Posts Made By: Carlos E. Hernandez

I made an observation of Jupiter on January 12, 2005 at 07:15 U.T. under average seeing conditions (4-5/10). Some detail was noted over the jovian disk when the seeing steadied for a few moments at a time. The NEB and SEB exhibited detail that was more complex than recorded due to the seeing. I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): January 12, 2005
Time (U.T.): 07:15
L1 267.0, L2 261.0, L3 271.5
Instrument: 9-inch F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 172x and 248x
Filters: None (IL)
Seeing: (0-10): 4-5, Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 4

Notes:
South Polar Region (SPR): Appears dull to dusky (4-5/10) and mottled.
South South Temperate Zone (SSTZ): Appears thin and bright (7/10).
South South Temperate Belt (SSTB): Appears thin and dusky (4/10).
South Temperate Zone (STZ): Appears shaded to bright (6-/10) and broad. No detail visible within it.
South Temperate Belt (STB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) and broad. No white (bright ) ovals noted within it at this time.
South Tropical Zone (STrZ): Appears broad and bright (7/10).
South Equatorial Belt (SEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with a thin, bright (7/10) zone (SEBZ) bisecting it.
Equatorial Zone (EZ): Appears bright (7/10) with dusky to dark (3-4/10) condensations within it.
North Equatorial Belt (NEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with thin, bright (7/10) rifts within it. Dark (3/10) blue festoons are noted along the southern border.
North Tropical Zone (NTrZ): Appears broad and bright (7/10). No detail visible within it.
North Polar Region (NPR): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) and mottled.

The best of luck in imaging and observing the king of the planets.

Regards,
Carlos E. Hernandez

I made an observation of Jupiter on January 21, 2005 at 06:40 U.T. under average seeing conditions (5/10). The Great Red Spot (GRS) was visible on the preceding limb. The South Equatorial Belt (SEB) was very active following the GRS. Prominent blue festoons were visible along the southern border of the North Equatorial Belt (NEB-S). Io, Europa, and Ganymede were visible following the planet, from preceding to following. I welcome any comments on my observation.

Date (U.T.): January 21, 2005
Time (U.T.): 06:40
L1 228.0, L2 153.5, L3 166.3
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 248x
Filters: IL
Seeing (0-10): 5, Antoniadi (I-V): III
Transparency (1-6): 5

Notes:
South Polar Region (SPR): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) and mottled.
South South Temperate Zone (SSTZ): Appears thin and shaded (6/10).
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 dark to dusky (3-4/10) and broad. No ovals visible within it at this time.
South Tropical Zone (STrZ): Appears bright (7/10) and no detail visible within it at this time.
Great Red Spot (GRS): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) over the preceding limb.
South Equatorial Belt (SEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with dark (3/10) condensations visible along the southern border and irregular bright material over it's midsection.
Equatorial Zone (EZ): Appears bright (7/10) with diffuse, dusky to dull (4-5/10) streaks and condensations within it.
North Equatorial Belt (NEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with dark (3/10) blue festoons noted along the southern border. Thin and bright (7/10) streaks are noted over it's midsection.
North Tropical Zone (NTrZ): Appears bright (7/10) and broad.
North Polar Region (NPR): Appears dark to dull (3-5/10) and mottled. A dark (3/10) streak is noted over the center of the NPR.

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

Regards,
Carlos E. Hernandez

I made an observation of the Aristarchus/Vallis Schroteri (Schroter's Valley) region of the Moon under a nearly full Moon on January 25, 2005 between 06:00 and 07:00 U.T. Aristarchus (23.7*N, 47.4*W; 24.9 miles (40 km)) and Vallis Schroteri (26.0*N, 51.0*W: 99.4 miles (160 km) in length) appeared very bright at this time but showed detail within. Herodotus (23.2*N, 49.7*W: 21.8 miles (35 km)) nearby exhibited a nearly dark floor. A dull (5/10) sinuous rille was noted over the floor of Vallis Schroteri in some sections. I welcome any comments in my observation.

The best of luck in your own observations and imaging of the Moon and planets.

Regards,
Carlos E. Hernandez

Eric,

Incredible images of the sunspot group! The detail that you captured would have made me think it was obtained using a larger instrument. Thank you for sharing.

Carlos

I made an observation of the walled plain Janssen (44.9*S, 41.5*E; 122 x 122 miles (196 x 196 km)) over the southern hemisphere of the Moon. The region exhibited much detail and was difficult to render. The largest crater towards the north is Fabricius (42.9*S, 42.0*E; 48 miles (78 km)). Fabricius was mostly in shadow but it's northern wall exhibited a layered terrain. Crater A was located east of Fabricius (exhibiting a promontorium and intermittently illuminated walls). Crater D is located over the northwestern section. Lockyer (46.2*S, 36.7*E; 21 miles (34 km)) is located over the southwestern portion of the plain. Rimae Janssen is located over the floor of the plain. The bright, doughnut-shaped crater over the southeastern portion of the plain is K. I welcome any comments on my observation.

