Solar•Planetary LtE Now for CMO/ISMO #35 (CMO #409)  

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¤·····Subject: Saturn March 31

Received; 1 April 2013 at 05:04 JST

 

The seeing looked steady visually last night, but on-screen it was rippling very fast at a small scale (not surprising for 27º altitude). Three sequences of RGB were captured, and all combined for a 14 minute run, interspersed with I captures. This is the first image I have produced using the PierroAstro dispersion corrector in the imaging train.

 

There's no evidence of any spots, though Encke is faintly apparent.

 


Also published here.

 

David ARDITTI  (Middlesex, the UK)

http://www.staglaneobservatory.co.uk

HA8 5LW

 

 

¤·····Subject: Saturn 23 March 2013

Received; 31 March 2013 at 22:59 JST

 

Saturn images (S130323)

 


Tomio@AKUTSU  (Cebu, the PHILIPPINES)

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter 30 March 2013

Received; 31 March 2013 at 22:53 JST

 

Jupiter images (‚i130330)

 


Tomio@AKUTSU  (Cebu, the PHILIPPINES)

 

 

¤·····Subject: EPSC 2013 - AM1 session: Amateur contribution to the advancement of planetary science

Received; 30 March 2013 at 06:32 JST

 

Dears,

The European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) will be held from September 8th to 13th this year in London, UK.
In particular, we would like to draw your attention to the AM1 session dedicated to "Amateur contribution to the advancement of planetary science", in the program group "Amateur Astronomy"

For more information please visit:

http://meetingorganizer.copernicus.org/EPSC2013/sessionprogramme/AM

We would like to invite you to actively participate to this session by contributing a paper and/or meeting and exchanging views and ideas with other amateur and professional astronomers studying the solar system and exoplanets.
If you are interested in making an oral or poster contribution, please fill in the abstract submission form that you will find at the web page above (abstract deadline: May 6, 2013).

Also, please feel free to circulate this message to all those who might be interested in the event.

Sincerely,

Marc DELCROIX (Tournefeuille, FRANCE)

Convener of the AM1 session
SAF planetary observations commission

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix

 

 

¤·····Subject: Cassini image of Saturns dark spot - Feb 28

Received; 29 March 2013 at 06:58 JST

 

Here's an image from some bloke named Cassini who clearly has a pretty
good scope... showing what looks to be the same dark spot that we've
been seeing on Saturn in recent weeks.

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/rawimagedetails/index.cfm?imageID=281497

high-res:

http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/images/raw/casJPGFullS77/W00079744.jpg

Thanks to Leigh Fletcher for spotting this image (so to speak).

cheers, Anthony

 

Anthony WESLEY (NSW, Australia)

 

 

¤·····Subject: Saturn March 26, IR742

Received; 28 March 2013 at 15:04 JST

 

Hi all, here is an IR image from March 26 in poor seeing showing the compact dark spot in Saturns north.  I've added an animation of 2 frames to make it easier to spot, it's just past the central meridian on the first image.

 

There is also a light spot up close to the north pole that can be seen in the animation. I've enhanced the brightness of Tethys to make it more visible and assist in image measurement.


Image Link:
http://www.acquerra.com.au/astro/gallery/saturn/20130326-170430/large.jpg

Animation of 2 frames:
http://www.acquerra.com.au/astro/gallery/saturn/20130326-170430/saturn-1653-1703-anim.gif

regards, Anthony

 

Anthony WESLEY (NSW, Australia)

 

 

¤·····Subject: Saturn, 23rd march 2013

Received; 24 March 2013 at 10:36 JST

 

Hi all, here is a colour image of Saturn from this morning in reasonable seeing. The north polar hex is visible, as well as a number of subtle cloud features, notably in the wide greyish band at mid latitudes and its northern boundary (top).

Link:

http://www.acquerra.com.au/astro/gallery/saturn/20130323-171949/large.jpg

regards, Anthony

 

 

 

 

Anthony WESLEY (NSW, Australia)

 

 

 

 

¤·····Subject: Saturn, 18th March 2013

Received; 19 March 2013 at 15:49 JST

 

Hi all, here is a red-channel image of Saturn from this morning in reasonable seeing, showing the polar hex and anomalous dark spot that's been visible for several weeks now.

