:21.423Z
Another picture shows this clearly, check the latest edit to the question
Bobdabiulder
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T19:43:05.467Z
2016-03-27T19:43:05.467Z
ProfRob
<p>A couple days ago, I zoomed in with my 30x optical zoom camera, and after some exposure adjustments, a bright star in the night sky turned into this:</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/LDHQl.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/LDHQl.jpg" alt="Bright star with (planets)?"></a></p>

<p>Are those other planets or other stars?  Or is that a lens effect?</p>

<p>EDIT: The bright object in question was ~60 degrees above the horizon, and ESE of me (East-south-east). I took the picture on 3-25-16 from Madison, Wisconsin.</p>

<p>EDIT: Question answered, more clear picture added FYI.</p>

<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/gt7bj.jpg" rel="noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/gt7bj.jpg" alt="More clear pic - Enjoy!"></a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T13:42:12.813Z
That should be Jupiter and his 4 Galilean moons. However on your picture 2 of them seem missing, maybe they were cut-off by the field-of-view.
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T14:36:54.060Z
Sometimes they hang out *behind* the planet.
Wayfaring Stranger
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T14:52:59.993Z
@AtmosphericPrisonEscape you should submit that as an answer, I found that to be correct with a quick look at an app :)  I will accept that immediately
Bobdabiulder
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T17:53:51.807Z
Cross-posted to [Astronomy](http://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/14319/1501) and [Photography](http://photo.stackexchange.com/q/75950/26499). Please don't do that. It's against site policy because it fragments answers and wastes people's time when they write an answer to something that's already been answered elsewhere.
David Richerby
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-27T20:47:24.370Z
@DavidRicherby  Sorry D:
Bobdabiulder
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-28T02:21:11.663Z
Very nice picture, by the way.
Russell Borogove
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-28T14:57:26.710Z
@WayfaringStranger:  Sometimes they also hang out in front of the planet, at which point they're equally invisible to this type of equipment.
Michael Seifert
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-28T23:39:46.130Z
Jupiter And His Four Galilean Moons - sounds like a 50's band. :-)
Bob Jarvis - Слава Україні
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-29T02:16:10.097Z
@BobJarvis Agreed
Bobdabiulder
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-29T13:37:51.843Z
Past answers were enough, but i wanted to add:
*It is extremely difficult for you to find another planet.* If you don't have an incredibly expensive telescope it is really difficult to see even the other ones discovered by the telescopes in orbit around the sun past Pluto, or even Pluto itself. Planets orbiting around the stars all mostly discovered by passage, because the stars are way too bright and far, so an extremely little but regular decrease in intensity over a line usually tells that there is a planet orbiting around that stars.
Other technologies like radio waves could also do, but s
MarkWuji
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-03-29T21:09:48.977Z
@MarkWuji you are forgetting that phones exist, and apps show you where they are...
Bobdabiulder
<planet><amateur-observing>
Did I see another planet?
Bobdabiulder
# Did I see another planet?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-03-27)

A couple days ago, I zoomed in with my 30x optical zoom camera, and after some exposure adjustments, a bright star in the night sky turned into this:

[![Bright star with (planets)?](https://i.sstatic.net/LDHQl.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/LDHQl.jpg)

Are those other planets or other stars? Or is that a lens effect?

EDIT: The bright object in question was ~60 degrees above the horizon, and ESE of me (East-south-east). I took the picture on 3-25-16 from Madison, Wisconsin.

EDIT: Question answered, more clear picture added FYI.

