Posts Made By: Carlos E. Hernandez

I made an observation of Saturn under better than average seeing conditions (6-7/10). I noted a good amount of detail as noted. I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): October 27, 2003
Time (U.T.): 07:00
L1 091.2, L2 279.2, L3 330.5
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 257x, 293x, and 343x
Filters: None
Seeing (1-10): 6-7, Antoniadi (I-V): III-II
Transparency (1-6): 5

Notes:
Globe: South Polar Region (SPR) appeared dusky (4/10) with a central dark 93/10) core. South South Temperate Zone (STZ) appeared as a dusky (4/10), wide band surrounding the SPR. South Temperate Zone (STZ) appeared bright (7/10) with no detail visible within. South Temperate Belt (STB) appeared as a thin, dark (3/10) band. South Tropical Zone (STrZ) appeared bright (7/10), but no detail visible within. South Equatorial Belt (SEB) appeared dark (3/10) and broad. Equatorial Zone (EZ) appeared bright to very bright (7-8/10). The shadow of the globe upon the ring appeared extremely dark (9/10).
Ring A appeared dusky (4/10) with the Encke division visible, especially during moments of steady seeing. Ring B appeared bright (7/10) over it's outer portion and dusky (4/10) over it's inner portion. Ring C was visible primarily as a dull (5/10) band across the EZ.

The best of luck in your own observations of the ringed planet.

Carlos

I was finally able to observe Mars once again. I noted a good amount of detail although now at a little over 15 arc-seconds. I would appreciate any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.) October 30, 2003
Time (U.T.) 01:30
CM 135.7
Ls 289.0, De -22.7, Ds -23.3, 15.3"
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 247x, 294x, and 343x
Filter: Wratten 30 (Magenta)
Seeing (1-10): 5-6, Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 6

Notes: The South Polar Cap (SPC) appeared small and brilliant (10/10), but no outliers visible. Mare Sirenum (3/10) appeared on the CM with Araxes (5/10) visible projecting from it's preceding (eastern) end. The southern hemisphere extending between Mare Australe (3/10) and Mare Sirenum (north-south) and Solis Lacus (3/10) and Electris (5-6/10, east-west) appeared mottled. Tharsis, Arcadia, Daedalia, Memnonia, and Amazonis appeared bright (7/10). Mare Boreum and Scandia appeared dusky (4/10) to the north adjacent to an extremely bright (9/10) North Polar Hood (NPH). The morning limb haze (MLH) and evening limb haze (ELH) appeared extremely bright (9/10) as well.

The best of luck in your own observations of Mars.

Regards,
Carlos

I was able to obtain a peek of the lunar eclipse tonight through heavy clouds and rain down here in South Florida. I was scared of missing the event enitrely but was blessed with a brief opening in the clouds right at mid-eclipse. I am a lucky guy! I drew my impression of the event using 7 x 50 binoculars at 01:15 U.T. (8:15 P.M. EST) and have attached my observation. The colors visible ranged from very dark shadow (umbra) at the top followed by maroon red, orange-yellow and finally a bright rim at the bottom. I hope that you all enjoyed the event as well.

Carlos

I made the following Saturn observation on November 26, 2003 at 07:00 U.T. I hope that you all like it. The best of luck on your own observations and images. I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): November 26, 2003
Time (U.T.): 07:00
L1 223.1, L2 162.0. L3 177.2
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 257x and 343x
Filters: None (IL)
Seeing (1-10): 5-7, Antoniadi (I-V): III-II
Transparency (1-6): 6

Notes:
The South Polar Region (SPR) appeared shaded (6/10) with a central dark (3/10), elongated core. The SPR was surrounded by a broad, dusky (4/10) collar. The region between the SPR collar and the South Equatorial Belt (SEB) appeared bright to shaded (6-7/10) with no detail visible within. The South Equatorial Belt (SEB) appeared dark (3/10) with a dusky (4/10) border to the south separated by a thin shaded (6/10) zone. The Equatorial Zone (EZ) appeared bright (7/10) with a thin, dull (5/10) belt (band) dividing it.
Ring A appeared shaded (6/10) with the Encke Minima visible over the ansae. Ring B appeared bright (7/10) with a thin, dull (5/10) division over it's outer half and the inner portion appearing dusky (4/10). Ring C (Crepe) appeared shaded (6/10) and somewhat transparent, except over the globe where it was prominent.