Link:

http://www.acquerra.com.au/astro/gallery/saturn/20130318-172421/large.jpg

Here is a 2-frame animation, once again in red, showing the features a
little more clearly, including a large bright spot in the equatorial zone:

http://www.acquerra.com.au/astro/gallery/saturn/20130318-172421/1716-1723-anim.gif

regards, Anthony

 

Anthony WESLEY (NSW, Australia)

 

 

 

 

¤·····Subject: Solar images 14-March-2013

Received; 17 March 2013 at 21:47 JST

 

Hi Guys

 

A rare and very welcome sunny day but with poor seeing .

Higher res shots,  well 80 inches fl on the Flea 3 1/4" chip, were not very encouraging, so armed with plenty of blue sky a full disc montage at 40 inches fl seemed a good idea.

 



 

Coro 90 s' stk' & Reggi 6.   

 

Best wishes

 

Dave TYLER (Bucks, the UK)

 www.david-tyler.com
Ham call G4PIE

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter Images on 16 March 2013

Received; 17 March 2013 at 12:05 JST

 

Jupiter images (J130316)

 


 

Tomio@AKUTSU  (Cebu, the PHILIPPINES)

 

 

 

¤·····Subject: Sun March 14

Received; 17 March 2013 at 04:51 JST

 

My first full disk of 2013, usual setup.

PST + Skynyx 2.0M, 9 pane mosaic.

 

http://www.astrosurf.com/pcasquinha/sun_130314.jpg

 

color version

 

http://www.astrosurf.com/pcasquinha/sun_130314_c.jpg

 

 

 

 

 

regards

 

Paulo CASQUINHA (PORTUGAL)

 

 

 

 

¤·····Subject: Raw Images from Cassini's Very Last Targeted Flyby of Saturn's Moon Rhea

Received; 12 March 2013 at 03:33 JST

 

March 11, 2013

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

And so begins the end...

Cassini's very last targeted flyby of Saturn's moon, Rhea, occurred this past weekend, and images from that event are now on the ground and available for your discerning examination at ...

http://www.ciclops.org/view_event/190/RHEA_REV_183_RAW_PREVIEW

Take a good, long, luxurious look at these sights from another world, as they will be the last close-ups you'll ever see of this particular moon.

Our mission at Saturn has been ongoing for nearly 9 years and is slated to continue for another 4. Targeted flybys of the moons Dione, in June and August of 2015, and Enceladus, in October and December of 2015, are all that remains on the docket for detailed exploration of Saturn's medium-sized moons.

We're nearing the end of this historic expedition.  Let's enjoy the finale while we can.

Best,

Carolyn PORCO (Boulder, CO, the USA)
Cassini Imaging Team Leader
Director, CICLOPS

http://ciclops.org
http://twitter.com/carolynporco
http://www.facebook.com/carolynporco 

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter 2013.03.09

Received; 10 March 2013 at 23:46 JST

 

Dears,

Jupiter last night under sometimes correct seeing, with oval BA setting and GRS at CM:



RGB:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130309-20h39.1UT-MDe.jpg

 


IR:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130309i-20h28.8UT-MDe.jpg

Methane:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130309c-20h55.1UT-MDe.jpg

 



R,G and B:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130309r-20h38.0UT-MDe.jpg

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130309g-20h38.9UT-MDe.jpg

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130309b-20h38.4UT-MDe.jpg

Sincerely,

 

Marc DELCROIX (Tournefeuille, FRANCE)

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix

 

 

¤·····Subject: Solar images 5-March-2013

Received; 10 March 2013 at 03:39 JST

 

Hi Guys here are a bunch of solar images from the warmest day of the year so far. Nothing too exciting but just nice to get out on a nice day. 

 



 

Best wishes

 

Dave TYLER (Bucks, the UK)

 www.david-tyler.com
Ham call G4PIE

 

 

¤·····Subject: Re: Words missing in CMO 407

Received; 9 March 2013 at 06:31 JST

 

Dear Masatsugu,

I will be able to write a note for CMO 409 (but so with a deadline around 15/20 april). It will be about the "escaping cloud" from the Hellas basin as seen in march/april.

