JUPITER 2008

By Christopher Go

2007 had been a hectic year in Jupiter.  Jupiter underwent a global upheaval!  This upheaval provided me with an opportunity to co-author a paper in Nature with Agustin Sanchez Lavega.  This was paper on the NTB outbreak published on the January 24, 2008 issue of the Journal Nature (p. 437).   

I had expected this year to be quiet but Jupiter pulled another surprise!  During conjunction, a two ovals appeared at the STrZ.  One of this oval is red.   This red spot was ripped apart when it went between the GRS and Oval BA (aka Red Jr.) during the conjunction of both spots!  Our group headed by Dr. Imke de Pater used the Hubble Space Telescope to image these 3 spots.

All images were taken using a Celestron C11 mounted on an AP900GTO mount.  A DMK 21BF04 camera was used.  RGB is done using a Homeyer Motorized filter wheel.  This year I received a Custom Scientific Methane Band filter (889nm  18nm bandpass).  Thanks to Dr. Imke de Pater of UC Berkeley for providing this filter!

Image acquisition was done using IC Capture 2.0 and processing done with Registax V4.

These images were taken at Cebu City, Philippines. 

http://www.redspotjr.com

For more information on the names of various belts and zones of Jupiter and the meaning of the abbreviations I use please check the Sky and Telescope Jupiter Observing Guide.

All images of this site are my property.  If you wish to publish it on your site or print, please email me for permission.

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2007 Images		ALPO Archives
March 2008	July 2008	ALPO Japan Jupiter Section
April 2008		Jupiter with my C8
May 2008
June 2008

Condition was terrible because of heat plumes from my roof.   Jupiter is not very close to Venus.

The SEB has some activity.  Both the SEB and NEB are very ready.  The white ovals on the northern edge of the NEB are very prominent.

I was confused that the dark "shadow" at the NTB was bright in methane band.  Checking Winjupos, I found out that the shadow is the dark moon Callisto itself! Note the dark banding at the NNTZ. 

All in all, it seems that Jupiter is quiet now after the turbulent upheaval last year.  The color of the SEB is now the same as the NEB.  Only the southern temperate area is still pale.

It's getting tough to image Jupiter now.   Jove is just above my roof!  But I finally got an image of the GRS! 

The GRS is  prominent!  But not as dark red as the SEB.  The SEB has some activity and it is deep red in color.   The NEB is also getting a deep red color.

The NTB is not well formed at this area.    The image below is a UV image of Jupiter.

Jupiter is just above roof now!  Seeing is very difficult because of heat plumes.  I was still able to scrape some images. 

The SEB and NEB looks quiet in this region.  There are two large white ovals at the NEBn.  There seems to be a dark feature at the STrZ.  The EZ is active with a lot of feestons.  

BTW,  my DPS 2008 website is now up.

My last image was more that a month ago.  I left for the USA to attend the DPS 2008 meeting at Ithaca, NY.  I was fortunate to meet ALPO Mercury section head Frank Melillo there.  He did a presentation on Mercury while I did one on Jupiter's SEB cycle.  I will post a report on the DPS 2008 in the next few days.  During my trip  to the US I was able to acquire a Schuler UV filter. 

Jupiter is getting low in the sky.  Seeing was great because of the altitude.  The White Oval Z on the NEBn is very prominent.  Note the outbreak  on  the SEB area which is bright also in UV and Methane Band.  

We had a close brush with a tropical storm yesterday.  Fortunately the storm went north and did not affect us.  It was mostly clear today instead of being stormy.  Seeing was surprisingly good but transparency was poor.

Jupiter is quiet here.  Note the dark red bands on the STB.  Is the STB reviving?  There are a lot of dark features in the SEB.  But overall the SEB is quiet.  Note the dark feature at the SEBs.

The NEB seems to be fading!    The NEBn ovals can be seen in this image.  Note the dark blue streak at White Oval Z.  Ganymede's shadow is at the NTB.  There seems to be some merging ovals close to the north polar region.

