Jupiter 2019

Capturing data was very difficult due to clouds and poor seeing. Unfortunately, I missed a potentially great opportunity to catch Jupiter yesterday by sleeping through my alarm.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt appears to have completely faded.
• The North Equatorial Belt is very dark.
• The Equatorial Zone appears to have continued to darken through solar conjunction.
• The Great Red Spot potentially has no wake trailing it.

I was getting anxious about having no access to a telescope five nights per week, so I decided to pack the 90mm Mak in the car and use it at my university. I attempted this in February, but my laptop powered down before I could capture anything because of the below-freezing temperature.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is just past the central meridian.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The South Equatorial Belt to the west of the Great Red Spot is split by a white zone.

Seeing continued to be good enough for the 90mm Mak, even though high clouds slowly moved through the sky.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is past the central meridian.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The South Equatorial Belt to the west of the Great Red Spot is split by a white zone.

Seeing continues to be good with variable transparency. After this, my laptop battery ran out of power from the cold temperature.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is past the central meridian.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The Great Red Spot is about to set.
• The South Equatorial Belt to the west of the GRS is split by a white zone.

This is my second go at imaging from my university. This time, I felt confident enough to bring the C8, and I brought a Celestron Power Tank to power the Advanced VX and keep the laptop charging so it wouldn't prematurely lose power because of cold air. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring the 3x barlow to the field, but I don't think it would've brought in any extra resolution due to lackluster seeing. As with the previous imaging session, transparency was variable from high clouds.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The South Equatorial Belt is split by a white zone.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• There appears to be little to no wake trailing the GRS.

At this point of the session, it became apparent that my Celestron Power Tank couldn't handle powering the equipment through a power strip. Since I lost my alignment, I set the speed to 2 and held right on the hand controller to keep pace with Jupiter.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The South Equatorial Belt is split by a white zone.

Seeing improved quite a bit since the last image. I was still manually tracking the planet with the hand controller.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The South Equatorial Belt is split by a white zone.

Another morning, another imaging session near my university's parking lot, and a surprisingly cold one at that. In fact, the forecasts I checked the evening before were ~10°C warmer than the actual temperature! This time, I had my 3x barlow and the right plugs to avoid using the power strip with my Power Tank.

Notes:

• There is a complex of small rifts on the North Equatorial Belt, starting at the central meridian and stretching eastward.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost are rising.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• Oval BA has lost its red color after having it for over a decade.

It has been many months since we've gotten use with the C14 since my daily schedule keeps me away from it. Unfortunately, seeing wasn't good enough to get anything more than large details.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is colored orange.
• The northern part of the South Equatorial Belt is lighter in color than the southern part.
• A brown barge on the SEB is rising.

This imaging session was quite frustrating to get started. I intended to quickly align the telescope with the Moon, but could not find it with the telescope at all! When I finally aligned the scope and aimed at Jupiter, seeing looked very good. However, a group of clouds blocked the view right as I was going to start capturing. When they finally moved away, the seeing had become awful. I also forgot to switch filters on one capture, causing me more frustration with the threat of more clouds looming.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• There is a bright spot in the South Equatorial Belt, north of Oval BA.
• Oval BA is near the central meridian.

This morning was the best one yet for imaging, but I'm still waiting for a knockout morning for imaging.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is at the central meridian.
• The Equatorial zone is still colored orange
• Clouds from the South Equatorial Belt are circulating around the Great Red Spot in a similar fashion to 2018.
• The SEB following the GRS is pale.

I wasn't expecting to image within the next week. However, I found Jupiter shining through a very thin cloud layer, so I hastily set up the C8 in a race against the clouds that were predicted to arrive at any moment. This was the first light of my new ZWO RGB filters, which I find to be much better than the Orion filters I was previously using with the this telescope.

Notes:

• Io and its shadow is transiting the North Equatorial Belt.
• White Oval Z is directly north of the Great Red Spot.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange. The southern edge appears to be finally losing its white color.
• The South Equatorial Belt appears to be split by a white zone. The southern edge of the belt appears more gray than brown.
• The Great Red Spot has a large flake on its western edge.
• Another cloud flaked off the GRS a few days earlier is to the east of the storm.

I wasn't expecting to image tonight, but I went outdoors to see the sky clearing to the south. The stars were twinkling and the sky could've clouded over at any time, so we skipped the C14 and I pulled out the 90mm Mak for a quick setup. Sky conditions were very good! I believe this is one of my best photos from this scope!

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt is thin. The southern edge is orange while the north is dark.
• The North Equatorial Belt appears to have a few new rifts.
• The Equatorial Zone, except for the southern edge, is still orange.
• The South Equatorial Belt appears to have a dark spot on its northern edge approaching the central meridian.
• The SEBs is dark compared to the rest of the belt.
• The South Polar Red Spot is past the CM.

