Mission 676
Galileo’s Sky: Build Jupiter and Spy on Its Moons
Badge: Moon Spotter
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Build an observatory and a scale Jupiter with four moons, then spot them.
In 1610 a telescope caught four tiny dots dancing around Jupiter. Build Jupiter in your sky and find them.
- New skill Building a scale model in the sky
- Level 7 · Time Travellers
- Difficulty Intermediate
- Mode Creative
- Time 45–60 min
- Ages 13+
What you’ll build
Build a tall observatory tower with a spyglass station, then build a scale Jupiter high in the sky with its four big moons spread out in a line. Spy on them and sketch what you see, then try to spot and name them when someone moves them.
Finish line: Your tower overlooks a scale Jupiter with four moons, and you've sketched and named them like Galileo.
Bonus challenge: Add Earth at the same scale: about 1 block wide, next to Jupiter. Then work out how many Earths fit across Jupiter.
You’ll need
- Building blocks
- A spyglass
- A calculator
- A family member to move the moons
You choose
- My observatory's name
- Jupiter's stripe colours
- My secret moon pattern for someone else
Stuck?
- Far moons not showing? They may be past your render distance. Turn it up in Settings.
- Hold the spyglass and press and hold the use button to zoom in.
- Lost track of the line? Keep all four moons on the same Y and Z, and only change X.
For grown-ups
Get this mission
This mission is in Mission Pack 67. Each printable has the full steps, a Plan & Log page and a parent page.
Print one mission at a time. You never need to print everything.
Played on Minecraft Bedrock on iPad. Buttons can differ on other devices and versions.