BRITTNEY MILLER

Location: Mansfield, GA (33.4689° N, 83.7353° W)

Date and Time: 2023-11-03, 20:55 EDT

Sky conditions: Seeing – fair, Transparency – Mag 5

Instrument: Celestron C8 SCT @f/10, Aperture 203.3mm, Focal length: 2023

Mount: Advanced VX

Eyepiece: N/A (Imaging)

Reticle Device: N/A

Imaging Equipment: ZWO ASI 224MC, ZWO UV/IR Cut filter

Image type and sensor: CMOS, IMX224 1/3″ sensor

Image capture details: 30s AVI capture, Start capture: 20:55:17 EDT, End capture: 20:55:47 EDT, Exposure: 20ms, Gain: 85, best 20% stacked of 1503 frames
Software: ASICap, ASIVideoStack, Photoshop

The first thing that comes to a person’s attention when looking at the disk of the great planet Jupiter is the striated clouds of its turbulent atmosphere. Fascinating and compelling, even a modest telescope reveals a good amount of detail but always leaves you yearning for more. Through the years a system of nomenclature has been applied to the alternating dark and light areas called belts and zones, respectively. Coupled with the giant’s fast rate of spin (Jupiter’s bulk rotates once in a little under ten hours) even the casual observer can notice something new. Below is a detailed list of the main cloud bands. Not all are always present all of the time. Jupiter’s dynamics are too complicated for that. 

Below is a diagram of the main cloud bands. How many can you see? Make a sketch or image, and label those parts that match the accompanying diagram. Include observation data and impressions. Don’t worry about a lot of detail – Jupiter rotates so rapidly that features may move if you take too long to work on details. Note the East-West direction of your sketch or image.

Watching Jupiter’s cloud belts is fascinating. Since the planet can make a full rotation in around 10 hours, there is always something new to see. You can see how fast Jupiter’s rotation is in the 1-hour and 17-minute timelapse animation I made for the Jupiter Satellite Shadow Transit project.

Location: Mansfield, GA (33.4689° N, 83.7353° W)

Date and Time: 2023-11-03, 20:55 – 22:12 EDT

Sky conditions: Seeing – Fair, Transparency – Mag 4

Instrument: Celestron C8 SCT @f/10, Aperture 203.3mm, Focal length: 2023

Mount: Advanced VX

Eyepiece: N/A (Imaging)

Reticle Device: N/A

Imaging Equipment: ZWO ASI 224MC, UV/IR Cut filter

Image type and sensor: CMOS, IMX224 1/3″ sensor

Image capture details: 52 30s AVI captures, Start capture: 20:55:17 EDT, End capture: 22:12:42 EDT, Exposure: 20ms, Gain: 85, best 20% stacked of 1503 frames
Software: ASICap, ASIVideoStack, Photoshop

The shadows cast by the Galilean satellites are seen as tiny black dots slowly proceeding across the cloudtops of the giant planet. Determine which of the four moons is casting the shadow. First, you need to know if Jupiter is approaching its yearly opposition or if the opposition has already passed. If Jupiter is moving toward its opposition then the shadow precedes the satellite. The moon’s shadow will fall on the planet while the moon itself is still nearing the planet’s limb. If opposition has passed, the moon will cross the planet’s disc first, followed by its shadow. By consulting a Galilean Satellite Chart in an astronomy periodical you should be able to determine which satellite is casting the shadow. Which satellite was it? Include observation data and impressions.

The night after Jupiter’s opposition, I participated in an outreach event for the “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” weekend workshop at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. I had my gear set up for imaging to show the attendees the ins and outs of planetary imaging. The atmosphere was a little turbulent at times resulting in a fuzzier view, but when it was still Jupiter was bright and vibrant. I saw that Europa was getting close to the planet, so I was able to show the attendees the transit in real-time. Europa was easy to keep track of while it transited Jupiter because its shadow was trailing behind it.

Location: Mansfield, GA (33.4689° N, 83.7353° W)

Date and Time: 2023-11-03, 20:11 – 20:22 EDT

Sky conditions: Seeing – Fair, Transparency – Mag 4

Instrument: Celestron C8 SCT @f/10, Aperture 203.3mm, Focal length: 2023

Mount: Advanced VX

Eyepiece: Meade MA25mm

Reticle Device: N/A

Imaging Equipment: ZWO ASI 120MM-S, ZWO UV/IR cut filter

Image type and sensor: CMOS, AR0130CS 1/3″ sensor 

Image capture details: Composite of two stacked images
Image 1: 120s AVI captures, Start capture: 20:11:24 EDT, End capture: 20:13:24 EDT, Exposure: 10ms, Gain: 45, best 20% stacked of 3273 frames
Image 2: 120s AVI captures, Start capture: 20:20:04 EDT, End capture: 20:22:20 EDT, Exposure: 100ms, Gain: 50, best 20% stacked of 1202 frames
Software: ASICap, ASIVideoStack, Photoshop

Of all Saturn’s satellites, only six can be seen in telescopes with moderate-sized apertures. How many can you spot? What satellites did you see?

