Learn How to Image Jupiter
Planetary photography can be very interesting and rewarding. We are lucky to have several planets in our solar system that are bright enough at various times of the year to see and photograph. Our solar systems most massive planet, Jupiter, is one of those, providing some breathtaking views and images. The planet features colorful bands, a Giant Red Spot, and four bright moons that are easy to see and capture in images The first thing you will need to photograph Jupiter effectively is a telescope with a relatively long focal length. I have an Orion APO refractor with 480mm of focal length, but that simply isn't enough to capture any noticeable detail on Jupiter's surface. That is more of a wide-field scope for things like galaxies, star clusters, and nebulae. My other telescope is an Orion Maksutov-Cassegrain model with 2700mm of focal length. Now we're talking! I would say that a focal length of around 1500mm would be the minimum that I would recommend for planetary work. |
Credit: Stephen Rahn |
Now what kind of camera should you use? Some prefer to connect a DSLR or Micro Four Thirds camera to the telescope and shoot in what we call prime focus. I have done that a few times myself, but the general consensus is that a CCD camera is a better option. A CCD camera is rather small and you will need to connect it to a laptop during your imaging session. The camera displays your target on the laptop, and you will use special image-acquisition software on the laptop to shoot videos of your target. Why shoot video? The idea is that you want to capture a lot of detail, and video offers hundreds (or thousands) of frames. You then use a stacking program such as AutoStakkert, AviStack, or RegiStax to align and stack your video frames. This will (hopefully) produce a nicely detailed composite of your video frames. You can then take that composite image and edit it in Photoshop, Lightroom, or any other image-editing program you prefer. Another consideration for shooting a planet is how high it is above the horizon. When an object has just come up over the horizon, you will be observing it through a lot more of Earth's atmosphere than if it were up higher in the sky. So don't try to image Jupiter just after it has cleared the trees. Wait until it's at least about 45 degrees or higher if possible so you will be dealing with less atmospheric interference. Here is an example of a shot of Jupiter when it was just coming up |
Credit: Stephen Rahn |
You can make out the bands, but they are pretty blurry. Now here is a better shot that was taken when Jupiter was much higher in the sky. |
Credit: Stephen Rahn |
Here you can see much better detail and you can even see three of the Galilean Moons. Two are on the left and one is on the right. |