I monitor the web site called Astronomy Picture of the Day. Today they ran a
picture that I strongly recommend that any of you who teach astronomy should
see. The web site is:
It is a picture that includes the new moon, the Beehive cluster, and Jupiter.
Normally, when the moon and Jupiter are both visible, one cannot see the moons
of Jupiter because both the moon and Jupiter are so much brighter than the
Galilean moons. Therefore, one cannot sense how wide the Galilean system of
moons is relative to the angular size of our moon. We can show our students
Jupiter's moons in binoculars or a small telescope, but then they can't relate
it to objects they see with their naked eye. This picture clearly shows the
angular extent of Jupiter's moons and our moon in the SAME photograph!
Wonderful!