This will be a small introduction about the whitening of Hellas (the two being linked, as far as I can see now) that would be described in a following note (for 410 for example).

Then I would have one or two last notes to write (for the 2012 apparition, maybe I have some other special ideas) :

1) Something about the frostening of Argyre, but I'm not sure so far tobe able to conclude this one, maybe images are not resolved enough, I will see

2) A note about the white patch observed at the end of may north of Arcadia, because it may be a first sign of "polar cyclone" activity.

 

Best wishes,

 

Christophe PELLIER (Nantes, FRANCE)

 

 

¤·····Subject: Saturn, 7th March 2013

Received; 8 March 2013 at 08:47 JST

 

Hi all, seeing was not quite as good this morning, but still a reasonable image of Saturn. I was careful with my colour balancing to get the rings white, so this should be a close approximation to the correct colours.

The polar hex is visible, as are a few small storms across the disk.

 

 

http://www.acquerra.com.au/astro/gallery/saturn/20130307-181335/large.jpg

regards, Anthony

 

Anthony WESLEY (NSW, Australia)

 

 

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter images 5-March-2013

Received; 8 March 2013 at 00:56 JST

 

Hi Guys 

 

The sun is still up now, with Jupiter just past the meridian, often a time for decent seeing. 

 


 


 

Note Europa passing just above of the GRS on these images.

 

Best wishes

 

Dave TYLER (Bucks, the UK)

 www.david-tyler.com
Ham call G4PIE

 

 

¤·····Subject: RE: pickering

Received; 7 March 2013 at 04:50 JST

 

Dear Masatsugu,

 

  Thank you for the kind words.  We have traveled many miles together since we first started to correspond in June 2001, and I have learned a great deal from you.  I am always very thankful for your friendship, and hope the nausea and vomiting have now resolved.  Were they due to some medication, or perhaps from overtiring yourself?  In any case, I hope you are feeling well again.

 

   I shall never forget the romance of our travels to the Japanese Alps and to Noto together, and only regret my attempt to reciprocate your kindness was compromised by the intrusiveness of a difficult person.  I also wish we had had more time together in Paris and Meudon.  I was able to visit (with Francis Oger) the Juvisy Observatory again last year, and though the chateau of the great Flammarion remains in a reprehensible state of disrepair, it is at least good to see that Flammarion's refractor is restored to working order and I was pleased that we were able to obtain some impressions of Mars with it on a very bitterly cold night.

 

   Meanwhile, I hope never to be found guilty of the *floccinaucinihilipilification* of the classical Mars.  (I just learned this word, which is said to be the second longest word in English; it basically means to discount, to undervalue, to be dismissive of something.  I couldn't resist using it here.)

 

   In about a month, I will travel to Rochester, Minnesota (home of the Mayo Clinic) to give a talk for the Astronomical League on perceptual issues in astronomy, and on the way plan to visit Carleton College (where Popular Astronomy was published) to look up W. H. Pickering's articles on Mars from 1913 on, and also to pay my respects to the homestead nearby (at Nerstrand) where Thorstein Veblen ("Theory of the Leisure Class") lived for a number of years.  After this I hope to write up a little piece on W. H. Pickering for you.

 

   As you know, Pickering and Lowell were great chums early on.  However, they both very strongly individualistic and shared an interest in similar problems; this made them potential rivals.  After Lowell perceived that Harvard College Observatory was trying to take over the "Lowell expedition," he was unable to trust that William would remain loyal to him and not to his brother.  But  there was also the fact that Lowell was a follower of Herbert Spencer's doctrines about evolution, and believed that it was inevitable for planets to evolve from young globes (like Uranus and Neptune) to middle-aged globes like the Earth to finally dead corpses of worlds like the Moon.  William at the same time was making observations of changes in lunar albedo features (e.g., the "Gardens of Eratosthenes")  that led him to think that the Moon was both geologically and biologically active, and this did not fit the Spencerian scheme at all.  Both of these men followed their later careers in parallel, with hardly any reference to one another's work.

