Happy New Year - 2011 Solar System Review

I did not get out as much this year as I did last, mostly due to bad weather all around.

I missed Venus and my consolation is I can get the transit next year! 

Also no asteroids, dwarf planets or comets for me.

Highlights are 2 contest winners and a whole year with the new scope, Akule!

Thanks and happy 2012!!

with labels

and FULL SIZE.....http://www.astrophotogallery.org/yearly-solar-system-mashups/p8757-2011-solar-system-best-of-mashup.html

Mike

Cloudy Nights November 2011 Winner

After numerous submissions and only a single semifinals win, I finally won the finals.

http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=Gallery&Number=4959350&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=all&vc=1&fpart=1

I can honestly say I am honored that the people on the CN forums, who taught me most all of what I know think so highly of my work.

Thanks everyone!!!

Mike

3 GREAT nights on Jupiter Nov 7-9, 2011

We finally got a break and some nice seeing from November 7th to the 9th.  I got a shot of Uranus on the 2nd night which I'll post later.

As always click to get full size and here is the rest of this season!

Night one's 2 shots:

and the seeing deteriorated later

2nd and BEST night!

Moons with reference:

and monochrome channels:

I knew the progress of the High Pressure moving overhead meant peak on the 2nd night, but the forecast for the 3rd was good.  I knew it couldn't be as good as the 2nd night and I only stayed out for 1.5hrs on the 3rd night.  Managed one nice shot:

Some good seeing, nearly the best for Jupiter in early Nov., 2011

My best Jupiter of the season so far

Finally some clear skies and mostly steady air.  Not the best over the course of the past 4 nights, but avg to above avg and since it's been quite some time and having had rain for a week plus, I'll take what I can get.  I reworked my processing routine to include some Registax6 wavelets before performing deconvolution in AstraImage.  I found it takes the edge ringing out quite a bit.  One of these day's I'll finish my v9 routine for posting and sharing.  Here's the old routine (http://maphilli14.multiply.com/journal/item/84/Michael_A._Phillips_Planetary_Processing_Routine_version_8.1)

As always, click for full sized images:

rest of this season is here:

http://maphilli14.multiply.com/photos/album/197/Astronomy_-_Solar_System_-_Jupiter_-_2011

Jupiter 20110913 1009UT

Feeling good about this, but plenty more to eek out of this new scope! Only above avg seeing on this, the wasn't even a full arc of airy disk around nearby Aldebaran.

As always, click for full sized images:

and 100% sized

rest of this season is here:

http://maphilli14.multiply.com/photos/album/197/Astronomy_-_Solar_System_-_Jupiter_-_2011

TIA

Mike

PS Mercury too, but process later, more good seeing tomorrow am

Mike's Morning Planets

For the first time in a long time I had enough good weather to get 3 planets in the same night.  Here are a tiny Mars, and my 1st of the season:

Click the image for a larger view:

rest of the season is here - http://maphilli14.multiply.com/photos/album/203#photo=1

I had to shoot Mars 1st, as it was headed for a tree limb and not to clear before dawn and the main target, Mercury.

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Next was Jupiter, just past the meridian and sporting a prominent Oval BA:

rest of the season here - http://maphilli14.multiply.com/photos/album/197/Astronomy_-_Solar_System_-_Jupiter_-_2011

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and the toughest was Mercury, if only because it didn't clear the trees until well into dawn.  I had a hard time finding the right focus positions at lower magnifications and as such, I only got a shot at native focal ratio of f/4.5.  Here's that shot, but 3x upscaled in ninox and even on the screen I could see the phase, but it's not enough magnification for any detail.  Next time!