We are still learning to use our new telescope. The problems are with getting the sighting scope lined up, using the fine-adjusters properly and keeping the telescope steady. I may need to consult someone with more experience of these things.

We were told that Jupiter was in a good position for viewing at the moment. Sure enough, a bright object was visible to the south before any stars appeared. I set up the telescope upstairs with a chair to sit on. Eventually I got it lined up. We could clearly see at least two of the moons (possibly Europa and Callisto). There may even have been a third (Ganymede?), but it was difficult to be sure. Jupiter itself was a white blob with no hint of the stripes. That might have been different with our more powerful eyepiece, but that would make it harder to get the planet in view. Tilly and Bob both had a look too. This was the first time any of us had seen the moons of another planet for ourselves.

My admiration for Galileo has increased as he was able to use a much less powerful telescope to make detailed observations of Jupiter's moons. He probably had less light pollution spoiling the view.

Update: I was able to track the position of Jupiter and it's moons using KStars, part of the Linux KDE project. I also have AstroInfo on my Palm that shows less detail, but is useful when I am travelling. Both are free (speech and beer).