Observations 25/9/10

[shelltree]

Finally, a clear night after so long! Lugged out the 10" for a bit of perusing before the moon got too high. And would you believe it, I happened to chance upon a Jupiter moon transit! There was Ganymede, a beautiful black spot against Jupiter's pale face, I couldn't believe my luck! So that really made my night, which was good because I could only find M6 and M7 tonight. I found it really difficult to make out constellations and to read my star maps. It may have had something to do with the sky being so bright from the moon, I'm not sure. I also found my finderscope was out of focus so I'll have to read up on refocusing it, everything looked like a fuzzy blob :(

But I'm not disheartened, these things take time! :D

[jjjnettie]

Transits are awesome to witness! Congratulations on your first.

[pgc hunter]

I caught the same transit as you Shelly, good stuff. Did you catch Ganymede itself emerge from infront of Jupiter's disk? I always enjoy shadow transits, I remember as a 12 year old waking up at 3am to catch these.

[shelltree]

Thanks jjj, I was so very excited!!!



I saw Ganymede just after it had emerged from in front of Jupiter then the moon rose higher and the eyepiece went all bright and yucky. Being the first I wondered what it was to begin with then it clicked and I couldn't stop smiling! Was certainly a breathtaking sight :)

Also, it might seem like a silly question but I was wondering, is the reason why we only see Ganymede's shadow on Jupiter's surface and not the actual moon because the moon and Jupiter are both of apparent similar brightness so it's impossible to distinguish it when it passes in front of Jupiter? I just wasn't sure :ashamed:

[Paddy]

The transiting moons can be seen quite readily. They aren't as pronounced as the shadow transits, but if you know when to look, you should be able to spot them.

[Liz]

Sounds great Shelley, well done!!
All the little Moons of jupiter are a treat to watch as they travel across the huge body of Jupiter.
Beware the Moon, we tend to have a love hate relationship with her. ;)

[shelltree]

Thanks for the info Patrick and thanks Liz, it certainly was an extroadinary sight! :D