 

   Warm regards,

 

Bill SHEEHAN  (Willmar, MN)

 

 

¤·····Subject: Saturn in good seeing, March 6 2013

Received; 7 March 2013 at 11:31 JST

 

All,

Here is an image of Saturn from this morning in very good seeing from my
home observatory. A lot of detail is visible, including a prominent dark
spot at mid north latitude near the central meridian, and the polar
hexagon and surrounds. Many other faint cloud features are also visible
across the disk.

Link:
http://www.acquerra.com.au/astro/gallery/saturn/20130306-184059/large.jpg

 
Anthony WESLEY (NSW, Australia)

 

 

 

¤·····Subject: WSZ/A fusion on feb.17th 2013

Received; 7 March 2013 at 05:11 JST

 

Hi all
I'm late but here are some images of the fusion from feb 17th. Seeing was not good and contrast has been enhanced to show the scene that was in an intermediary state.

 

 


http://www.astrosurf.com/pellier/J2013_02_17-CPE


Best wishes,

 

Christophe PELLIER (Nantes, FRANCE)

 

 

¤·····Subject: pickering

Received; 6 March 2013 at 06:19 JST

 

Dear Masatsugu,

   I canft say when I can get to it, but I would like to write something on W. H. Pickering for the CMO/ISMO—perhaps you would agree to write a bit about Pickeringfs influence on Japanese Mars observers.

  Best, Bill

 

Bill SHEEHAN  (Willmar, MN)

 

 

¤·····Subject: from Efrain Morales / Facebook

Received; 5 March 2013 at 10:58 JST

 

----- Original Message -----
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2013 13:52:19 -0800

 

Thank you very much Masatsugu M@!

For the very informative report and your most welcome my friend@!

 

Efrain MORALES iPuerto Ricoj

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter images Feb19th March 4th-2013

Received; 5 March 2013 at 23:25 JST

 

Hi Guys

 

Here are a couple more recent Jupiter images, of very different appearance. 

 


Best wishes

 

Dave TYLER (Bucks, the UK)

 www.david-tyler.com
Ham call G4PIE

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter  2-March-2013

Received; 5 March 2013 at 18:07 JST

 

Dear All,

 

First image for a long time due mainly to weather.

Seeing good, I would rate it at 7-8 out of 10.

 


 

All the best

 

Simon KIDD (Herts, the UK)

 

 

¤·····Subject: Morning Star at Saturn:  Cassini Sights Venus

Received; 5 March 2013 at 01:49 JST

 

March 4, 2013

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

Every so often, our cameras on Cassini digitally record, either
intentionally or incidentally, other celestial bodies besides those
found around Saturn.  Today, the Cassini Imaging Team is releasing a
pair of images that did just that.

Venus, a lovely shining beacon of light and Earth's `twin' planet, was
recently sighted amidst the glories of Saturn and its rings.

Go to ...
http://www.ciclops.org/view_event/189/Venus_in_the_Distance

... to see these wondrous beauties for yourself.

Along with Mercury, Earth, and Mars, Venus is one of the rocky
"terrestrial" planets in the solar system that orbit relatively close to
the sun. It has an atmosphere of carbon dioxide that reaches nearly 900
degrees Fahrenheit (500 degrees Celsius), a surface pressure 100 times
that of Earth's, and is covered in thick, white sulfuric acid clouds,
making it very bright. Despite a thoroughly hellish environment that
would melt lead, Venus is considered a twin of our planet because of
their similar sizes, masses, rocky compositions and close orbits.

Think about Venus the next time you find yourself reveling in the
thriving flora, balmy breezes, and temperate climate of a lovely day on
Earth, and remember: you could be somewhere else!

Enjoy!

Carolyn PORCO (Boulder, CO, the USA)
Cassini Imaging Team Leader
Director, CICLOPS

http://ciclops.org
http://twitter.com/carolynporco
http://www.facebook.com/carolynporco 

 

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter Images 2-March-2013

Received; 4 March 2013 at 04:15 JST

 

Hi guys a clear sky at last ! Starting off on quite a light sky the seeing was quite good with a little streaming and ripple.

