Jupiter in 2025/26, Report no.3

John Rogers (2025 Dec.21)

With opposition coming up on 2026 Jan.10, here are four recent maps to enable observers to locate the persistent features.  One map on Nov.8-9 (plotted in L2) was made by Simon Labergere on a single night in a mountain observatory in France. Another on the same dates, combining several observers’ images (plotted in L3), is annotated. The other two maps are from Dec.9-10 and Dec.15-16; thanks to Rob Bullen and Shinji Mizumoto for producing these from multiple observers’ images.

There are no major changes in the  planet’s atmospheric features; the NTB, NEB and EZ are gradually recovering from the big changes in the previous two years.  A fairly detailed report on the up to mid-December is mostly completed, including preliminary data on drift rates from the JUPOS team, and it should be ready soon after the holiday period.