Friday, June 17, 2016

Jupiter in the Lion's Den

Jupiter is just such a fun, friendly target. Big, bright, and dynamic it is a consistent performer. For me from the vantage point of my driveway this apparition amid the stars of Leo is fast running its course - the giant planet will soon be lost in the neighbor's oak by the time it emerges in the twilight.
So after my successful Mars imaging the next clear night I opted to try to grab a session with Jupiter. And it did not disappoint - right there lining up for a transit was the Great Red Spot! It probably transited around 9:31 pm EDT on the evening of June 14th, which interestingly was off compared to the one on-line prediction I could find (what's up S&T - why did you ditch your calculator?)
I also did a little eye time after the videography. The spot was pretty dark, a bit more red than in prior years. But for certain it has shrunk - it's clearly evident compared to how it looked a decade ago. Will it still be there in another 30 years? Hopefully the arrival of Juno soon will shed some light on the dynamics of this long lived Jovian storm.
Jupiter June 14, 2016 9:30 EDT

Saturday, June 11, 2016

Mars Finally Poses

Mars has to be one of the most fascinating objects. Shy in that it only lines up for a good appearance once every couple of years, and then only for a few weeks. Even then the disk is small, requiring study to tease out the details.
But then the effort pays off - albedo features, ice caps, dust storms, clouds - no other planet offers such an array of Earth like features. This spring in late May Mars came to opposition in Scorpius - but the weather had been pretty overcast and wet. Added to that was Dave & Laura's wedding, so Mars would need to wait!
In a sad moment of hurried home repair I backed into my venerable 6" Dynascope and managed to snap loose the finder scope from the OTA. I was crushed, but at least the scope was still serviceable. So the first week in June I get the opportunity - set the scope out, get the laptop and video camera - somehow manage to target Mars without a finderscope. But wait - where's the USB cord? Noooo!! Nothing but bad luck, Mars holding on to its secrets.

Amazon shopping that evening for a good USB cable. And then - the laptop dies - or more accurately the fan in the laptop dies. More opportunity slides by as I await my repair, the red planet all the time receding from its closest approach.

Finally the conditions align again - a clear night, USB cable, laptop, everything I need. This time despite a tense moment when the video camera was not recognized at first I pull it off, reeling off a string of AVI files. Even on screen I can make out the polar cap in the south and various albedo features - looks like Mare Acidalium there hugging the polar region.

The Registax works its magic, and I am delighted with the outcome. All the effort is worth it - I have an image that is far and away my best ever of 4th rock from the Sun. Now if the weather cooperates maybe I can score one more session before Mars recedes too far to make details discernable! That's the problem with an addiction, you always want that next hit.    

Mars - June 10, 2016 10:45 EDT

Monday, May 9, 2016

Mercury Transit - 2016

When I noticed earlier this year that the US east coast was in a good position for the May 9th transit of Mercury I made sure to put some placeholders into the work schedule - before work and around lunch time. One of the best perks of having a WFH ability is to take advantage of stepping away for an hour to run some errands - or catch a transit of the Solar System's innermost planet. A couple weeks prior I had purchased a filter for the Vixen (which has the added bonus of being yet another piece of paraphernalia in the tool chest for the August 2017 eclipse). However, we were in quite the rainy/overcast mode for weeks before so it seemed as though it'd be a missed opportunity.
The forecast indicated that the prospects would be best in the morning and then likely steadily deteriorate. The transit was due to start at about 7:10 a.m. with the Sun only about 10 degrees above the horizon. That would be challenging given the horizon.
I set up the Vixen and got the camera ready a little before 7. The sky had some clear sections but it looked like it was going to gradually worsen with high, thin clouds moving in. At first it seemed that a position just outside the front door would work, but the window of opportunity between trees proved to be inadequate. Finally the sunlight breaking at the end of the driveway guided me to a spot where I had a reasonable chance to observe for 20-30 minutes.
By the time I got the Sun targeted the transit was underway. And what a blank looking disk Sol exhibited - just one unimpressive sunspot formation to be seen. And there, at about the 11 o'clock position, was that unmistakeable circular pinprick of a shadow. I ran off multiple shots at a range of exposures, then spent a little time inspecting the minute ball using the 20mm eyepiece.
During the time I had multiple neighbors ask what I was up to, and the clouds carried out their threat to occlude the event so that by 8:30 I was back at my home office desk and ready to start the day. This is one of those events that is hardly spectacular yet for an astronomy wonk something you want to catch, highlighting the scale of our Sun compared to one of the smallest planets.
Mercury - tiny dot at about 11 o'clock