Jupiter - 16 November 2010

[DarkerSky]

Observed and sketched Jupiter last week 16 November with my 12" scope. Seeing moderate to fairly poor - III to IV.

12" x192 magnification

18.40 UT

System I - 167 degrees

System II - 77 degrees

SEB revealed a bit more detail. It's getting better!

Most notable feature for me was the change I have seen in System 1 since I last observed the same longitude on 1 September. The prominent rifting in the southern component (see sketch below) had melted away into just a wide depression with only a hairline thin stripe of material bounding it against the EZ. So the brighter material conquered the darker material this time around!

[Talitha]

You certainly catch a lot of details despite the seeing, Seb!

From what i recall reading, the brighter material is higher in altitude than the darker material. If that's the case, i'm still puzzled as to why the darker (lower) GRS wasn't covered when the SEB vanished beneath the brighter (higher) material.

Any thoughts/knowledge on this, anyone? Thx!

[DarkerSky]

Hi Carol. The GRS spans the STropZ and only indents into the SEB, so we have to think of it as being a separate feature at a different latitude independent of what goes on in the SEB itself.

That said, I've read that the intensity of the GRS is supposedly connected with the disappearance and revival of the SEB. I think the evidence is tenuous mind!