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Jupiter (2023-10-03 03:47 UT)

I captured a breathtaking image of Jupiter through my telescope

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I captured a breathtaking image of Jupiter through my telescope

2 Minutes
At the beginning of October 2023 I spent a night doing planetary imaging despite the weather didn’t seem too good with high and thin clouds everywhere.
Well, it turned out to be my best capture of Jupiter in 2023 and probably one of my best images of Jupiter to date!
 
The Great Red Spot (GRS) is almost at the meridian and you can clearly see the moon Europa and its shadow in transit, bands and zones, and half a dozens of white ovals in the Southern hemisphere. Notably, there is a white outbreak in the clouds to the left of the GRS.
 
Date: 2023-10-02
Location: My driveway in Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Celestron 8 SCT
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI224MC, ZWO ADC (atmospheric dispersion corrector)
Filter: ZWO IR Cut filter
Focuser: Celestron Focus Motor
Software: FireCapture (Best 50% frames from 90sec. video), AutoStakkert!3 (AS!3), Registax, Topaz DeNoise AI, GIMP.
Total # Frames: 6998
FPS: 120
Gain: 169
Shutter: 8ms
The final processed image of Jupiter. Plenty of atmospheric details are visible:
 
  • the Great Red Spot (GRS), some dozens of white ovals and some outbreaks in the clouds
  • dark-colored belts (North Tropical Belt, North Equatorial Belt, South Equatorial Belt);
  • light-colored zones (North Temperate Zone, North Tropical Zone, Equatorial Zone, South Tropical Zone, South Temperate Zone);
  • the North Polar Region and the South Polar Region;
  • the moon Europa and its dark shadow projected on Jupiter. A hypotethical inhabitant of Jupiter, situated where the moon Europa shadow passes in front of the the planet, could experience a solar eclipse every 3.5 days!
Jupiter (2023-10-03 03:47 UT)
I also used PIPP to make an animation of Europa and its shadow transiting on Jupiter, from 2:12 to 4:00 UT.
Jupiter Animation (2023-10-02)
Moon (2023-04-28 01:34 UT) - annotated

The Moon: let’s take a closer look

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The Moon: let’s take a closer look

Less than 1 minute Minutes

On April 27, 2023 the atmospheric conditions were excellent and I decided to go out with my Celestron 8 SCT and my dedicated ZWO ASI224MC planetary camera to capture a few high-resolution images of the Moon.

Setup
Date: 2023-04-27
Location: my driveway in Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Celestron 8 SCT
Camera: ZWO ASI224MC
Filters: IR Cut filter
Mount: Celestron AVX
Software: FireCapture, Autostakkert3 (AS!3), Registax 6, GIMP
Total integration time: best 10% of 30 seconds videos.

The main feature of this image is Mare Tranquillitatis, a vast lunar mare that dominates the upper portion of the frame. Zooming in closer, we can spot a small crater called Moltke located on the southern part of the Mare Tranquillitatis. Interestingly, just a few pixels north of this crater lies the historic Apollo 11 landing site!

Moving our gaze to the bottom right of the image, we can observe three impressive craters – Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina – each spanning a diameter of approximately 100 km. These craters are a reminder of our Moon’s turbulent past.

Scroll the slider to switch between these two images of the Moon. 

Scroll the slider to switch between the images of the Moon and its annotated imageScroll the slider to switch between the images of the Moon and its annotated image

The slanted angle of the sunlight in this image accentuates certain features and creates a striking contrast between light and shadow. Among these features are the Caucasus Mountains, situated at the bottom of the image, as well as the Eudoxus and Aristoteles craters, located to the right. In the center of the image is Cassini, with a diameter of 56km. It has a strange shape, shallowed with lava and 2 craters on the floor. Another prominent feature is the Alpine Valley, a lengthy fissure that runs through the Alpes Mountains and points back to the center of the Imbrium Basin. Scientists believe that this valley was formed due to the fracturing and splitting of the lunar crust during the impact that created the Imbrium Basin.

