The Dutch Observatory

This is the first image I took after the impact of Jupiter.  The impact was arounf CM 210 so the impact site in this image is about 90 degrees out of site and therefore not visible.  Anyway, it does show that there are no other impacts sites in this area.

This morning gave me an opportunity to image Jupiter again.  Although the jetsteam had moved about 400 miles north of here and the clouds were gone, but the stability still was pretty bad and deteriorated as time went on.  Here Jupiter, while the GRS is moving towards the CM, Io is transitting the CM, and its shadow is on the way off the planet.  Note the activity in the belt just north of the GRS, and the activity in the NEB seems to expand quite a bit.

This is my first attempt to image an eclipse between two Gallilean moons.  This morning between 6:21 UT and 6:28 UT, the shadow from Io did transit  Ganymede.  This was an annular eclipse, but because of the difference in size of the two moons the drop in intensity of Ganymede was 0.35.  The animation makes up 18 frames between 6:16 UT and 6:34 UT with the transit being captured in frames 6-12 of the animation.  Because I wanted to have Jupiter in the image the moons are a little under exposed.  All images were processed the same:  250 out of 500 frames captured at 1/27 sec in IC Capture, stacked in Registax with mild wavelets applied (same setting for all).  No additional processing was performed in Photoshop.  Photoshop was only used to create the animation.  My next attempts of occultations or eclipses will require to increase the maginification for a better resolution.  Please click the image to start the animation.

The forecast was good for tonight, so here another image of Jupiter.  It was a  bit windy but the transparency was better than average and I was able to make 6 sets.  One of them here. I just wonder when I am getting the time to process all those sets which I have not done yet.  I guess it would be a lot simpler if I only would show the LRGB image and forget about the pertinent data.

Following the partial occultation of Europa by Ganymede, I made some images of Jupiter.  The seeing was very variable during the session and probably peaked at average, but here the best image.

On May 8th 2009 Anthony Wesley in Australia captured the Gallilean Moon Europa eclipse the moon Ganymede.  To my knowledge this was the first time an amateur captured the complete occultation of two Gallilean moons in an animation.  My attempts to do the same since than have been hindered by weather conditions on the dates that such event was visible from my location, until this morning.  Here my capture of Ganymede (front and larger) partially occulting Europa, while Io is visible at the right starting to make its turn at the end of its orbit.  Not as good as Anthony’s, but I am happy with the result and waiting for another opportunity.  The sequence consists of 14 images between 6:49 UT and 7:21 UT.  Each image contains approx. 250 out of 500 frames 1/11 sec each stacked in Registax 5 and post processed in Photoshop. Seeing was variable during the capture series and probably peeked at average.  Click the image to activate the animation.

The Clear Sky Clock did forecast bad transparency from 1:00 a.m.  until 3:00 a.m.  However, in reallity at 3:00 am it was clear as a bell, but when I finished setting up, clouds had moved in.  Initially scattered, but soon broken.  so imaging was a challenge.  I ended up taking the red and green channels from one run and combined them with the blue from the previous.  The end result is not too bad.  In addition, I was lucky that at that time the GRS was about to transit the CM and Europa was leaving the preceding limb.  Lots of activity in the NEB with spillovers into the NTrZ, notable 2 dark spots, while two dark interactions with the EZ can also be observed while some light storms in the SSTB seem to reach out in the STZ.

Saturday evening I tried to image Saturn, however, the transparency and stability were so bad that I am not going to post this image.  Instead, I imaged Jupiter on Monday morning.  The transparency and stability was not bad but got worse as time went on.  So here Jupiter with the GRS on June 22, 2009 while the conditions still were good.

This morning I was able to image again.  The Clear Sky Clock misled me again, instead of transparent, stable and good seeing conditions, high cloud bands kept moving in and out, leaving just sufficient time to complete one set, but with reduced IR frames.  This image shows Jupiter with Ganymede on the left and Callisto on the right. 

This morning expectations were great for observing from our location.  Both Ganymede and Io were to transit Jupiter, together with a GRS transit.  However the weather had other ideas.  Light haze at the surface and high cloud bands kept Jupiter moving in and out together with variable seeing.  I only got one complete run to process but with a limited number of frames.  The image shows Jupiter with the GRS just moving onto the planet on the left, Ganymede to the left of Jupiter,  Io just below the GRS and both moon’s shadows on the right.