The gas giant sits below the back foot of the constellation Leo, the lion, which is a springtime star pattern that is now setting quickly in the west. That means now is the time to catch sight of the largest planet in the solar system before it gets too close to the sun and gets lost in its glare in about a month’s time. For observers in the Northern Hemisphere, Jupiter currently appears about 20 degrees above the horizon just after local sunset, about equal to the width of two of your clenched fists stacked on top of each other.

While Jupiter alone appears dazzling to the unaided eye, binoculars will reveal four of its largest moons lined up beside the