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ALPO Announcements

Chairside Processing with Gary Walker

You’ve captured a set of videos of your favorite target – great! But now comes the hard part, turning that video file into a clear, natural-looking image of the planet. While the quality of the equipment and the level of seeing certainly have a lot of impact on the result, the skill of the processor also is a factor. Like an artist who has practiced their craft, we see observers who are pretty consistent in delivering amazing images for the ALPO galleries.

Recent Mars and Jupiter images from Gary Walker

ALPO is conducting a series of informal Zoom webinars where a talented member will share the tools and techniques they employ to create their image captures. We are happy to announce that ALPO member Dr. Gary Walker will be the presenter at our next webinar to share with us some of his methods, including:

Assessing the quality of your capture
Using Registax wavelets for sharpening
Performing unsharp masking in Photoshop

ALPO members can now register for this Zoom meeting that will be held on Saturday, February 15^th at 3pm EST (Noon PST/20:00 UT). Attendees will have the opportunity to ask Gary about his approach and hopefully be able to take away some tips to use in their own image processing routine. The meeting will be recorded for replay on the ALPO YouTube channel should you be unable to attend.

JALPO Vol 67 No. 1 Available

In this issue...

In our Point of View opinion column, Journal Editor Shawn Dilles offers his thoughts on the “Awe-Inspiring Beauty and Scientific Impact of Amateur Observing.” What you’ll also find inthis issue includes:

A roundup of general interest news, including a request to our membership about possible ALPO items to offer that can subtly promote our organization.
A report from our Membership Secretary as to our current membership categories.
Minutes of the July 26 ALPO Board of Directors meeting.
A look back at selected goings-on inThe Strolling Astronomer75, 50 and 25 years ago as presented by Carl Hergenrother.
A great reminder to all about our fascinating Lunar & Planetary Training Program. Do we need it? You betcha!!! And probably more than most of us realize.
Solar Section Coordinator Rik Hill provides the latest Carrington Rotation Report, this time, rotations 2284 thru 2286. Says Rik: “The activity in these three rotations saw the highest in two solar cycles. While close to the solar max, I would quote Winston Churchill: ‘It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.’ ”

Continue reading...

Jupiter Observing Alert!

North Temperate Belt Outbreak

Clyde Foster's capture of the outbreak in methane light on January 10, 2025 at 18:56 UT

On January 10^th, Clyde Foster and Manos Kardasis imaged a bright spot in the NTBs jet region on Jupiter. This event likely marks the beginning of a major outbreak. According to Dr. John Rogers of the B.A.A., "We can expect it to become spectacular!" The spot is currently brightest in the methane band and apparent in deep red/IR, but it should become more noticeable in other wavelengths as it develops. It is anticipated that a dark, turbulent wake will form in the coming days.

The initial position of the outbreak is at SYS 1 longitude 168°, with a drift of approximately -5° per day. (Note: The fast current travels at SYS 1 speed despite being at a latitude of around +26°.) All observers are encouraged to monitor Jupiter closely, as more outbreaks at different longitudes are expected in the coming days.

Please send your images to jupiter@alpo-astronomy.org following the submission guidelines to ensure their scientific value for subsequent research purposes.

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Video (and Sound!) of Meteorite Impact
1/17/2025

Imagine stepping out for a walk, only to return and find your walkway transformed by a cosmic event. This is exactly what happened to a couple in Prince Edward Island, Canada. Their doorbell camera captured the first-ever video and audio of a meteorite crash-landing right outside their home. The footage shows a fast-moving space rock hurtling towards the ground, creating a loud crash and an explosive burst of gray dust.

BepiColombo successfully captured stunning images of Mercury during its flyby on January 8, 2025. The spacecraft flew to within 183 miles of Mercury's surface, providing detailed views of the planet's north pole and volcanic plains. These images reveal the rims and shadowed floors of craters that are among the coldest places in the Solar System despite Mercury's proximity to the Sun. The mission aims to search for frozen water in these regions as well as learn more about the tiny planet's volcanic history.