After a surprisingly successful first set of captures with the 90mm Mak, I decided to step up my game and inserted a 2x barlow into the imaging train. Previous attempts had failed because of poor tripod stability, but this time with the barlow was much more successful.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt is thin. The southern edge is orange while the north is dark.
• The North Equatorial Belt appears to have a few new rifts.
• The Equatorial Zone, except for the southern edge, is still orange.
• The South Equatorial Belt appears to have a dark spot on its northern edge approaching the central meridian.
• The SEBs is dark compared to the rest of the belt.
• Oval BA is rising with a stream of dark clouds to its north.
• The South Polar Red Spot is past the CM.

After a successful set of images with the 90mm Mak and no signs of clouds, we decided to take out the C14 while there was time. Turns out that was a really good decision since this is our best RGB image the apparition so far. However, it did end up being disturbed by a thin layer of clouds.

Notes:

• The North North Temperate Belt is showing hints of orange within its otherwise brown clouds.
• The North Temperate Belt is thin. The southern edge is faintly orange while the north is a thin dark line.
• There is a white oval on the NEBn at the central meridian.
• The North Equatorial Belt has a new rift past the CM.
• The Equatorial Zone, except for the southern edge, is still orange. However, there is a subtle orange smudge at the CM on the EZs.
• The South Equatorial Belt has a teal spot with a detached tail on its northern edge. I don't recall seeing anything with this color on Jupiter before.
• The SEBs is dark compared to the rest of the belt.
• There is a bright spot just off the SEBs on the CM.
• White Oval BA is rising with the STB Ghost trailing it.
• There is a subtle blue feature to the west of Oval BA. Is this an STB structured segment?
• The South Polar Red Spot is setting.

Since I needed to offload the previous RGB, a process which involves freeing a USB port for an external drive, I decided to capture some deep-red/infrared data while I had the USB hub for the focuser and filter wheel disconnected.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt is nothing more than a faint line.
• The North Equatorial Belt has a new rift past the central meridian.
• The Equatorial Zone contains an intense festoon approaching the CM.
• Even though the EZ has traded its typical white color for orange in RGB images, it still looks normal in infrared.
• The teal spot on the SEBn in the RGB image is very dark in infrared.
• There is a bright spot past the CM just off the SEBs.
• Oval BA is approaching the CM with the STB Ghost trailing it.
• There is a subtly dark feature setting on the South Temperate Belt. Is this a new STB structured segment?
• The South Polar Red Spot is setting.

It has been a very long time since I've attempted methane band imaging. The good conditions made it seem appropriate to start capturing them again. After this image, a solid deck of clouds came in while working on an RGB set and ended the imaging session.

Notes:

• The southern Equatorial Zone is darker than the rest of the zone.
• The teal spot that caught my attention in the RGB image is dark.
• The bright spot in the RGB image off the southern South Equatorial Belt is invisible.
• Oval BA is bright.

Another night starting with a test of the sky conditions with the 90mm Mak before bringing out a bigger scope. Conditions were not as good as the previous session.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is just past the central meridian.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The Great Red Spot is on the central meridian.
• Clouds from the South Equatorial Belt are circulating around the GRS and into the South Tropical Zone to the east.
• Io and Europa are left and right of the planet respectively.

I decided to setup the C8 even though I wasn't convinced in the moment the sky conditions would be good. The live view was turbulent, but slower than I'm used to seeing. I had both my imaging trains in the same place, so I decided to do a comparison between my ZWO filters for the C8 and my Chroma filters used with the C11 and C14. This image was done through the ZWO filters, while next image will be with the Chroma filters.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is faintly visible on the North Equatorial Belt, north of the Great Red Spot.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The GRS is off-center in its hollow.
• The GRS hollow is unusually dark.
• South Equatorial Belt clouds are circulating around the GRS and into the South Tropical Zone to the east.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.
• Io and Europa appear left and right of the planet respectively.

After taking an image with my usual C8 imaging train with ZWO filters, I swapped it out for the C14 train with Chroma filters. Seeing was still turbulent but slow enough to see a decent amount of details.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is setting.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The Great Red Spot is off-center in its hollow.
• The GRS hollow is unusually dark.
• South Equatorial Belt clouds are circulating around the GRS and into the South Tropical Zone to the east.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.
• Io and Europa appear left and right of the planet respectively.

Once I was done capturing for the RGB filter comparison, I moved on to filters I only have in the C14 imaging train, starting with the methane filter to show elevation of surface features.

Notes:

• The South Equatorial Belt is split by a zone, which angles down towards the Great Red Spot.
• Io and Europa appear left and right of the planet respectively.

Seeing was still good despite the slow turbulence blurring smaller features. The grass started dewing up, but the C8's corrector stayed clear.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is setting.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt has become is lighter than usual.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.
• Io and Europa appear left and right of the planet respectively.

I decided to stick with Jupiter for one more RGB capture of Jupiter after capturing IR data. I kept using the imaging train usually attached to the C14.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• The GRS hollow is unusually dark.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.
• Europa appears right of the planet.

