Observation Data
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
Project Objectives
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.
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.