The Dutch Observatory

Set the alarm for 4:30 and imaged Jupiter again this morning.  Made three runs, but stopped since I did not see many good frames being recorded.  Here the best of the three.

Jupiter on July the 4th.  The images came out better than I anticipated based on the conditions.  Here the image just before 5:00 A.M. local time and an RGB only image taken about 15 minutes later.

Imaged Jupiter this morning.  At least the sky was not covered with clouds but transparency and seeing were not great.  Here Jupiter with the GRS a little after it passed the CM.  Normally I get the ephemerides from Winjupos, but had a problem with it this morning.  Listed data is from Jupiter2.

Monday morning the sky was filled with thousands of small puffy clouds despite the CSC forecast, but Tuesday morning the transparency was a lot better despite a worse forecast but far from prefect.  Brian Comb reminded me on using a higher focal length, which I had not done on Jupiter this season yet.  Here two images made at F/22 using the Meade 140 2x barlow. 

Jupiter this morning 2010-06-25 at 5:34:15 ET, 15 minutes before Europa crosses the central meridian. 

Played around a bit with Stellarium and Stellarium Scope.  Using the remote controls for the CPC.  while doing this, I used the moon to do some images, which I have not done in a while.  Looking throug the view finder some very bright crates stuck out.  Here two images.  The first one from Mare Crisium with the very bright crater Proclus at the rim of Palus Sumni.  The second image is Copernicus and Kepler at the 8:30 H position.

Jupiter in the morning of 2010-06-23.  The GRS is about to transit the CM.  this was the last image but it has some indications of ringing.  This ringing problem becomes evidenced at a frame rate of 60.  The DMK works best if the frame rate is less than 60. 

Had another chance to image this morning.  Jupiter, this time with Io approaching on the right. 

We had an outreach event Saturday evening, so I did not make it up to image on Sunday morning, but today was alright.  We had a little ground fog, but the seeing and transparency were OK.  Here the first image I took this morning.  Subsequent images got worse as the sun started to rise.  Io is starting its transit at the following limb as its shadow is appraoching the GRS.

Imaged Jupiter this morning.  Transparancy was variable as a layer of thin high clouds kept moving through.  The SEB can faintly be seen but is distinct in the green and blue images.  Io is just getting ready to finish its transit just below the GRS at the edge of the planetary disc.