The first image of another June night with crisp but turbulent seeing and passable transparency. I've been seeing an unusually high number of rabbits in the yard this year, and there was one wondering around while imaging.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone, excluding its southern edge, is orange.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt is lighter than normal.
• The SEBs appears dark and clumpy.
• Io is approaching Jupiter from the right.

Seeing continued its crisp but turbulent nature.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone, excluding its southern edge, is orange.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt is lighter than normal.
• The SEBs appears dark and clumpy.
• Io is approaching Jupiter from the right.

After capturing some RGB sets, I decided to catch some deep-red/infrared photons from Jupiter.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone, unusually orange in visible light, appears normal in this wavelength.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt is lighter than normal.
• The SEBs appears dark and clumpy.
• Io is approaching Jupiter from the right.

To round out Jupiter imaging for the night, I decided to capture a methane image to reveal the altitude of clouds.

Notes:

• There is a bright spot on the central meridian at mid-northern latitudes. As far as I can tell, this spot is almost indistinguishable in visible light and faintly outlined in deep-red/infrared.
• The southern edge of the Equatorial Zone is darker than the rest.
• The South Equatorial Belt is split by a zone.

After imaging Saturn, I decided to return to Jupiter to capture more images, something I hardly do. I found improved seeing conditions upon my return.

Notes:

• A bright outbreak on the North Equatorial Belt is east of the central meridian.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange, except the southern edge.
• Oval BA is rising.
• The South Polar Red Spot is near the CM.

I continued tonight's second round of Jupiter imaging with the near infrared filter.

Notes:

• A barge at mid-northern latitude appears more prominent in near infrared compared to visible light.
• A bright outbreak in the North Equatorial Belt is approaching the CM.
• Oval BA is rising.

I finally capped off the imaging session with another image through the methane filter.

Notes:

• The southern edge of the Equatorial Zone is darker than the rest of the zone.
• Oval BA is rising.

Peeking at the sky gave me the impression of having a potentially good imaging session, but a thick deck of clouds began covering the sky just before I started recording with my ASI290MM. To avoid being cut off from capturing a full color image, I quickly ran inside to get my ASI224MC. The sky around Jupiter was nearly opaque by the time I started recording.

Notes:

• The Great Red Spot is rising.
• Ganymede is about to transit over high northern latitudes.
• Io has just left transiting the planet.

Another night where the weather was more generous than the forecast suggested.

Notes:

• The southern South Equatorial Belt is very dark.
• Oval BA is rising.
• The faint streak in the South Temperate I noted on an image from June 2 is at the central meridian.
• The South Polar Red Spot is just east of the central meridian.
• Io and Ganymede are approaching transit.

The sky continued to defy an unfavorable forecast, so I hastily captured a near infrared image before it ended.

Notes:

• A long rift on the North Equatorial Belt is approaching the central meridian.
• The southern South Equatorial Belt is very dark.
• Oval BA is rising.
• The faint streak in the South Temperate I noted on an image from June 2 is at the central meridian.
• The South Polar Red Spot is just east of the CM.

Clouds started to show up after capturing tonight's near infrared image, but I still had enough time to capture a methane image.

Notes:

• A prominent hot spot on the northern edge of the Equatorial Zone is at the central meridian.
• The southern edge of the South Equatorial Belt is dark.
• Oval BA is rising.
• The South Polar Red Spot has passed the central meridian.

Despite the threat of clouds appearing soon in the weather forecast, we decided it was worth trying to beat them for an image. Turned out to be a good decision because seeing was quite good.

Notes:

• White Oval Z has just passed the central meridian.
• Most of the Equatorial Zone is still orange
• The northern regions of the South Equatorial Belt are light in color.
• The Great Red Spot is at the central meridian.
• A small storm is on the northern edge of the darkened GRS hollow.
• Dark clouds from the GRS hollow appear to be entering the South Tropical Zone, with a wavy pattern on the southern edge.

Seeing seemed to improve a bit, which helped the near-infrared filter that already cuts through seeing better than RGB filters.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is east of the central meridian.
• The Great Red Spot is at the central meridian.
• A small storm is on the northern edge of the darkened GRS hollow.
• The northern edge of the GRS appears to be touching the small storm embedded in the GRS hollow, which is not the case in the RGB image.
• Dark clouds from the GRS hollow appear to be entering the South Tropical Zone, with a wavy pattern on the southern edge.

Seeing remained good during the CH4 capture. Clouds started coming in from the south near the end of the capture, causing me to rush for Saturn before it was too late to capture it.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is east of the central meridian.
• A dark hot spot in the Equatorial Zone is setting.
• The Great Red Spot is just past the central meridian.