This was a quick observation session because I was participating in an outreach that night. Firstly, I observed Saturn through the eyepiece and it was beautiful. I’m always amazed at the details that can be seen with my eyes, and when the atmosphere stills for a brief second, the view is breathtaking. After that, I swapped out my eyepiece for my imaging gear and captured two 120s AVIs. In the first AVI, I saw all six of the noted moons because I overexposed the image.

In the second AVI, I set a lower exposure to properly view the planet. After stacking and processing the AVIs, I combined the two exposures to show Saturn and its moons. The composite image of Saturn and its moons is shown below. In order from left to right, the moons are Iapetus, Rhea, Dione, Tethys, Enceladus, and Titan.

Location: Albuquerque, NM (35.107878° N, 106.491748° W), On-site

Date and Time: 2023-10-14, 09:10 – 12:15 MDT

Sky conditions: Seeing – very good, some passing clouds

Instrument: Coronado PST H-Alpha telescope @ f/10 – Aperture: 40mm, Focal Length: 400mm

Mount: Star Adventurer 2i

Eyepiece: N/A

Reticle Device: N/A

Imaging Equipment: ZWO ASI 174MM mini, 2x Barlow, ZWO UV/IR cut 1.25″ filter

Image type and sensor: CMOS, Sony IMX249 1/1.2″ sensor 

Image capture details: Partial phases: 62x30s avi, exposure: 0.032ms, gain: 190, frame count: 444, best 25% stacked
Annularity phase: 18x10s avi, exposure: 0.032ms, gain: 250, frame count: 149, best 25% stacked
Software: Planetary System Stacker, Photoshop

Contact Times:

Observe an annular eclipse, noting the exact date and time of each phase of the eclipse: start of partial, start of total, end of total, and end of partial. Include a sketch (or image) showing your observation at the point of maximum coverage, and include information about the location you were observing from – city and state, or latitude and longitude. Include observation data and impressions.

In the final 10 minutes before annularity, check for the following (Time – 10:26):

Are any planets (e.g., Venus) or bright stars visible?

• Venus was directly overhead, high in the sky and west of the sun

Any change in the behavior of birds or other animals?

• I saw quite a few birds flying and singing by as the light started darkening

Any changes in the brightness of the sunlight?

• Yes, there is a noticeable shift in the brightness of sunlight. The sky took on an eerie quality, dimming into a deep blue

What colors or shades seem odd?

• Colors lose contrast and everything appears almost sepia-toned, or muted in a way. The landscape retained a soft illumination, creating a surreal ambiance

Any naked eye visible sunspots?

• Not at this particular time.

Describe what occurs in the last 5 minutes before the beginning of the complete annular phase (Time – 10:31):

Any temperature change?

• There was a noticeable difference in the temperature throughout the event, and moments when I would need to put on a jacket. Noted Temperatures below (in Fahrenheit):
  • 09:00 – 50°
  • 10:00 – 53°
  • 10:30 – 51°
  • 11:10 – 53°
  • 12:10 – 59°

Does wind direction or speed vary?

• Not that I could tell

Look at the shadows of buildings, etc., are they different?

• The shadows appear sharper, but have a soft/hazy outline, appearing almost doubled
• Gaps, or “pinholes”, in the shadows show crescent shapes

Just before totality, do you see the shadow coming over distant hills or other features?

• I didn’t notice the moon’s shadow, but I did notice a drastic change in lighting

If you didn’t know there was an eclipse, would you have noticed it?

• If I didn’t notice the weird lighting, the shadows would 100% give it away for me

As annularity passes from 2nd to 3rd contacts (Time – 10:34 – 10:39, max at 10:36)

Describe what you see on the ground where the sun once shone fully.

• Rings!

Can you see any detail around the disks?

• Naked eye, no. However, with my telescope, I see prominences and some surface detail on the rim of the sun, and the moon’s disk looks rugged from its cratered surface

When do you see the moon’s disk centered between 2nd and 3rd contacts?

• 10:37 MDT

My Images

Annular Eclipse Timelapse