 



 

The longitude is the same as the last set I put out , Interesting to compare.

 

vastly different EZ, this set appears to show a planet-wide thin pinkish mist partially obscuring the cyan festoons.

 

Best wishes

 

 

Dave TYLER (Bucks, the UK)

 www.david-tyler.com
Ham call G4PIE

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter and Europa 2013.02.26

Received; 4 March 2013 at 02:44 JST

 

Dears,

The best series of last week's images, with a correct RGB as well as an IR image with Europa, NNTZ red spot setting (bright in methane):

 



RGB:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130226-19h23.0UT-MDe.jpg


 


IR with Europa:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130226i-19h11.2UT-MDe.jpg

Methane:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130226c-19h36.9UT-MDe.jpg

R,G,B andt L:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130226r-19h22.1UT-MDe.jpg

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130226g-19h23.0UT-MDe.jpg

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130226b-19h23.9UT-MDe.jpg

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130226l-19h24.7UT-MDe.jpg

Sincerely,

 

Marc DELCROIX (Tournefeuille, FRANCE)

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter 2013.02.27

Received; 4 March 2013 at 01:36 JST

 

 Dears,


Under average conditions, oval BA rising:

 


RGB:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130227-19h15.6UT-MDe.jpg



IR:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130227i-19h03.2UT-MDe.jpg

Methane:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130227c-19h30.0UT-MDe.jpg

R (the more detailed image),G,B et L:
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130227r-19h14.7UT-MDe.jpg

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130227g-19h15.6UT-MDe.jpg

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130227b-19h16.5UT-MDe.jpg

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130227l-19h17.5UT-MDe.jpg

Steady skies,

 

Marc DELCROIX (Tournefeuille, FRANCE)

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix

 

 

 

¤·····Subject: Jupiter & Ganymede 2013.03.01

Received; 3 March 2013 at 18:29 JST

 

Dears,


Under bad conditions (I only took 5 IR videos) ::
http://astrosurf.com/delcroix/images/planches/j20130301i-19h08.2UT-MDe.jpg

Still some details can be made out, despite the planet's apparent diameter beeing well below 40 arcsec now.

 



Sincerely,

 

Marc DELCROIX (Tournefeuille, FRANCE)

http://astrosurf.com/delcroix

 

 

¤·····Subject: Your essays

Received; 2 March 2013 at 00:11 JST

 

 

Dear Bill,

 

@This time I am deeply moved by your gwell-planned programh of stimulation therapy to encourage our irreplaceable Masatsugu in his failing health, and to reactivate CMO/ISMO with hosts of pending problems such as the chronic shortage of writers/analysts, uncertain successors to the present editorial board, and etc.,etc.c. You are certainly an admirable psychiatrist, as well as an exquisite astronomy historian!

 

  I remember your writing in your LtE the other day that my ARGUS essay might offer a more optimistic assessment of the situation than your ones. Actually however, I am rather (not quite) pessimistic about the future of CMO/ISMO. CMO is, as you know well, an unprecedented and probably the last singular field which had been created some thirty years ago by Masatsugu MINAMI as an antithesis of the previous defective observing/analysing systems of Mars, with which the dream of well-planned program of classical Mars observation finally came true, to which visual/digital observers world over could have been submitting their records to find their raison‚“ d'être promptly. It's astonishing (and it feels unstable at the same time/on the other hand) that the integrity of the Martians' Shangri-Laish zone have been preserved practically solely by Masatsugu, an unprecedented and presumably the final PURE MARTIAN/visual sketcher on this blue planet. As for your phrase in your Night Thoughts essay Part One, gCan replacements even be found?hc Can't at all, I dare say for now. So, I believe, we have to be confronted with some changes in the system of CMO/ISMO in the near future.

  In my future essay I'm going to classify the astronomers (both amateur and professional) constitute the CMO/ISMO according to the motivations of continuing their observations to seek ways for the individualistic glonersh to coexist peacefully and fruitfully as have been proven unimpossible by Dr. Masatsugu MINAMI.

 

    Best Wishes, 

 

 Reiichi KONNAÏ (Fukushima, JAPAN)

 

 


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