Finally got a chance to image ol Jove.  Weather had been terrible here with the presence of 2 typhoons. Seeing was good this evening.  But I had to image though haze and thin clouds.

The GRS is seen setting in these images.  Note  the little red oval at the STB south  the GRS.  Note also in the later images that there seems to be a bright patch at the STB.  It is almost at the CM on the 11:17UT image.  The STrZ oval is  getting close to the GRS.  Note also the white spot at the area following the GRS.  Will this turn into an outbreak?

The NEB is beginning to get busy.  Note the rift just north of the GRS.

Note the dark bar at the NNTB.

Condition was very poor today.  A powerful typhoon is just north of the Philippines and is disrupting our weather here.

The GRS is at the CM in this image.  Note the dark oval above it.   Oval BA is setting on the left.

Note the interesting dark spot on the NEBs just below the GRS.

Seeing finally improved today!  It was also a very thrilling night.  It was partially cloudy and the area around Jupiter was clear.  2 minutes after my last image, the sky was overcast!  10 minutes later it rained!!!

Lots of activity in Jupiter.  Note the red bands forming at the STBn.  The SEB has a lot of dark features. 

The EZ is quiet.  The NEB has a very nice rift still developing.  Note the dark band at the S3TB with what appears to be a red oval embedded in it.  The merged white spot has very low contrast but can still be seen in  this image.

Seeing is still poor because of a huge typhoon in the Northern Philippines.

The SEB is quiet.  The NEBs is very dark.  The NTrZ oval can be seen in these images.

Seeing was poor. 

The SEB seems very busy .  Note the reddish material at the STrD.

The NEB is dark. 

The sky started as mostly clear this evening.  Seeing was great but clouds started rolling in!

Jupiter is very busy at this region.  The SEB outbreak can be seen.   The STB and STrZ is filled with small red spots.

The EZ is quiet.  In the NEB, the two outbreaks can be seen both rising and setting. 

Note the little red spot on the  NNTBn.  The two NNTZ white ovals can be see kissing each other.  These should merge in the coming days.  Note the dark red band above these merging ovals.

The methane band image looks quiet.

It was mostly cloudy this evening.  Seeing was excellent but transparency was very poor.  I had to drop to 15fps for my first image.  For the second image I had to push gain to 100%!

In the 1st image, the merging NNTZ ovals can barely be seen below the dark bar  on the NNTZ.  In the 2nd image, both ovals came clearly be seen touching each other!  Thanks to John Rogers for the heads up on the impeding merger of these ovals.  The NNTZ red oval can be seen at the CM of the 2nd image.

Red Jr is very pale now and the color is more orange than red.  The GRS can be seeing rising on the right.  The SEB has turned deep red.  Note the dark material south of the SEB.

The NEB outbreak is still prominent.  Io is the red dot on the left of the 2nd image.

Seeing was excellent this evening.  Again, I had to deal with clouds that seem to enjoy teasing me by covering Jupiter every now and then.

Note the bluish feature on the STB setting on the left.  This region seems to be dark in Methane band.  The SEB outbreak looks interesting especially with the very dark red spot close to it.

The EZ is quiet except for the festoon that seems to be interacting with the NEB outbreak.  The NEB outbreak has turned the quiet NEB to a complex rift system.  This region is prominent in the Methane band image.  Note the large white ovals on the NEBn. 

The NNTZ seems to be breaking apart.  Note the ovals on the area close to the NPR!! 

This was a frustrating night!  It was partially cloudy with fast winds.  It was also cloudy only at the area around Jupiter!  It alternated between over cast and clear 3 times during my whole imaging session of 1.5 hours!

The GRS, Red Jr and the NNTZ LRS can be seen in these images.  Red Jr has passed the GRS.  The area around the GRS is very busy.  The little red spot following Red Jr seems to have broken apart.

Note the very bright outbreak on the NEB!    The NEBs is very dark while the north side was fading.

The NNTZ LRS is very low contrast compared to it's surrounding area.

Seeing was average this evening.  Transparency deteriorated after I got my methane band image.

The NEB is very busy with multiple outbreaks and rifts.    The methane band shows some features on the NEB outbreak.

