High Resolution Jupiter Video showing the moon IO go behind planet

In this video I captured IO disappearing behind Jupiter as it rotates. The video was taken on the 9/13/08 from my back yard with my 5 inch refractor. IO is the pizza-like volcanic moon of Jupiter.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Jupiter
• IO
• transit
• space
• moon

[halflifefan84]

Space is so amazing :) I'm just getting into it, and I'm looking around for a telescope to see this stuff, first hand. So, do you think this telescope: "Orion SkyQuest XT8" will be good enough to see Jupiter like you can in this video? Please respond, I'm going to have to make a decision on a telescope rather fast. Thanks man :)

[armicheal]

@halflifefan84 - I did this with a Takahashi 130mm refractor. Its spec for its lenses are well, astronomical so its only a 5 inch lens. The 8 inch Skyquest has it beat for aperture and visually it should provide a pretty juicy image. I have an 8 inch SCT and 8 inch Dob and both give really good planetary views. Photographically they are harder to work with but visually they rock.

[halflifefan84]

@armicheal What do you mean by Photographically? Also, I've been looking at it some more, and it's quite big... I went to an observatory last night, and they had these little red-ish telescopes, and I could see Saturn good, and they were also little, and they look really portable, I think I just might get one of them, and I think I found the same one Orion . com or something, Idk if it will see Jupiter as well as your telescope can, but I think I'm going to get that one instead. Thanks tho :D

[armicheal]

@halflifefan84 - Using a Dob or SCT for imaging planets takes some work. I find it much easier with a refractor. Mirrors take time to cool down but a good refractor will have you going in no time. They also look sharper to me. You can see stuff visually like the rings of saturn or the polar cap of mars with a scope as small as 80mm. Actually I just built an 80mm for some friends and family that worked pretty good for saturn. Good luck with your new scope.

[djziggurat]

It's almost unreal, like our brains don't want to accept that this is just as real as any video we've seen, and it's not cg.

I cant wait to get my own scope, good job!

[armicheal]

@djziggurat

I think you'll be in for a real treat if you've never seen a planet though a good telescope. The first time I saw Saturn on a homemade telescope that I built I was floored and stayed looking at it for hours. Good luck and Clear Skyz..

[cowsrock94]

Was this a time lapse or real time?

[darkestnights77]

@coolraiser103 oh... OH! of course *facepalm* ok ok my mistake, I totally forgot, I learned this in science class in 6th grade... Sorry :/

[coolraiser103]

@darkestnights77 It doesn't actually rotate that fast (it takes about 10 hours for it to really rotate) This one was sped up.

[darkestnights77]

It rotates THAT fast?! :O that's awesome!!!

[cmpilot]

Things have come a long way since I had my 6" reflector in the 1970s. I never could have achieved anything like this. Thanks for sharing it.

[iamcloudff3]

is io shy :P