I was a keen astronomer as a kid, and later almost did my PhD in cosmology. So I know my way around the sky. Later I used to climb mountains. I was walking into the Himalya one time, in Nepal, sitting around drinking beers and observing the sky. It was the clearest sky I'd ever seen. There was so much stuff visible. So much, it made distinguishing the constellations harder than usual. Jupiter was in the sky that night and I have always told the story that it is the only time I've seen its moons with my naked eye.
I've never questioned that until now. But frankly that wasn't the most memorable part of the night, I didn't realise it was a rarity. If ever there was a time when you could use the word awesome that was it.
So, yup, I certainly believe it's possible. Just wish I had the eyes I had then.
You know, what bugs me is, people talk and talk about this, write articles and posts, but nobody GOES OUTSIDE AND LOOKS! You think writing an article about it would be worth investing in an afternoon driving out of town to where it gets dark, tilting your head up at the sky, and squinting. But no, decades go by with no new info on the topic, people just repeating what amount to urban legends.
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When I was a kid in the 70s, I could distinguish a moon of Jupiter as a separate blip with my naked eye.
Really? That seems unlikely. Very few people have ever made such a claim, though it does seem that it could be possible.
http://www.denisdutton.com/jupiter_moons.htm
I was a keen astronomer as a kid, and later almost did my PhD in cosmology. So I know my way around the sky. Later I used to climb mountains. I was walking into the Himalya one time, in Nepal, sitting around drinking beers and observing the sky. It was the clearest sky I'd ever seen. There was so much stuff visible. So much, it made distinguishing the constellations harder than usual. Jupiter was in the sky that night and I have always told the story that it is the only time I've seen its moons with my naked eye.
I've never questioned that until now. But frankly that wasn't the most memorable part of the night, I didn't realise it was a rarity. If ever there was a time when you could use the word awesome that was it.
So, yup, I certainly believe it's possible. Just wish I had the eyes I had then.
Yeah, I get lots of people saying that. All I can say is, I was there, I could see it, my brothers and sisters could see it.
We used a telescope to spot, then when the moon was at its furthest distance, with the naked eye, could see a separate blip.
Lived on a farm in Iowa, nobody for miles, no lights to mess things up.
You know, what bugs me is, people talk and talk about this, write articles and posts, but nobody GOES OUTSIDE AND LOOKS! You think writing an article about it would be worth investing in an afternoon driving out of town to where it gets dark, tilting your head up at the sky, and squinting. But no, decades go by with no new info on the topic, people just repeating what amount to urban legends.
That's worth a submission, cryptoz.
Up-voting, not for the skepticism (which is easy), but for providing evidence that the skepticism might be wrong. Thanks for the interesting article.