A mixed night for planetary imaging. While seeing was very good, it was quite breezy, a weak point for the CGEM DX when the C14 with imaging equipment is saddled on it. To take advantage of the night, I used the C8 instead.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is about halfway between the central meridian and the eastern limb.
• The EZ is still orange.
• The GRS is past the central meridian.
• The SEBn is almost white.
• The SEBs following the GRS wake appears dark and clumpy.
• The GRS hollow is dark.
• To the east of the GRS, the darkened STZ has wave-like extensions reaching south.

A mixed night for planetary imaging. While seeing was very good, it was quite breezy, a weak point for the CGEM DX when the C14 with imaging equipment is saddled on it. To take advantage of the night, I used the C8 instead.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is approaching the eastern limb.
• The GRS is past the central meridian.
• The SEBn is lighter than normal.
• The SEBs following the GRS wake appears dark and clumpy.
• To the east of the GRS, the darkened STZ has wave-like extensions reaching south.

A mixed night for planetary imaging. While seeing was very good, it was quite breezy, a weak point for the CGEM DX when the C14 with imaging equipment is saddled on it. To take advantage of the night, I used the C8 instead.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is about to set.
• The SEBn trailing the GRS is bright.
• The Great Red Spot well past the central meridian.
• The GRS wake appears to have a new rift suggested by its bright appearance.

After finishing with Saturn, I saw that Ganymede would emerge from occultation, then quickly hide again in Jupiter's shadow. I decided to catch the event.

Notes:

• The EZ is orange.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.
• Ganymede is partially eclipsed in Jupiter's shadow.

Despite the breezy weather prohibiting the use of the CGEM DX and C14 for the second night straight, tonight was another good summer night for planetary imaging.

Notes:

• The NEBn contains a few small white ovals.
• The NEB contains a few rifts.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost are rising together.
• The South Polar Red Spot stands out in the south polar regions.

Despite the breezy weather prohibiting the use of the CGEM DX and C14 for the second night straight, tonight was another good summer night for planetary imaging.

Notes:

• The NEBn contains a few small white ovals.
• The NEB contains a few rifts.
• The SEBs is dark.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost are rising together.
• The South Polar Red Spot stands out in the south polar regions.

Despite the breezy weather prohibiting the use of the CGEM DX and C14 for the second night straight, tonight was another good summer night for planetary imaging.

Notes:

• The SEBs is dark.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost are rising together.
• The South Polar Red Spot stands out in the south polar regions.

The third night of excellent planetary imaging, but also the third night of breezy conditions too intense for the CGEM DX and C14, so this is another session using the C8.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is approaching the central meridian.
• The EZ, except the southern edge, is orange.
• The Great Red Spot has a small flake on its western edge.
• Two green-ish SEB rings are approaching the GRS from the east, carrying with them the potential for more flakes.
• The STB contains a small white oval with a dark boundary.

The third night of excellent planetary imaging, but also the third night of breezy conditions too intense for the CGEM DX and C14, so this is another session using the C8.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is at the central meridian.
• The Great Red Spot has a small dark spot on its western edge.
• Two SEB rings are approaching the GRS from the east, carrying with them the potential for more flakes.
• The STB contains a small white oval with a dark boundary.

The third night of excellent planetary imaging, but also the third night of breezy conditions too intense for the CGEM DX and C14, so this is another session using the C8.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is at the central meridian.
• The Great Red Spot has a small flake on its western edge.
• The GRS hollow is dark.

Finally, a night that wasn't too breezy for the CGEM DX and C14. I thought the seeing was only a little above average while recording, but it turned out to be excellent.

Notes:

• The EZ is orange, with the exception of the southernmost edge.
• The SEBn trailing the GRS is whiter than the EZ.
• The SEBs is clumpy.
• The GRS hollow appears to be pulling in white clouds from the STB, making the GRS look partially detached from the SEB.
• Two SEB rings are east of the GRS.
• White Oval Z is about to set.
• The faint STB Spectre is 48,000 km long. The eastern end is south of the GRS.
• Ganymede is presenting its Jovian-facing hemisphere, with the bright Tros impact crater near the western limb.

Finally, a night that wasn't too breezy for the CGEM DX and C14. I thought the seeing was only a little above average while recording, but it turned out to be excellent.

Notes:

• The EZs has a dark northern border separating it from the rest of the zone.
• The SEBn trailing the GRS is light.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.
• White Oval Z is about to set.
• The faint STB Spectre is 48,000 km long. The eastern end is south of the GRS.
• Ganymede is presenting its Jovian-facing hemisphere, with the bright Tros impact crater near the western limb.

Finally, a night that wasn't too breezy for the CGEM DX and C14. I thought the seeing was only a little above average while recording, but it turned out to be excellent.

Notes:

• The EZs is darker than the rest of the zone.
• The SEBn trailing the GRS is light.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.
• White Oval Z is about to set.
• The faint STB Spectre is approximately 48,000 km long. The eastern end is south of the GRS and the western end is at the central meridian.