[![More clear pic - Enjoy!](https://i.sstatic.net/gt7bj.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/gt7bj.jpg)

**Tags:** planet, amateur-observing

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: That should be Jupiter and his 4 Galilean moons. However on your picture 2 of them seem missing, maybe they were cut-off by the field-of-view.  
> **username_2**: Sometimes they hang out *behind* the planet.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 you should submit that as an answer, I found that to be correct with a quick look at an app :)  I will accept that immediately  
> **username_3**: Cross-posted to [Astronomy](http://astronomy.stackexchange.com/q/14319/1501) and [Photography](http://photo.stackexchange.com/q/75950/26499). Please don't do that. It's against site policy because it fragments answers and wastes people's time when they write an answer to something that's already been answered elsewhere.  
> **username_0**: @DavidRicherby  Sorry D:  
> **username_4**: Very nice picture, by the way.  
> **username_5**: @WayfaringStranger:  Sometimes they also hang out in front of the planet, at which point they're equally invisible to this type of equipment.  
> **username_6**: Jupiter And His Four Galilean Moons - sounds like a 50's band. :-)  
> **username_0**: @BobJarvis Agreed  
> **username_7**: Past answers were enough, but i wanted to add: *It is extremely difficult for you to find another planet.* If you don't have an incredibly expensive telescope it is really difficult to see even the other ones discovered by the telescopes in orbit around the sun past Pluto, or even Pluto itself. Planets orbiting around the stars all mostly discovered by passage, because the stars are way too bright and far, so an extremely little but regular decrease in intensity over a line usually tells that there is a planet orbiting around that stars. Other technologies like radio waves could also do, but s  
> **username_0**: @username_7 you are forgetting that phones exist, and apps show you where they are...  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_11 on 2016-03-27. Score: 60 | Accepted answer

You don't say what time you were looking. Here is a screenshot from Stellarium at 10pm Wisconsin time on 25th March 2016. Jupiter is in the ESE, but the altitude is a bit lower than 60 degrees. Seems fairly conclusive. You were seeing Ganymede and a Europa/Io combination.

[![Jupiter](https://i.sstatic.net/J9DNs.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/J9DNs.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: 9:20 was the timestamp on the picture  
> **username_0**: Another picture shows this clearly, check the latest edit to the question  

---

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-03-27. Score: 35

That should be Jupiter and his 4 Galilean moons.

They are usually very well visible even with very cheap equipment and a nice experience for amateur astronomy.
On your picture 2 of them seem missing, maybe they were cut-off by the field-of-view, or possibly as a commenter pointed out, they might be behind the planet.  
You can test that notion actually, as Io runs around Jupiter pretty fast and can show significant movement relative to the planet on a timespan of ~2-3 hours (a typical observing session). So if after 2 hours another 'diamond' appears behind Jupiter, you can be pretty sure it to be the volcanic moon Io.

> **Comments:**
> **username_10**: The moon in front of Jupiter is strangely sharp. Do you think that has to do with the software in the camera, or is it a real optical effect?  
> **username_1**: @username_10: Wouldn't bet my eye on it if the moons differ in sharpness... But I'd say it could be related to the contrast, which decreases for the moon closer in. That should wash out dimmer features and thus make it appear sharper. So in that sense I'd speculate on a real, measurable effect.  
> **username_2**: @username_10 Jupiter looks overexposed. That causes blurriness. The dimmer moons are likely better exposed, so fewer photons in the wrong image sensor cell to blur things up: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_sensor  

---

### Answer by username_8 on 2016-03-27. Score: 23

This appears to be Jupiter and two of its four "Galilean" moons, being the four discovered by Galileo with his telescope in 1610. I searched with Wolfram Alpha (<http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=jupiter+moon+configuration+march+25th+2016+9pm+US+central+time>) to try and determine which moons you were looking at, and the answer was quite interesting.

Callisto was too close to Jupiter (as viewed from Earth) to be seen in your image. The outermost object is definitely Ganymede, and the other object appears to be a combination of Europa and Io, as these were very close (again, as viewed from Earth), so much so that they appear as one object in the image. Hope this helps.

[![Screenshot of WolframAlpha results](https://i.sstatic.net/qYdRo.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/qYdRo.jpg)

> **Comments:**
> **username_9**: Wolfram never ceases to surprise me. +1'd  
> **username_0**: @Mindwin Same lol  

---

