Jupiter - iPhone inc Report. 12th Dec 2023

[PeterStudz]

I’ve been very busy and was lucky to not have to get up that early the next day. And for once seeing was actually quite good! Maybe I was lucky with the weather here in Southampton, but I didn’t see/notice any other reports or anything in the imaging section of this site. The jetstream was out of the way, just, and the sky was clear for the time being.

I setup the Dob at about 8pm and left it to cool. By 9:00pm Jupiter was nice and high and looking through the telescope immediately noticed that colours and colour contrast was good and the image nice and sharp. The GRS was also swinging into view. I could get magnification up to x240 before things started to go fuzzy. My daughter also joined me too.

I’ve been using the excellent graphics initially posted by @Chandra in this thread to identify features.
 

I could easily make out banding in the SPR, as well as minor details around the orange GRS. Might just be me and the conditions, but the GRS seemed a little bigger. The SEB had some details too and I could make out a few blue-ish projections & festoons in the EZ. The NEB has been active recently and had some interesting details and knots including a rift at about 45% that almost, but not quite, dissected the belt. It was bounded by a reddish-brown stripe. Visually very obvious. Couldn’t make out much in the NPR, apart from a dark band going part way across the disc. 

Took a few smartphone videos before taking a short break. At about 10:15pm Ganymede emerged from behind Jupiter. Always nice seeing one of the moons do this and looking at the other 3 it was clear that Ganymede was the biggest. By about 11pm clouds started to appear so called it a night. But some of the best views of Jupiter I’ve had since early September. 

Location - urban back garden in Southampton. Skywatcher 200p Dob on DIY EQ platform. Image taken using a BST StarGuider 3.2mm, iPhone 14 Pro on no-brand smartphone adapter. Video 4K at 60fps taken using the stock camera app. All editing and processing on the phone using the stock camera app, VideoStack, WaveLetCam, Lightroom and SnapSeed.

The image does a good job of what I could see visually over the period of observation. I’ve kept it orientated to the way I saw it in the Dob. For recording what I saw I prefer it that way! I’ve marked the “rift & reddish-brown stripe” in the NEB on the second image. 

Rift and reddish-brown stripe…

I’ve also included an image from the 4th September 2023 (seeing also good) for comparison or, well, because I can! Processed slightly differently and I always struggle with colours and white balance.

4th September 2023

Edited December 19, 2023 by PeterStudz

[Chandra]

Excellent report!! Certainly the NEB is a source of surprises and changing details...

[nefev]

Good idea! A white screen can create a way of cleanliness, simplicity, and openness. A white display can be seen as a clean canvas for brand new concepts.