Another night of excellent seeing, but the breezier environment forced me to back to the C8.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is approaching the central meridian.
• Most of the Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• An interesting light patch in the SEB is setting.
• The GRS Hollow continues to pull in light clouds from the South Tropical Zone.
• Another green SEBs ring approaches the GRS from the west.

Another night of excellent seeing, but the breezier environment forced me to back to the C8.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is approaching the central meridian.
• An interesting light patch in the SEB is setting.
• The GRS Hollow continues to pull in light clouds.
• Another SEBs ring approaches the GRS from the west.

Another night of excellent seeing, but the breezier environment forced me to back to the C8.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is approaching the central meridian.
• A dark patch on the SEBs is setting.

Yet again a night of good seeing, but too windy for the CGEM DX/C14.

Notes:

• The NNTB has a brown barge approaching the central meridian.
• The NEBn is ragged.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange and has a lot of festoon activity.
• The SEBn is whiter than the EZ.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.

Yet again a night of good seeing, but too windy for the CGEM DX/C14.

Notes:

• The NNTB has a barge approaching the central meridian.
• The NEBn is ragged.
• The Equatorial Zone has a lot of festoon activity.
• The SEBn is light.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.

Yet again a night of good seeing, but too windy for the CGEM DX/C14.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone has a lot of festoon activity.
• The SEBn is light.
• The SEBs is dark and clumpy.

An excellent night for planetary imaging, with the usual caveat of being too breezy for using the CGEM DX/C14.

Notes:

• The North North Temperate Belt is full of dark clouds, possibly with a small red oval east of the central meridian.
• The North Temperate Belt has a thin band of dark clouds running through it.
• The NTB also has faint traces of orange still visible. The entire belt should darken again in a few years if it the normal cycle isn't disrupted.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The Great Red Spot is rising.
• The bright clouds that entered the GRS hollow a few days ago have now fully circled the storm.
• The South Temperate belt has a small white oval near the central meridian.

An excellent night for planetary imaging, with the usual caveat of being too breezy for using the CGEM DX/C14.

Notes:

• The North North Temperate Belt is full of dark clouds.
• The North Temperate Belt has a thin band of dark clouds running through it.
• The Great Red Spot is rising.
• The GRS wake has some dark regions.
• The South Temperate belt has a small white oval past the central meridian.

An excellent night for planetary imaging, with the usual caveat of being too breezy for using the CGEM DX/C14.

Notes:

• The North North Temperate Belt is full of dark clouds.
• The North Temperate Belt also has dark clouds.
• The Great Red Spot is approaching the central meridian.
• The GRS wake has no bright outbreaks.

Another good summer night of imaging for the AVX/C8.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The South Equatorial Belt is divided into a dark and clumpy southern component and a pale northern component.
• The Great Red Spot is barely visible on the eastern limb.
• Io is approaching transit.

Another good summer night of imaging for the AVX/C8.

Notes:

• The South Equatorial Belt is divided into a dark and clumpy southern component and a pale northern component.
• Io is beginning its transit across Jupiter.

Another good summer night of imaging for the AVX/C8.

Notes:

• The South Equatorial Belt is dark and clumpy on the southern edge.
• The mid-SEB is light.
• Io is beginning its transit across Jupiter.

Another amazing summer night of imaging with the AVX/C8.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt is faintly orange.
• White Oval Z is rising.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange with the exception of the southern edge.
• The Great Red Spot, on the western limb, is also rising.
• Oval BA is approaching the western limb.
• Callisto is passing by. It will resume transits and occultations in November.

Another amazing summer night of imaging with the AVX/C8.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is rising.
• The Great Red Spot, on the western limb, is also rising.
• Oval BA is approaching the western limb.
• Callisto is passing by. It will resume transits and occultations in November.

Another amazing summer night of imaging with the AVX/C8.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is rising.
• The Great Red Spot, on the western limb, is also rising.
• Oval BA is approaching the western limb.
• Callisto is passing by. It will resume transits and occultations in November.

Less windy conditions allowed us to use the CGEM DX/C14 for the first time in nine days. Seeing was worse than most other nights this summer.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• Oval BA is approaching the central meridian.
• The South Polar Red Spot appears pale.
• Ganymede is showing a few surface details despite the low resolution. Osiris is visible as a bright region in the southern hemisphere.
• Ganymede's shadow is crossing the northern hemisphere.

Less windy conditions allowed us to use the CGEM DX/C14 for the first time in nine days. Seeing was worse than most other nights this summer.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• Oval BA is approaching the central meridian.
• The South Polar Red Spot appears pale.
• Ganymede's shadow is crossing the northern hemisphere.

Less windy conditions allowed us to use the CGEM DX/C14 for the first time in nine days. Seeing was worse than most other nights this summer.

Notes:

• Oval BA is on the central meridian.
• The South Polar Red Spot is about to set.
• Ganymede is showing a few surface details despite the low resolution. Osiris is visible as a bright region in the southern hemisphere.
• Ganymede's shadow is crossing the northern hemisphere.