Regards,
Carlos

I made an observation of Jupiter under average seeing conditions (4-5/10) which revealed a good amount of detail over the jovian disk. The detail observed will be noted below. A very interesting and captivating sight was a double transit of Callisto and Ganymede over the northern hemisphere of Jupiter. Two dark shadows were noted floating across the North Tropical Zone (NTrZ) and North Polar Region (NPR). I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): December 19, 2003
Time (U.T.): 06:30
L1 249.7, L2 339.7, L3 246.4
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 206x and 281x
Filters: None
Seeing (1-10): 4-5, Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 2-3 (hazy)

Notes:
South Polar Region (SPR): Appears dusky to dull (4-5/10) and speckled.
South South Temperate Zone (SSTZ): Appears thin and bright (7/10).
South South Temperate Belt (SSTB): Appears dusky (4/10) and broad.
South Temperate Zone (STZ): Appears thin and bright (7/10).
South Temperate Belt (STB) Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with a bright (7/10) segment visible on the CM within it.
South Tropical Zone (STrZ): Appears bright (7/10) without other detail visible within.
South Equatorial Belt (SEB): Appears dark (3/10) with a thin, bright (7/10) zone dividing it. It's southern border appears irregular composed of dark condensations.
Equatorial Zone (EZ): Appears bright (7/10) with dusky to dull (4-5/10) projections originating from festoons along the southern border of the NEB.
North Equatorial Belt (NEB): Appears dark (3/10) containing small, bright (7/10) rifts and condensations within it.
North Tropical Zone (NTrZ): Appears bright (7/10) with the extremely dark (1/10) shadow of Ganymede (disk not visible) over the following half.
North Polar Region (NPR): Appears dull to dusky (3-4/10) with the very dark shadow of Callisto visible on the CM within it.

The best of luck on your own observations of Jupiter. May you all have Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Carlos

I made an observation of Jupiter under average (5/10) seeing conditions with brief moments of 7/10. I hope that you find it interesting. I welcome any comments that you may have on it.

Date (U.T.): December 23, 2003
Time (U.T.): 07:00
L1 179.8, L2 239.1, L3 146.9
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 206x and 281x
Filters: None
Seeing (1-10): 5 (brief moments of 7), Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 3

Notes:
South Polar Region (SPR): Appears dusky to dull (4-5/10) with a shaded to bright (6-7/10) streak (or rift) within it following the CM which connects to a wide, bright (7/10) section on the CM.
South South Temperate Zone (SSTZ): Appears this and bright (7/10).
South South Temperate Belt (SSTB): Appears thin and dusky (4/10).
South Temperate Zone (STZ): Appears thin and bright (7/10).
South Temperate Belt (STB): Appears somewhat broad and dark (3/10).
South Tropical Zone (STrZ): Appears bright (7/10) without detail visible within it.
South Equatorial Belt (SEB): Appears broad and dark 93/10) with a thin, bright (7/10) zone within it. It's southern border appears diffuse and dull (5/10).
Equatorial Zone (EZ): Appears bright with dusky to dull (4-5/10) streaks and condensations within it.
North Equatorial Belt (NEB): Appears dark (3/10) with very dark (2/10) festoons along it's southern border and very dark (2/10) barges (rods) along it's northern border.
North Tropical Zone (NTrZ): Appears bright (7/10) without any detail visible within it.
North Polar Region (NPR): Appears dusky to dull (4-5/10).

The best of holidays and a Happy New Year!

Carlos

I made an observation of Jupiter this morning under average seeing (5/10) conditions with brief moments of (7/10). I noted much detail across the jovian disk as depicted. I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): January 9, 2004
Time (U.T.): 06:00
L1 307.8, L2 237.7, L3 150.0
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 281x
Filters: None
Seeing (1-10): 5 (periods of 7), Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 5 (Waning Gibbous Moon)

Notes:
South Polar Region (SPR): Appears dusky to dull (4-5/10) and mottled (or "peppered"). Thin dull to dusky (4-5/10) belts (or bands) may have been visible within it during moments of good seeing (7/10).
South Temperate Zone (STZ): Appears bright (7/10) and broad with it's preceding half apparently deflected to the south by the STB.
South Temperate Belt (STB): Appears dark (3/10), broad and somewhat irregular in shape.
South Tropical Zone (STrZ): Appears bright (7/10) and broad. No other detail visible within.
South Equatorial Belt (SEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with dark (3/10) condensations ("clumps") visible along both northern and southern borders. A thin, bright (7/10) zone (SEBZ) appears to intermittently divide the SEB.
Equatorial Zone (EZ): Appears bright (7/10) with dusky to dull (4-5/10) streaks and condensations within it (some apparently connecting to the blue festoons along the southern border of the NEB).
North Equatorial Belt (NEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with very dark (2/10) blue festoons along it's southern border and very dark (2/10) barges (rods) along it's northern border.
North Tropical Zone (NTrZ): Appears bright (7/10) with no other detail visible within.
North Polar Region (NPR): Appears dusky to dull (4-5/10) with dusky (4-/10) sections noted along it's southern border and following half.