The SEB is also very busy from it's own outbreaks.  Note the activity on the SEBs. Note the dark red spot at the SEB.

I spent some time polar aligning to get a better methane band image!   Both poles are bright in methane band but the SPR is brighter.  The EX is ver bright in methane band.

Condition was perfect this evening!   I finally got clear skies with very good seeing.  These are some of my best images in weeks!

The SEB is quiet in this region.  The NEB outbreaks has turned into a complex rift system!  After months of being quiet, the NEB is active again! Note the huge white ovals at the NEBn.

The NNTZ is also breaking apart.  It is no longer a continuous white band but has breaks in between!  Note the spots close the the NPR!

Transparency was horrible at the when I started imaging. But it improved as the night went on.   I'm happy that I got an almost perfect image when the GRS was at the CM.

The GRS, Oval BA and the new STB llittle red spot is visible in these images.  Note that the little red spot is not bright in methane.

Note the complex activity at the SEB on both sides of the GRS.

The NEB outbreak is developing into a rift.    Note the dark features forming on the southern edge of the NNTZ.

Condition was horrible today.  The seeing was good but transparency was terrible!

Note the dark spot in the STB following the Oval BA.  The center is RED!!  This spot has turned red.  Sadly, I wasn't able to get a methane band image of this area because transparency was just horrible!

The area following the GRS is very busy.  The SED is currently below the GRS.

Note the rift forming at the NEB.  The NEB is really narrowing!  The south side is very dark while the north side is fading.

Seeing was  just average but transparency was very good.

Note the light bluish feature at the STB at teh CM.  This is very dark in Methane band.

The SEB is very busy with a white spot outbreak at the CM.  There seems to be a rift forming at the NEB from the white spot after the CM.  The NEB seems to be narrowing.

Note the white spot at the NNTZ.  It has a very dark  wake.

It was very frustrating this evening.  It was mostly cloudy and I was only able to scrape 1 set of image.  Even then, I only had good red and green and my blue got caught up with the clouds.  Seeing and transparency was excellent except for the clouds!

The GRS is rising in this image with Red Jr. almost at the CM.  Note the outflow  which is emanating from the northern side of the GRS going east!

The NNTB LRS is  visible in this image.  But contrast is very low for this object.

Seeing and transparency was excellent this evening.  I only had a short session because clouds rolled in after about half an hour of imaging.

Note two white ovals bright in methane band.  The first is the large SSTB oval seen just after the CM on the upper right image.  And the NNTB oval with a wake!  These two storms seem to be very powerful!

The SEB has a lot of features including two white spots preceding the CM.

The NEB seems to be narrowing.  Note the dark ovals at the NEBn.

Condition was good this evening.   I had to capture the GRS transit!

The GRS is well resolved.  Note the dark center of the GRS.   The SEB  wake of the GRS is very complex. Red Jr is very pale.  There is a bright spot between south east of the GRS. Note the dark spot following Red Jr.  The STrZ white oval 1 is getting close to the GRS.  Will it follow the fate of the little red oval?

Note the division on the NEB.  The south side is dark whilte the north side is light.  The dark oval on the NEBn and the huge white oval.

The NNTB LRS is very prominent in the Methane band image but is difficult to make with  the color images.

Ganymede is well resolved.

Transparency was again very poor this evening.  But seeing was okay.

This is the area after the GRS.  Note the "wake" of the GRS. The SED can be seen below this wake. 

The NEBs is very dark while the NEBs looks light.

Condition wasn't good this evening.  Seeing was okay but transparency was very poor.  I only had a brief break in the clouds. 

Note the white oval at the SSTB.  To  it's left is an FFR.   Note the band forming at the STB.  Will the STB revive?

The NEB has two rift outbreaks.  The NTB is well defined here.

Seeing was good this evening.  But transparency was variable.

The SEB is very busy with a lot of dark materials.  Note also the dark spot at the mid-SEB.  Note the dark feature on the SEBs above the dark spot.

The NEB has a lot of dark spots.  Note also large white spot.  Is this the white oval Z?