Less windy conditions allowed us to use the CGEM DX/C14 for the first time in nine days. Seeing was worse than most other nights this summer.

Notes:

• Oval BA is just past the central meridian.
• The STB Ghost, which is pushing against Oval BA from the west, is not visible in methane band.
• The South Polar Red Spot is about to set.
• Ganymede's shadow is crossing the northern hemisphere.

The last night of imaging in July brought the same good conditions I've seen most of the month.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt is slightly orange. A dark streak on the belt is approaching the central meridian.
• The NEBn has a few small white ovals.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The SEBn is mottled.
• The SEBs is dark.
• Oval BA is halfway between the central meridian and eastern limb.

The last night of imaging in July brought the same good conditions I've seen most of the month.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt has a dark streak approaching the central meridian.
• The NEBn has a few small white ovals.
• The EZs has a northern boundary splitting it from the rest of the zone. In visible light, this is where the transition from orange to white occurs.
• The SEBn is mottled.
• The SEBs is dark.
• Oval BA is approaching the eastern limb.

The last night of imaging in July brought the same good conditions I've seen most of the month.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is brightest slightly south of the equator
• The South Equatorial Belt has a few dark patches.
• The SEBs is dark.
• Oval BA is approaching the eastern limb.

A night of decent conditions to start off imaging in August.

Notes:

• The North Equatorial Belt has a few rifts.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The SEBn is unusually light.
• The SEBs is unusually dark.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• The GRS wake has a new outbreak.

A night of decent conditions to start off imaging in August.

Notes:

• The North Equatorial Belt has a few rifts.
• The SEBn is unusually light.
• The SEBs is unusually dark.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• The GRS wake has a new outbreak.

A night of decent conditions to start off imaging in August.

Notes:

• The SEBn is light. By contrast, the SEBs is dark.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• The GRS wake has a new outbreak.
• Io appears to the left of Jupiter.

A night of great conditions aside from a slight breeze.

Notes:

• The North Temperate belt is light orange.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The NEBn has a couple white ovals.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost is approaching the central meridian.
• Two blue streaks on the South Temperate Belt are approaching the eastern limb. Are these new structured segments?
• The rising half of the SEBn is mottled.
• The SEBs is dark.
• The South Polar Red Spot is past the central meridian.

A night of great conditions aside from a slight breeze.

Notes:

• The NEBn has a couple ovals.
• The EZs has a northern boundary splitting it from the rest of the zone. In visible light, this is where the transition from orange to white occurs.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost are approaching the central meridian.
• Two streaks on the South Temperate Belt are approaching the eastern limb. Are these new structured segments?
• The rising half of the SEBn is mottled.
• The SEBs is dark.
• The South Polar Red Spot is past the central meridian.

A night of great conditions aside from a slight breeze.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is brightest slightly south of the equator.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost are crossing the central meridian.
• The SEBs is dark.
• The South Polar Red Spot is about to set.

Seeing was very good tonight, but the ground winds were too breezy for the C14. A flash, likely to be a bolide impact, was observed on the SEBs while recording through the red filter. I only noticed it thanks to DeTeCt, a program written by Marc Delcroix for the purpose of detecting these events.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is setting.
• The EZ is still orange.
• The SEBn is very pale.
• The GRS appears a bit egg-shaped.

Peer-reviewed research paper analyzing the Jupiter impact:
https://arxiv.org/abs/2002.07894
https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/staa563

I continued to record Jupiter, oblivious of the flash that occurred while capturing the previous RGB set.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is setting.
• The EZ is still orange.
• The SEBn is very pale.
• The GRS appears a bit egg-shaped. I'm not sure if the fringes on the east and west are part of the storm or part of the surrounding area.

I continued to record Jupiter, oblivious of the flash that occurred while capturing the first RGB set.

Notes:

• The NEB has a few rifts.
• White Oval Z is setting.
• The SEBn is very light.

I finished off the session with a methane band image, oblivious of the flash that occurred almost half an hour earlier.

Notes:

• The NEB has a few rifts.
• White Oval Z is setting.
• The SEBn is relatively light.
• The SEBs shows no evidence of an impact scar, which would be bright in the methane band.
• The GRS wake contains a few bright outbreaks.

A decent night for imaging Jupiter. The area of the impact from two nights before is not visible, but no scar was left behind.

Notes:

• White Oval Z almost blends in with the North Tropical Zone.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The Great Red Spot is rising.

A decent night for imaging Jupiter. The area of the impact from two nights before is not visible, but no scar was left behind.

Notes:

• White Oval Z looks bright on its northern edge.
• The Great Red Spot is rising.

A decent night for imaging Jupiter. The area of the impact from two nights before is not visible, but no scar was left behind.

Notes:

• The Great Red Spot is rising.

Conditions were on par for this summer with good seeing and too windy for the C14.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The EZn has a large festoon stretching across the central meridian.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt transitions from light to dark from east to west.

