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[patrickm]

Bright White Storm Raging on Saturn from Universe Today

Once again, amateur astronomers score big with planetary observation!

Did I say it was big?

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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Sweet!

I think the C11 will make a winter appearance soon!

[cathy]

Holy crap.

[Paulie pchris00]

I understand that Anthony Wesley and Christopher Go have had a stranglehold on Jovian discoveries the last few years, and deservedly so for their constant attention to the big planet, but now Wesley has upstaged Cassini?!? Hats off to the astronomer down under.

[patrickm]

JFC, it's like a library around here!

Sky and Telescope just published this new pic of the Honkin' Big Saturnian Storm raging out there. Looks like a huge smoke ring now, don't it! Someday I'll be able to take a crack at it, but just have binos right now...

photo courtesy of Sky and Telescope

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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

The different filterings are bringing out nice details.

If it ever clears up around here, I would like to try and see if I can image this storm.

Some are saying that it is an upwelling of lower strata and others that it's an impact.

I kinda lean toward the impact ling of thought, as there is a bright pin-point site.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Man...

I'm really this close to setting up a scope and doing some Saturnian imaging.

But at 20 degrees, man, it gets cold fast - and setting up all that metal at 4:00 am is not appealing.

No, not at all.

But, it sure is clear out.

[patrickm]

More pix from Cassini and amateurs.

via Sky and Telescope

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I didn't think the blotch was still as prominent, but looks like it still is.

Good, then maybe I'll brave the bitter cold and try soon.

[Paulie pchris00]

I observed no storm this morning (or Sunday morning) but wow, I am really liking that the rings are opening up. I'll try to post the pictures and vids from observing (if they turned out decent enough) as soon as possible.

[Paulie pchris00]

It's not great, and believe me, Saturn looks so much better in the eyepiece. I saw no evidence of the recent storm, however, but it's nice to see the rings opening up. I'm starting to see why it's everybody's favorite planet to view.




This was video was shot with my 6" Orion Sky Quest Dobsonian and Meade Lunar and Planetary camera. No processing was done, and the telescope was not tracking.

[patrickm]

More amateur pics of the storm from a C-14.

www.telescopeatlanta.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=3&Itemid=12

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

I think it's pretty cool, that vid of yours.

I need to master the Registax, but I find it not too user friendly and archaic.

[hillimolly]

Man, it is cloudy.. damn

[Paulie pchris00]

Here is a link to transit times of the storm.

lackawannaastronomicalsociety.org/?p=873


From the site listed above:

EST The Serpent Storm

1/28/2011 12:08:05 AM 10:47:24 AM 9:26:43 PM
1/29/2011 8:06:02 AM 6:45:21 PM
1/30/2011 5:24:39 AM 4:03:58 PM
1/31/2011 2:43:17 AM 1:22:35 PM
2/1/2011 12:01:54 AM 10:41:13 AM 9:20:32 PM
2/2/2011 7:59:50 AM 6:39:09 PM
2/3/2011 5:18:27 AM 3:57:46 PM
2/4/2011 2:37:04 AM 1:16:23 PM 11:55:42 PM
2/5/2011 10:35:00 AM 9:14:19 PM
2/6/2011 7:53:37 AM 6:32:55 PM
2/7/2011 5:12:14 AM 3:51:32 PM
2/8/2011 2:30:50 AM 1:10:09 PM 11:49:27 PM
2/9/2011 10:28:46 AM 9:08:04 PM
2/10/2011 7:47:22 AM 6:26:40 PM
2/11/2011 5:05:59 AM 3:45:17 PM

Keep in mind times listed are Eastern Standard Time.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

This end times blizzard is covering almost the entire country.

But I would like to image this storm soon.

[Paulie pchris00]

I had just a few minutes to look this morning. Terrible conditions, and I was about three hours too late. I wonder if I could have seen it at 1:43 AM?

[patrickm]

Storm on Saturn Has Grown into a Monster! Universe Today

Now more than a month has passed and the white scar of the raging atmosphere has escalated to an incredible size… Nearly 10 Earths wide!

[patrickm]

Cool new Saturn storm images, incl an animated JPEG from an amateur astronomer. From Planetary Society blog.


Saturn's northern storm on Feb. 4, 2011
As part of its routine monitoring of Saturn's atmosphere, Cassini took the photos needed to compose this false-color composite view of the storm reaching across much of the planet's temperate northern latitudes on February 4, 2011. (The view is composed of three images taken through infrared, green, and blue filters.) Credit: NASA / JPL / SSI / color composite by Ian Regan

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