Griffith Observatory Extends Hours For Triple-Shadow Transit Of Jupiter's Moons

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Angelenos will get their chance Friday to witness a rare celestial event when the shadows of three of Jupiter's largest moons will fall upon Jupiter at the same time.

Griffith Observatory will stay open one hour later than normal to allow visitors who are already at the park to watch the triple-shadow transit as Jupiter's three moons - Io, Europa, and Callisto - will cross the planet's disk throughout the evening.

Three moon shadows will not appear simultaneously on Jupiter again, from Los Angeles, until 2032, according to the Observatory.

As if the triple shadow transit weren't enough, there will also be a rare eclipse of Jupiter's moon, Io, by the shadow of Jupiter's moon, Callisto.

The Observatory posted on its YouTube page an animation that shows what the triple-shadow transit will look like.

A live on-line broadcast of triple-shadow transit will be shown on Griffith Observatory's Livestream channel starting at 8:30 p.m. and through 11:00 p.m.

If skywatchers miss tonight's conjunction, they won't have to wait too long until the next astronomical event: on Monday, the Observatory will be watching when an asteroid about twice the size of the Rose Bowl hurtles past the Earth.