Conditions were on par for this summer with good seeing and too windy for the C14.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone has a large festoon stretching eastward from the central meridian.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt transitions from light to dark from east to west.

Conditions were on par for this summer with good seeing and too windy for the C14.

Notes:

• The EZn has a large hot spot past the central meridian.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt transitions from light to dark from east to west.

Another night of good conditions for imaging Jupiter with the C8.

Notes:

• The North Equatorial Belt is split by a light band.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The southern edge of the South Equatorial Belt is dark.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost are crossing the central meridian.
• The South Polar Region appears slightly blue.

Another night of good conditions for imaging Jupiter with the C8.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is split by a dark band just south of the equator.
• The southern edge of the South Equatorial Belt is dark.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost are crossing the central meridian.

Another night of good conditions for imaging Jupiter with the C8.

Notes:

• The southern edge of the South Equatorial Belt is dark.
• Oval BA and the STB Ghost are past central meridian.

Relatively nice seeing and transparency compared to the high bar set in the past few months. The same hemisphere from five days earlier is visible. No scar from that day's impact is visible.

Notes:

• The North Equatorial Belt has a new rift approaching the central meridian.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange and has a few large festoons stretching westward.
• The GRS wake appears calmer than five days ago.
• The western end of the STB Spectre is at the central meridian. Although difficult to see, the system stretches far to the east.

Relatively nice seeing and transparency compared to the high bar set in the past few months. The same hemisphere from five days earlier is visible. No scar from that day's impact is visible.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone has a few large festoons stretching westward.
• The GRS wake appears calmer than five days ago.
• The western end of the STB Spectre is at the central meridian. Although difficult to see, the system stretches far to the east.

Relatively nice seeing and transparency compared to the high bar set in the past few months. The same hemisphere from five days earlier is visible. No scar from that day's impact is visible.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone has a few large festoons stretching westward.
• The GRS wake appears calmer than five days ago.

Tonight continued the series of good summer nights of imaging Jupiter and Saturn.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is approaching the central meridian.
• The Equatorial Belt is orange.
• The South Equatorial Zone is striped.
• The Great Red Spot is rising.

Tonight continued the series of good summer nights of imaging Jupiter and Saturn.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is approaching the central meridian.
• The South Equatorial Belt is striped.
• The Great Red Spot is rising. The storm is surrounded by a dark border.

Tonight continued the series of good summer nights of imaging Jupiter and Saturn.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is approaching the central meridian.
• The South Equatorial Belt is striped.
• The Great Red Spot is rising.

A decent return to imaging Jupiter after missing a few to bad weather.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The EZn has a hot-spot at the central meridian.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt is pale.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• Callisto is approaching Jupiter.

A decent return to imaging Jupiter after missing a few to bad weather.

Notes:

• The northern Equatorial Zone has a hot-spot at the central meridian.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt is pale.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• Callisto is approaching Jupiter.

A decent return to imaging Jupiter after missing a few to bad weather.

Notes:

• The northern Equatorial Zone has a hot-spot past the central meridian.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt is pale.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• Callisto is approaching Jupiter.

The best conditions for imaging I've had with the C8 so far this summer, although it got a little worse by the time I got to recording methane data.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt has a small red spot just west of the central meridian.
• White Oval Z is bright on its north side.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange and has lots of activity on it's boundary with the North Equatorial Belt.
• The Great Red spot is front and center.
• More than half of the long and faint STB Spectre has passed the GRS.
• Io is approaching occultation as Ganymede emerges from behind Jupiter.

The best conditions for imaging I've had with the C8 so far this summer, although it got a little worse by the time I got to recording methane data.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is bright on its north side.
• The Equatorial Zone has lots of activity on it's boundary with the North Equatorial Belt.
• The Great Red spot is front and center.
• More than half of the long and faint STB Spectre has passed the GRS.
• Io is approaching occultation as Ganymede emerges from behind Jupiter.

The best conditions for imaging I've had with the C8 so far this summer, although it got a little worse by the time I got to recording methane data.

Notes:

• The southern edge of the Equatorial Zone is darker than the rest of the zone.
• The Great Red spot is front and center.
• Io is approaching occultation as Ganymede emerges from behind Jupiter.

Decent conditions for imaging with the C8 again.

Notes:

• A small white oval is northwest of Io's shadow.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• Oval BA is rising.
• The South Temperate Belt has two blue streaks approaching the central meridian. Are these new structured segments?
• Io and its shadow are transiting the North Equatorial Belt.

Decent conditions for imaging with the C8 again.

Notes:

• A small white oval is northwest of Io's shadow.
• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• Oval BA is rising.
• The South Temperate Belt has two blue streaks approaching the central meridian. Are these new structured segments?
• Io and its shadow are transiting the North Equatorial Belt.

Decent conditions for imaging with the C8 again.