Scroll the slider to switch between the images of the Moon and its annotated imageScroll the slider to switch between the images of the Moon and its annotated image

In this image you can notice dozens of craters scattered across its surface. They are a reminder of the countless impacts that have occurred over the course of the Moon’s existence. However, what impressed me most in this image are two striking and deep depressions named Ariadaeus Rille and Hyginus Rille – which hint at the Moon’s geological past. Hyginus is a vast and rimless depression situated at the intersection of two massive crater-pit rilles and is believed to be the largest volcanic crater on the Moon.

Moon (2023-04-27): Ariadaeus Rille and Hyginus Rille
Mars and the Moon (2022-12-07)

Mars reaches its opposition and “kisses” the Moon!

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Mars reaches its opposition and “kisses” the Moon!

Less than 1 minute Minutes

I caught the Moon and Mars a few minutes after the end of the occultation!

December 7, 2022: I marked this date on my calendar because of Mars opposition and a lunar occultation that was visible from my location, only to discover that the cloud coverage was 100% during the occultation.

However, I prepared my scope and my planetary camera, just in case.

The sky was cloudy for the entire duration of the occultation, but cleared for a few minutes around 11:35 pm EST, well after the end of the occultation. Weather conditions during the acquisition were very challenging (as you can see from the video below), but I am happy with the reward of my perseverance: I captured the Full Moon and Mars in opposition!

Date: 2022-12-07
Time: 11:38pm EST
Location: my driveway in Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Explore Scientific ED80 CF
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI224MC, IR-Cut filter
Software: FireCapture, Autostakkert, Registax, GIMP

The image was taken 20 minutes after the end of the occultation and is the result of the best 30% frames from a 10 sec. video. Mars, with some of its features, is visible on the bottom right of the image.
 
You can use the slider to scroll the image and show or hide the annotation of Mars. 
The Moon and Mars on December 07, 2022The Moon and Mars on December 07, 2022
This is a 5 sec. sequence extracted from one of the videos I captured on the opposition night. You can see fast clouds passing in front of the Moon and the planet Mars to the bottom right corner of the video.
Mars (2022-12-05)

A night with Mars I won’t forget

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A night with Mars I won’t forget

Less than 1 minute Minutes

Due to the weather conditions in my area, yesterday night I wasn’t sure whether to image or not to image Mars. At last, I decided to go out and give a try (who knows when we will experience another clear night here in the GTHA) … And what a view of Mars on my telescope!

The night wasn’t too cold (-2°C) but the wind settled. There were some high clouds that dissipated during my imaging session. Seeing was average but I had a few moments with perfect conditions and no atmospheric turbulence.

Yesterday the distance of Mars was 81.6 million km, its magnitude was -1.92, the altitude was 62°50’, and its diameter was 17.15 arcseconds. Mars opposition will occur in just 2 days (on December 7-8), while Mars reached its minimum distance from the Earth on November 30.

I am so glad that I went out, set up my gear and shot some fantastic images of Mars! Definitely a night I won’t forget!

Date: 2022-12-05
Time: 03:49 UT
Location: my driveway in Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Celestron C8 SCT
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI224MC, IR-Cut filter, TeleVue PowerMate 2.5x
Software: FireCapture, Autostakkert, Registax, GIMP

I obtained the final image (to the right) by processing the best 30% frames from a 60 seconds video.
 
Several features are visible in the final processed image. From left to right: the triangular shape of Syrtis Major and Syrtis Minor, the bright Hellas (below Syrtis Major), the Mare Cimmerium, and the white North Polar hoods (yes, clouds!).
Mars (2022-12-05)
Total Lunar Eclipse (2022-11-08)

I photographed the total lunar eclipse

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I photographed the total lunar eclipse on November 08, 2022

Less than 1 minute Minutes
On November 08, 2022 a total lunar eclipse was visible in the early morning from my location. Although the Moon was low on the horizon, I decided to give a try and to observe the totality. 
 
The next total lunar eclipse won’t happen until March 14, 2025.
 
The night before the sky was crystal clear and the view of the Moon from my telescope looked promising. 
 
I observed the totality from my driveway and captured a few images with my DSLR camera (a Nikon D5300) and a 55-200 telephoto zoom lens. I am happy to share an image of the totality and a short YouTube video of the eclipse. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
 
You can subscribe to my YouTube channel, here: https://www.youtube.com/@wondersofthesky
 
Until next time, clear skies!
 