The best of luck in your own observations and imaging of Jupiter.

Regards,
Carlos

Russ,

The prominent blue festoon located at the southern border of the North Equatorial Belt (NEB-S) represents a "hot spot" (or dry region) within the jovian atmosphere. These attractive features can take on various forms along the NEB-S. They can appear "trunk-like" (or stubby), long arcs projecting from a broad base, looping into the Equatorial Zone (EZ) apparently connecting to another festoon, etc. I always like to observe them in detail whenever possible.

The Galileo Probe entered such a jovian hot spot in 1995 (December 7). It recorded the region to be very dry relative to the rest of the jovian atmosphere. The probe returned data for 58 minutes before being destroyed by the tremendous pressure and temperature. The following link shows images obtained by the Galileo Orbiter of these jovian hot spots http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/images/jupiter/hotspots.html

I hope that this helps to better understand these enigmatic features.

Regards,
Carlos

I was able to make an observation of Jupiter under average seeing conditions (5-6/10) with moments of 7/10. Much detail was noted across the jovian disk, especially over the SSTB/STB region, SEB, and EZ/NEB. The Great Red Spot (GRS) was visible over the following limb and was later timed at 091.6 (LII, or 010.6 LIII). I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): February 3, 2004
Time (U.T.): 06:15
L1 307.8, L2 046.9, L3 325.8
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 257x, 294x, and 386x
Filters: None
Seeing (1-10): 5-6 (moments of 7), Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 3-4 (Intermittent clouds)

Notes:
South Polar Region (SPR): Appears dusky (4/10) and mottled.
South South Temperate Zone (SSTZ): Appears thin and bright (7/10).
South South Temperate Belt (SSTB): Appears very thin and dusky (4/10).
South Temperate Zone (STZ): Appears very thin and shaded (6/10).
South Temperate Belt (STB): Appears dark (3/10) and broad.
South Tropical Zone (STrZ): Appears bright (7/10) with a small, dark (3/10) condensation visible south of the GRS.
Great Red Spot (GRS): Appears to exhibit a dark (3/10) southern border and core, dusky (4/10) material surrounding the core and bright (7/10) sections to the north (center timed at 091.6 (L2) or 010.6 (L3)).
South Equatorial Belt (SEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with a bright (7/10) undulating rift within it, especially preceding the GRS.
Equatorial Zone (EZ): Appears bright (7/10) with very bright (8/10) ovals and dusky to dull (4-5/10) festoon projections visible within it.
North Equatorial Belt (NEB): Appears dark (3/10) to dusky (3-4/10) with small, shaded (6/10) rifts visible within. Very dark (2/10) festoon bases are noted along the NEB-S with dusky to dull (4-5/10) projections extending into the EZ.
North Tropical Zone (NTrZ): Appears bright (7/10) with no other detail visible within (including NTB).
North Polar Region (NPR): Appears dull (5/10) with a dusky (4/10) southern border and pole.

The best of luck in your own observations and imaging of Jupiter.

Regards,
Carlos E. Hernandez

I made a detailed sectional sketch of the region surrounding the Great Red Spot (GRS). The core of the GRA and it's southern border were dark (3/10) whereas the material surrounding the core was dusky (4/10) with bright (7/10) sections to the north. A small, dark (3/10) condensation was visible within the bright (7/10) South Tropical Zone (STrZ) south of the GRS over it's preceding half. The South Temperate Belt (STB) was visible towards the south (3/10). The South Equatorial Belt (SEB) exhibited a significant amount of detail including undulating bright (7/10) rifts, dark (3/10) condensations, and dusky (4/10) projections (preceding and following the GRS). The bright 97/10) Equatorial Zone (EZ) included a very dark (2/10) blue festoon base with a dusky to dull (4-5/10) projection extending from it over the EZ.

The center of the GRS was timed at 091.6 (L2, or 010.6 L3). The colors applied were from notes at the telescope and a color image of Jupiter obtained by noted imager Donald C, Parker at 06:45 U.T. (44 minutes earler).

I hope that you all like it. I welcome any comments on this sectional sketch.

Carlos