Notes:

• A small oval is northwest of Io's shadow.
• Oval BA is rising.
• The South Temperate Belt has two streaks approaching the central meridian. Are these new structured segments?
• Io and its shadow are transiting the North Equatorial Belt.

Decent conditions for imaging with the C8 again.

Notes:

• A small oval is northwest of Io's shadow.
• Oval BA is rising.
• Io's shadow is transiting the North Equatorial Belt.

One of the better nights of imaging this apparition so far. I captured an extra RGB image to get a better view of the Great Red Spot.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt has a faint orange color and some dark markings.
• White Oval Z is bright on the north side and dark on the south side.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The GRS is rising.

One of the better nights of imaging this apparition so far. I captured an extra RGB image to get a better view of the Great Red Spot.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt has some dark markings.
• White Oval Z is bright on the north side and dark on the south side.
• The Equatorial Zone has a dark band just south of the equator.
• The GRS is rising.

One of the better nights of imaging this apparition so far. I captured an extra RGB image to get a better view of the Great Red Spot.

Notes:

• White Oval Z is dark on the east side and light on the west side.
• The Equatorial Zone has a dark band just south of the equator.
• The GRS is rising.
• Io is visible to the left of Jupiter.

One of the better nights of imaging this apparition so far. I captured an extra RGB image to get a better view of the Great Red Spot.

Notes:

• The North Temperate Belt has a faint orange color and some dark markings.
• White Oval Z is bright on the north side and dark on the south side.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange. A large festoon is at the central meridian.
• The GRS is rising.

Jupiter is 40 arc-seconds in diameter tonight, down from 46 arc-seconds at opposition in June. Despite the smaller apparent diameter, the view remains just as good thanks to cooperative weather.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The South Equatorial Belt is pale on its northern half.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• The faint STB Spectre is sprawling south of the GRS.

Jupiter is 40 arc-seconds in diameter tonight, down from 46 arc-seconds at opposition in June. Despite the smaller apparent diameter, the view remains just as good thanks to cooperative weather.

Notes:

• The South Equatorial Belt is pale on its northern half.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• The faint STB Spectre is sprawling south of the GRS.

Jupiter is 40 arc-seconds in diameter tonight, down from 46 arc-seconds at opposition in June. Despite the smaller apparent diameter, the view remains just as good thanks to cooperative weather.

Notes:

• A bright oval is rising in the North North Temperate Belt.
• The northern South Equatorial Belt is light.
• The Great Red Spot is setting.
• The dark STB Spectre is sprawling south of the GRS.

My first time since late-April imaging next to a parking lot at my university. Conditions were bad for imaging and the optical tube was warm, causing intense heat plumes that worsened the situation. The gusts of wind were intense enough to push my laptop off the table if I didn't hold it down.

Notes:

• White Oval Z, visible as a notch in the North Equatorial Belt, is rising.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The Great Red Spot is rising.
• An SEBs ring is approaching the central meridian.

My first time since late-April imaging next to a parking lot at my university. Conditions were bad for imaging and the optical tube was warm, causing intense heat plumes that worsened the situation. The gusts of wind were intense enough to push my laptop off the table if I didn't hold it down.

Notes:

• White Oval Z, visible as a notch in the North Equatorial Belt, is rising.
• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The Great Red Spot is rising.
• An SEBs ring is approaching the central meridian.

Conditions for imaging were poor again. Like last imaging session, I had issues with intense heat currents coming off the C8 because it was much warmer than the ambient temperature. Clouds also interfered in the last few minutes of recording.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The SEBn is pale while the SEBs is dark.

Heat plumes coming off the C8 are still an issue when imaging from my university. I need to find my Cool Edge so I can quickly cool it down, but it should become less of an issue as summer turns into autumn.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The Great Red Spot is just past the central meridian.
• Europa is approaching from the right.

Heat plumes coming off the C8 are still an issue when imaging from my university. I need to find my Cool Edge so I can quickly cool it down, but it should become less of an issue as summer turns into autumn.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is still orange.
• The Great Red Spot is just past the central meridian.
• Europa is approaching from the right.

Hardships from the previous few imaging sessions of poor seeing and optical tube temperature were issues again tonight. I still need to dig out my Cool Edge to quickly cool the C8.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• The Great Red Spot is on the central meridian.

I forgot to bring the power cord for the Advanced VX home this weekend, but that's not an excuse to skip imaging. Manually aiming an equatorial mount designed to be used electronically is surprisingly awkward and difficult. I removed the barlow to make aiming easier.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is orange.

Unlike most nights where I do astrophotography in isolation, I captured images tonight at a star party, essentially doing electronically-assisted astronomy simultaneously with astrophotography.

Notes:

• The Equatorial is still orange, but potentially less so than before.
• The Great Red Spot is rising.

Imaging at another star party with a darker sky than anywhere I'm normally at. Conditions were bad for imaging, but the visual views of other targets through the C14 were impressive.

Notes:

• The Equatorial Zone is orange.
• Oval BA is at the central meridian.