Date: 2022-11-08
Location: Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Explore Scientific ED80CF for the Full Moon
Mount: Celestron CG-5
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC PRO, Nikon D5300 + 55-200 telephoto zoom lens
Software: FireCapture (best 30% of 10 seconds videos), AutoStakkert!3 (AS!3), Registax, GIMP.
The night before the sky was crystal clear and the view of the Moon from my telescope looked really promising. 
Stacked image of the Full Moon (2022-11-07)
I took this image of the total lunar eclipse at its maximum from my driveway.
Total Lunar Eclipse (2022-11-08)
Jupiter processed image (2022-09-08)

A night with Jupiter

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A night with Jupiter

Less than 1 minute Minutes
The night of September 08, 2022 I imaged Jupiter with a 8 inch telescope and a planetary camera from my driveway. Plenty of atmospheric details are visible in the final image: dark-colored belts, light-colored zones and finally the North and South polar regions.
 
Over the course of the night I also imaged the Great Red Spot (GRS) emerging from the lower edge of Jupiter’s disc and two Galileian moons: Io and Europa.
 
On September 26, the giant planet will be at opposition and will be visible all night long. The night before (September 25) Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth since October 1951. Its distance will be 590 million km and it won’t be this close again for the next 107 years, until the year 2129!
 
I made a short YouTube video of Jupiter, too. Scroll to the end of this page to watch it. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
 
Date: 2022-09-08
Location: Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Celestron 8 SCT, Tele Vue PowerMate 2.5x
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI224MC
Filter: ZWO IR Cut filter
Finder Scope: Explore Scientific 8×50 Non-Illuminated Finder Scope
Focuser: Celestron Focus Motor
Software: FireCapture (best 30% of 60 seconds videos), AutoStakkert!3 (AS!3), Registax, Topaz DeNoise AI, GIMP.
The final processed image of Jupiter. Plenty of atmospheric details are visible:
 
  • dark-colored belts (North Tropical Belt, North Equatorial Belt, South Equatorial Belt);
  • light-colored zones (North Temperate Zone, North Tropical Zone, Equatorial Zone, South Tropical Zone, South Temperate Zone);
  • and finally the North Polar Region and the South Polar Region.
Jupiter processed image (2022-09-08)

A combination of wind speed, wind direction, atmospheric jets, and cloud composition causes Jupiter’s banded appearance.

Credits: https://astronomy.com/magazine/ask-astro/2012/10/color-code and NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Jupiter's clouds features
Saturn (2022-08-13)

I imaged Saturn and its moons at opposition!

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I imaged Saturn and its moons at opposition!

Less than 1 minute Minutes
I took advantage of a few clear nights to image Saturn with my Celestron 8 SCT telescope, a PowerMate 2.5x and a dedicated planetary camera (ZWO ASI224MC).
Seeing was below average, but I collected enough data and I stacked Saturn images into the final image visible below. The image shows the yellow disc of the planet, the rings with the Cassini division and even three moons: Rhea to the top, Tethys to the left and Titan with its yellow atmosphere (made mostly of nitrogen and methane) to the bottom. If you scroll between the two images I added the label with Saturn’s moons.
 
For a few days around the time of the opposition, Saturn’s rings suddenly intensify their apparent brightness due to the “opposition surge”, also known as Seeliger effect.
 
I made a short YouTube video of Saturn. Scroll to the end of this page to watch it. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
 
Date: 2022-08-13 04:28UT
Location: Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Celestron 8 SCT, Tele Vue PowerMate 2.5x
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI224MC
Filter: ZWO IR Cut filter
Finder Scope: Explore Scientific 8×50 Non-Illuminated Finder Scope
Focuser: Celestron Focus Motor
Software: FireCapture (best 25% of 60 seconds videos), AutoStakkert!3 (AS!3), Registax, Topaz DeNoise AI, GIMP.
Saturn just one day before the opposition.
Saturn (2022-08-13)Saturn (2022-08-13) with labels
I also switched filter and captured Saturn with an Astronomik IR642BP IR-pass filter.
 