Check the Events Calendar

All Times are in Universal Time (UT)

2025-02-01 05:00
"Saturn 1.1° south of Moon, occultation Asia"

2025-02-01 20:00
Venus 2° north of Moon

2025-02-02
Venus at highest altitude in evening sky

2025-02-05 08:02
First Quarter Moon

2025-02-07 04:00
Jupiter 5° south of Moon

2025-02-09
Mercury at superior solar conjunction

2025-02-09 20:00
"Mars 0.8° south of Moon, occultation NE USA to China"

2025-02-12 13:53
Full Moon

2025-02-16
Venus at greatest brightness

2025-02-17 13:00
"Spica 0.3° north of Moon, occultation Pacific Ocean"

Explore our Galleries

Credit: Jäger, Rhemann, & Möller
Equipment: Canon 6Dmod DSLR and QHY600 cameras
This spectacular image of Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS was taken by Michael Jäger, Gerald Rhemann, and Dennis Möller on 2024 September 30, at 3.25 UT. It is a composite of 20 minutes of exposure taken with two imaging setups: a Leica Telyt 180/4.0 lens and QHY600 camera, and Canon 200/4.0 lens and Canon 6Dmod DSLR.

Credit: Theo Ramakers
Equipment: 40mm f/10 refractor with ASI174MM camera
On October 23rd veteran solar observer Theo Ramakers captured a striking prominence off the Sun's SW limb. Further in on the globe is a darker 'filament', which in reality is also a prominence viewed face-on

Credit: Gary Walker
Equipment: 254mm Mak-Cass with QHY5III-200M camera
Although not even 9" in size, Gary Walker captured a wealth of detail in his Mars image from Oct. 23rd. The north pole is shrouded in the brilliant Polar Hood, while Olympus Mons is midway near the terminator. Farther south (up) we also see some evening clouds near Tharsis

Credit: Gary Walker
Equipment: 254mm Mak-Cass with QHY5III-200M camera
As usual, Jupiter is a dynamic target in this late October image. Most obvious is the shrinking GRS, but several STB storms appear as ovals below it (with A3 most prominent). Above the GRS in the NEB we see WS-E following its merger with another white spot.

Credit: Luigi Morrone
Equipment: C14 Edge HD using Player One Uranus-C camera
Luigi Morrone captured this beautiful family portrait of Saturn. As the planet approaches equinox the moons start to cross in front and behind the globe. In this image he has capture the tiny shadow of Enceladus cast on the cloud tops just under the rings.

Credit: Gregory Shanos
Equipment: Seestar S50
The Moon's northern limb dipped into Earth's shadow on the evening of Sept. 18th for US observers. Here Gregory Shanos used his AI Seestar to document the partial eclipse.

Learn about the ALPO

The Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) is an international organization devoted to study the Sun, Moon, planets, asteroids, meteors, and comets. Our goals are to stimulate, coordinate, and generally promote the study of these bodies using methods and instruments that are available within the communities of both amateur and professional astronomers.

The ALPO collects and analyzes observations of various Solar System bodies and associated phenomena and publishes detailed reports concerning these bodies in its quarterly publication the Journal ALPO, otherwise known as The Strolling Astronomer. Membership in the ALPO includes receiving our journal, and back issues can be found in our Publications section.

We welcome and provide services for all individuals interested in lunar and planetary astronomy. For the novice observer, the ALPO is a place to learn and to enhance observational techniques. For the advanced amateur astronomer, it is a place where one's work will count. For the professional astronomer, it is a resource where group studies or systematic observing patrols add to the advancement of astronomy. Further details about the ALPO can be found here.

There are a range of membership levels available starting with annual dues of only $22. See the footer below for links on how you can become a member today.

Join ALPO

The Association of Lunar and Planetary Observers (ALPO) is an international organization devoted to study of the Sun, Moon, planets, asteroids, meteors, and comets. Celebrating our 75th anniversary in 2022, our goals are to stimulate, coordinate, and promote the study of these bodies using methods and resources available to both amateur and professional astronomers.

The science of astronomy has never been more exciting or dynamic than it is today - for the novice observer, the ALPO is a place to learn and enhance one’s observational techniques. For the advanced amateur astronomer, it is a place where one's work will matter. And for the professional astronomer, it is a resource where group studies or systematic observing patrols add to the advancement of astronomy.

ALPO members range from enthusiastic individuals with the desire to pursue an initial interest in astronomy to advanced amateurs to professional astronomers deeply involved in lunar and planetary astronomy.

Becoming a member is easy, and we welcome you to join us as we explore and learn more about this vast universe we all call home. Simply select one of the options below to get started.

Paying Online

Please use this link to purchase your membership online via PayPal.

Paying by Mail

Download and complete the ALPO Membership form following the instruction on the form