This is my first picture of Jupiter in many months and since it re-emerged from its journey opposite the Sun. I woke up at 5am and found dawn already quite bright when I started to image Jupiter just barely 40 degrees above the eastern horizon. The light of day severely lessened contrast. Atmospheric seeing at its low elevation was poor. Yet I was never-the-less happy to see an old friend again after such a long time!
My fellow local astronomer, Chris Go recently alerted me to the North Equatorial Belt (NEB) which has been thrown in chaos. This latest image shows that it has expanded in thickness and appears to actually have merged with the thinner North Temperate Belt above since the last time I saw the planet in January. The Great Red Spot (GRS) is setting to the lower right of this dynamic and quickly changing planet that never ceases to offer so many surprises. Jupiter is still distant from the Earth and is just 34.3 arc seconds in size. A comparative picture of the plant taken nine months ago during excellent conditions and while it was almost closest to Earth shows a disk 49.6 arc seconds in size and a much thinner NEB than we have today.
Click on the images to better view both versions in equal size scales.
