1:45 PM - 3:15 PM
[O11-P18] Records and considerations of phenomena occurring on the surfaces of Jupiter and Saturn II
Keywords:Planet, Great Red Spot, South Equatorial Belt, Flash phenomenon
Flash phenomena have been observed on Jupiter in recent years. We were interested in this, so we photographed Jupiter and Saturn and tried to detect flash phenomena. We also photographed and analyzed changes in the Great Red Spot and the two stripes that exist on either side of the equator.
On October 15, 2021, an observation team from Kyoto University succeeded in photographing a flash phenomenon that occurred on the surface of Jupiter using automatic observations using consumer products. The equipment used for the observation was a reflecting telescope that was slightly larger than the school's telescope, so our seniors thought they would be able to photograph the flash phenomenon and began photographing mainly Jupiter and Saturn. We took over our seniors' research and began observing last fall.
A CMOS camera was connected to a Schmidt-Cassegrain reflecting telescope with an aperture of 200 mm and a focal length of 2032 mm. We used a Takahashi EM200TemmaPC-Jr equatorial mount to track the planets. The CMOS camera was photographed using a 2x Barlow lens and an ultraviolet and infrared cut filter.
The camera is connected to the telescope tube via a 2x Barlow lens, and the CMOS camera is connected to a laptop computer. Video is taken, and the data is saved to the HDD. The SharpCap software is started on the PC to take the video. The exposure time per frame is selected with Exposure, and the image resolution is selected with Gain, while the focus is adjusted to the planet. The video to be taken was adjusted to 35 seconds and 2,000 still images, taking into account post-shooting image processing. After shooting, the video data was stacked using AutoStakkert!. After stacking, the images were processed using RegiStax6 to create a sharp planetary photograph. The planet analysis software WINJUPOS was used to measure the major axis of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and the width of the two equatorial stripes.
Since last year, 18,180 frames of video have been taken at Saturn, and 840,000 frames at Jupiter. Each frame of the captured frames was checked using Registax, but no flash phenomena were found on either Saturn or Jupiter.
According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the South Equatorial Stripe disappears every 3 to 15 years, and the most recent disappearance was in early May 2010. According to data from the Lunar and Planetary Research Society, the disappearance of the South Equatorial Stripe lasts for about 8 months, and then returns to normal in about 2 months. Comparing observations in December 2024 and January 2025, the width of the South Equatorial Stripe has partially decreased, but then returned to its original width. We have hypothesized three scenarios for the disappearance of the South Equatorial Stripe. We would like to continue observations in the future to determine in which scenario the South Equatorial Stripe will disappear.
Horikawa (2015) and other researchers have reported that the long axis of the Great Red Spot is shrinking year by year. Our measurements showed that the long axis of the Great Red Spot is 11.9° and is continuing to shrink.
The Jupiter observation season is about to end, but we would like to continue observations focusing on the discovery of flash phenomena, the disappearance of the South Equatorial Stripe, and the shrinkage of the Great Red Spot.
On October 15, 2021, an observation team from Kyoto University succeeded in photographing a flash phenomenon that occurred on the surface of Jupiter using automatic observations using consumer products. The equipment used for the observation was a reflecting telescope that was slightly larger than the school's telescope, so our seniors thought they would be able to photograph the flash phenomenon and began photographing mainly Jupiter and Saturn. We took over our seniors' research and began observing last fall.
A CMOS camera was connected to a Schmidt-Cassegrain reflecting telescope with an aperture of 200 mm and a focal length of 2032 mm. We used a Takahashi EM200TemmaPC-Jr equatorial mount to track the planets. The CMOS camera was photographed using a 2x Barlow lens and an ultraviolet and infrared cut filter.
The camera is connected to the telescope tube via a 2x Barlow lens, and the CMOS camera is connected to a laptop computer. Video is taken, and the data is saved to the HDD. The SharpCap software is started on the PC to take the video. The exposure time per frame is selected with Exposure, and the image resolution is selected with Gain, while the focus is adjusted to the planet. The video to be taken was adjusted to 35 seconds and 2,000 still images, taking into account post-shooting image processing. After shooting, the video data was stacked using AutoStakkert!. After stacking, the images were processed using RegiStax6 to create a sharp planetary photograph. The planet analysis software WINJUPOS was used to measure the major axis of Jupiter's Great Red Spot and the width of the two equatorial stripes.
Since last year, 18,180 frames of video have been taken at Saturn, and 840,000 frames at Jupiter. Each frame of the captured frames was checked using Registax, but no flash phenomena were found on either Saturn or Jupiter.
According to the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, the South Equatorial Stripe disappears every 3 to 15 years, and the most recent disappearance was in early May 2010. According to data from the Lunar and Planetary Research Society, the disappearance of the South Equatorial Stripe lasts for about 8 months, and then returns to normal in about 2 months. Comparing observations in December 2024 and January 2025, the width of the South Equatorial Stripe has partially decreased, but then returned to its original width. We have hypothesized three scenarios for the disappearance of the South Equatorial Stripe. We would like to continue observations in the future to determine in which scenario the South Equatorial Stripe will disappear.
Horikawa (2015) and other researchers have reported that the long axis of the Great Red Spot is shrinking year by year. Our measurements showed that the long axis of the Great Red Spot is 11.9° and is continuing to shrink.
The Jupiter observation season is about to end, but we would like to continue observations focusing on the discovery of flash phenomena, the disappearance of the South Equatorial Stripe, and the shrinkage of the Great Red Spot.