Jupiter 2017

It's once again the start of a new Jupiter apparition! Notice the newly revived North Temperate Belt, although no outbreaks are visible in this image as far as I know.

Our first Jupiter of this apparition with the C11. The seeing was only slightly above average, but there are still a few things to note. The Great Red Spot is distinctly orange. Below that is Red Oval BA, which passed conjunction with the GRS at the beginning of November. Even further south are three anticyclonic white ovals.

In the northern hemisphere, the North Temperate Belt has regained its usual dark coloring. White Oval Z is about to set and is visible as a white smudge between the North Equatorial Belt and the NTB. There also appears to be a small outbreak in the NEB.

Slightly better conditions for this image than I had on November 20th. The North Temperate Belt is now orange with some gray on the northern edge. The North Equatorial Belt is fairly dark while the South Equatorial Belt is lighter. South of the SEB is the STB Spectre, located just before the Central Meridian. Callisto appears above the north pole of Jupiter, though it's actually about 1.9 million kilometers in front of the planet. Due to the way I processed it, the moon may be brighter in the image than in reality.

My first image of Jupiter using the Celestron C8 this apparition! Seeing improved over the imaging session, but was cut off by a quickly draining laptop battery. Io's shadow is on the North Equatorial Belt and Ganymede is transiting the North Polar Region. There are some outbreaks on the NEB. Oval BA is southeast of the Great Red Spot with its core faintly visible.

My first image in about a month and first image with the C11 in over two months! There seem to be dark marks rising on the South Equatorial Belt. There are also large outbreaks on the North Equatorial Belt. The northern edge of the North Temperate Belt looks gray. The STB Spectre is just before the Central Meridian on the South Temperate Belt. Io, having emerged from behind Jupiter not long before, and Callisto, are also nearby.

Seeing was marginally good during this session. There are tons of interesting things going on at Jupiter today! Large outbreaks are prominent ahead of the rising Great Red Spot. There's also a bright outbreak on the North Equatorial Belt at the Central Meridian. The northern edge of the NEB seems turbulent. Meanwhile, the North Temperate Belt is orange on the southern edge and gray on the northern side.

The first image of a very successful two nights of imaging Jupiter! The South Equatorial Belt Disturbance is rising. Io and its shadow are transiting over the North Equatorial Belt.

Good seeing for this image. Io and its shadow are transiting the North Equatorial Belt. The darker poles and brighter equatorial region are clearly visible. The disturbance on the South Equatorial Belt has extended to be over half the planet's disk! Oval BA is rising.

Good seeing for this image. Io is distancing itself from Jupiter's disk. There is an outbreak rising on the North Equatorial Belt. The huge disturbance on the South Equatorial Belt is transiting. Oval BA is approaching the central meridian. If you look very closely, you can see a slight hint of the Great Red Spot, rising on the lower-left edge of the disk.

Excellent seeing for this image. There's an outbreak on the North Equatorial Belt, near a large oval on the northern edge of the belt. The source of the South Equatorial Belt disturbance is near the central meridian, with Oval BA to the south of it.

Excellent seeing for this image! The North Equatorial Belt has a small oval on its northern edge near the Central Meridian, an outbreak trailing behind it, and a larger oval trailing the outbreak. The Great Red Spot is rising. Oval BA and the South Equatorial Belt disturbance are just passed the CM.

Good seeing for this image! This is the same hemisphere that was visible at the end of the previous night. The Great Red Spot is rising, and Oval BA is just past the central meridian to the south of the South Equatorial Belt disturbance.

Excellent seeing for this image! The large oval on the North Equatorial Belt is at the central meridian. The turbulent region following the Great Red Spot is large. The South Temperate Belt Ghost is faintly visible to the south of the GRS. Oval BA is to the east of the STB Ghost and south of the South Equatorial Belt disturbance.

The excellent seeing continued for this image! The Great Red Spot and South Temperate Belt Ghost are at the central meridian. There's a bright spot to the east of the STB Ghost. Oval BA and the South Equatorial Belt Disturbance are setting.

Excellent seeing for this image! The Great Red Spot has passed the central meridian. The turbulent region following the GRS is the largest I've seen it in a while! There is a small, bright spot at the CM of the North Equatorial Belt.

Last image of the session. The Great Red Spot and South Temperate Belt Ghost are about to set. There are three bright outbreaks in the turbulent region following the GRS.