THE two 'gas giant' planets Jupiter and Saturn are in the news at the moment because of some very exciting discoveries, writes STUART ATKINSON. Studies by space probes and the Hubble Space Telescope have revealed moons of both giant worlds have most of, if not all, the things needed for life to exist beneath their icy crusts. Saturn's moon Enceladus is getting all the attention, but it's actually Jupiter's moon Europa which is the most promising candidate - and you can see it on the next clear night with just a pair of binoculars.

Jupiter is very easy to see at the moment; it's already a bright 'star' in the east as darkness falls, far down to the lower right of the Big Dipper. You can't see Europa with your naked eye, but binoculars are powerful enough to show it. You have to look on the right night and at the right time though, because sometimes it's in front of or behind the planet itself.

The best time to look for Europa is mid to late evening on Friday, April 21. Through binoculars you'll see three moons to Jupiter's left, and one moon on its own to the planet's right - this is Europa. It will just look like a tiny star, but it's fascinating to know that that 'tiny star' is actually a moon, larger than our own, which might have life.

Stuart Atkinson

Eddington Astronomical Society of Kendal