Date: 2022-08-13 03:41UT
Saturn (2022-08-13) - Astronomik IR642 BP IR-pass filter
Jupiter (2022-07-23)

My first planetary images of the season

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My first planetary images of the season!

Less than 1 minute Minutes
I had to stay up until 3am, but at last I was finally able to capture my first planetary images for the season!
 
Seeing was brutal for the most part of the night, with some low clouds that were disturbing my imaging session. In the last 20 minutes, when I was almost giving up, the atmospheric turbulence improved.
Notably, I visually saw a very bright passage of the ISS (International Space Station) at 10:44 pm EDT.
Around midnight a neighbour saw me and my telescope in my backyard and decided to join me and watch Saturn together!
 
Date: 2022-06-23
Location: Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Celestron 8 SCT
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ZWO ASI224MC
Filter: ZWO IR Cut filter
Finder Scope: Explore Scientific 8×50 Non-Illuminated Finder Scope
Focuser: Celestron Focus Motor
Software: FireCapture (best 20% of 60 minute videos), AutoStakkert!3 (AS!3), Registax, Topaz DeNoise AI, GIMP.
Jupiter with the NEB and SEB (North and South Equatorial Belt), a few outbreaks in the clouds and, obviously, the GRS (Great Red Spot).
Jupiter (2022-07-23)
Saturn and its rings. The Cassini Division is clearly visible, as well as the C Ring (the wide and faint ring located inward of the B Ring), the B Ring and the A ring.
Saturn (2022-07-23)
The ice giant Neptune. You can see the blue color but no details of the planets are visible nor its biggest moon, Triton. The distance of Neptune when I shot this image was 29.322 AU (4,386 million kilometers)!
Neptune (2022-07-23)
2022-05-16 (Lunar Eclipse Totality)

A total lunar eclipse on a cloudy night

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A total lunar eclipse on a cloudy night

Less than 1 minute Minutes
After one entire week of clear sky (very rare for my location), the weather forecast was discouraging for the eclipse night (May 15-16, 2022).
Despite the clouds, I carefully planned my setup by chosing the telescope, the camera, and even planned a live streaming on YouTube.
 
As expected, I had a rough journey with the weather, but there were some clear breaks in the clouds around the time of the totality. I was able to capture a few frames between 10:55pm and 11:35pm with my 80mm APO refractor and a dedicated CMOS camera (ZWO ASI533MC).
It seemed a dark eclipse compared with the last one, maybe because of the eruption in the Tongan archipelago (Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai) on 20 December 2021.

The images below are a stacked image from the beginning of the totality and an animated gif that shows the progress of the eclipse.
 
Lesson I learned last night: Never give up!
 
Date: 2022-05-15
Location: Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Explore Scientific ED80CF
Mount: Celestron AVX
Camera: ASI533MC PRO
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Software: FireCapture, AS!3 (30% images stacked from multiple 10 second videos), Registax, GIMP, PIPP (for the animated gif).
2022-05-16 (Lunar Eclipse Totality)
2022-05-15 (Lunar Eclipse Animation)
I was also live streaming the eclipse. Below you can see the YouTube link.
 
Consider subscribing to our YouTube channel and turning on the notifications for more content.
 
Spoiler alert … planet season is coming soon, so stay tuned!
Partial Lunar Eclipse (2021-11-19)

The longest partial lunar eclipse in almost 600 years

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The longest partial lunar eclipse in almost 600 years!

Less than 1 minute Minutes
This is THE picture!
The partial lunar eclipse occurred on November 19, 2021 at its maximum (97% of the Moon in Earth’s shadow).
97% of the Moon was covered by the Earth’s shadow at the peak of the eclipse (4:02 AM EST).
The entire eclipse duration was over 3 and a half hours and it made it the longest partial lunar eclipse in 580 years.
 
Date: 2021-11-19
Location: Richmond Hill (ON)
Scope: Explore Scientific ED80CF
Mount: Celestron CG-5
Camera: ASI533MC PRO + Starfield 1.0x Field Flattener
Focuser: ZWO EAF
Software: ASIStudio, AS!3 (30% images stacked from 1 minute video), Registax, GIMP
 
Partial Lunar Eclipse (2021-11-19)
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