The best of luck in your own imaging and observations of the Moon and planets.

Regards,
Carlos E. Hernandez

I made an observation of Comet Machholz (C/2004Q2) on February 1, 2005 at 00:30 U.T. while it was located approximately 6.5 degrees from the famous Double Cluster (NGC 869/884) in the constellation of Perseus. The comet's coma appeared to be elongated in both a northeast (dust tail?) and southeast (ion tail?) direction. The brightest star closest to the comet was HIP13665 (5.56m) to the soutwest. I only wish that the comet had been located closer to the cluster. What a sight that would have been!

I hope that everyone else obtained a similar view of the event.

Regards,
Carlos

Eric,

Thank you for putting together an excellent web site displaying your impressive images of the planets. I look forward to reviewing this site in the future.

Carlos

Damian,

An outstanding image of Saturn showing much detail over the globe and rings. The bands over the globe and the pastel green SPR collar are prominent. The rings exhibit many divisions. I look forward to your future images.

Carlos

P.S. Your avatar image is a good likeness!

I made an observation of Jupiter on February 10, 2005 at 06:30 U.T. using my 9-inch F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain under good seeing conditions (6-7/10). The planet exhibited much detail, especially the North Equatorial Belt (NEB) and the South Temperate Zone (STZ). I welcome any comments that you may have on my observation.

Date (U.T.): February 10, 2005
Time (U.T.): 06:30
L1141.1, L2 274.1, L3 292.2
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 248x
Filters: None (IL)
Seeing (1-10): 6-7, Antoniadi (I-V): III-II
Transparency (1-6): 4-5

Notes:
South Polar Region (SPR): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) and mottled.
South South Temperate Zone (SSTZ): Appears thin, irregular and bright (7/10).
South South Temperate Belt (SSTB): Appears dusky (4/10) and irregular ("sections").
South Temperate Zone (STZ): Appears bright (7/10) and irregular ("chaotic") with several small, bright (7/10) ovals noted within it.
South Temperate Belt (STB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) and irregular following the CM.
South Tropical Zone (STrZ): Appears bright (7/10) but no detail visible within it.
South Equatorial Belt (SEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with irregular northern and southern borders (condensations) and a thin, bright (7/10) undulating band over it's midsection.
Equatorial Zone (EZ): Appears bright (7/10) with dusky to dull (4-5/10), elongated condensations within it.
North Equatorial Belt (NEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with thin, bright (7/10) rifts over it's midsection. Dark (3/10) condensations (or barges) are noted over it's northern border (NEB-N). Dark festoons are noted over the southern border (NEB-S).
North Tropical Zone (NTrZ): Appears bright (7/10) but no detail is visible within it.
North Temperate Belt (NTB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with an irregular ("fuzzy") southern border.
North Temperate Zone (NTZ): Appears bright (7/10) and irregular in width.
North Polar Region (NPR): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) and mottled.

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

Regards,
Carlos E. Hernandez

I made an observation of Saturn on February 10, 2005 at 06:00 U.T. using my 9-inch F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain under good seeing conditions (6-7/10). The South Equatorial Belt (SEB) appeared complex with a "scalloped" southern half. I welcome any comments that you may have on my observation.

Date (U.T.): February 10, 2005
Time (U.T.): 06:00
L1 038.6, L2 102.2, L3 304.3
Instrument: 9-inch (23-cm) F/13.5 Maksutov-Cassegrain
Magnification: 248x
Filter: None (IL)
Seeing (1-10): 6-7/10, Antoniadi (I-V): III-II
Transparency (1-6): 5

Notes:
South Polar Region (SPR): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) and mottled. The south pole is marked by a dark (3/10) condensation.
South Temperate Zone (STZ): Appears shaded (6/10) but no detail is visible within it.
South Temperate Belt (STB): Appears thin and dusky (4/10).
South Tropical Zone (STrZ): Appears shaded (6/10) and no detail is visible within it.
South Equatorial Belt (SEB): Appears dark to dusky (3-4/10) with it's southern half appearing "scalloped."
Equatorial Zone (EZ): Appears bright (7/10) and no detail is visible within it.
North Polar Region (NPR): The tip of the NPR was minimally visible beyond the A ring.

A Ring: Appears dull (5/10) but no other detail visible within it.
B Ring: Appears dusky (4/10) over it's inner half and bright (7/10) over it's outer half.
C Ring: Appears dusky (4/10) and translucent.

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

Regards,
Carlos E. Hernandez