Imaging telescopes or lenses: Celestron C8 Edge HD
Imaging cameras: ZWO ASI174MM
Mounts: Celestron Advanced VX
Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight · FireCapture · Photoshop · AutoStakkert!
Filters: ZWO Red 1.25" · ZWO Blue 1.25" · ZWO Green 1.25"
Date: Dec. 19, 2020
Time: 23:53
Resolution: 3000x1800
Locations: Home, Cibolo, Texas, United States
Data source: Backyard
The first night I could capture Jupiter and Saturn in the same field of view using a dedicated planetary camera. All four of Jupiter's largest moons happen to be ordered by their distance from the planet. From right to left: Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto.
This image shows a great example of the inverse-square law in play. While taking this photo, Jupiter was 5.1 AU from the Sun while Saturn was 10 AU. Saturn receives a quarter of the solar energy that Jupiter does, making it appear much dimmer than its inner neighbor. Our eyes can handle the difference well when looking at them through an eyepiece of a telescope, but the difference is more stark with a camera.
While the two gas giants are close together in the sky, they are physically far apart, only appearing next to each other because they and Earth are aligned in a nearly straight line. When taking this photo, Jupiter was 884 million kilometers away while Saturn was 1.8x farther at 1618 million kilometers.
Description: Saturn & Callisto brightened
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