Observation by Chris Hooker: Mercury 1st September 2019

Uploaded by

Chris Hooker

Observer

Chris Hooker

Observed

2019 Sep 01 - 07:30

Uploaded

2019 Sep 04 - 21:24

Objects

Mercury

Equipment

254 mm Newtonian
3x Barlow lens
ZWO ASI120MM-S camera
Baader 610nm & IR-cut filters

Exposure

0.35 msec @ F/19

Location

Didcot, Oxfordshire

Target name

Mercury

Title

Mercury 1st September 2019

About this image

Mercury imaged near superior conjunction in reasonably good seeing and transparency conditions, but there was some slight haze which reduced the contrast of the planet significantly. Sixty video sequences were captured, but after inspection half of them were discarded as being of too poor quality. Processing was made very difficult by the low contrast of the images, but after a combination of software and manual frame selection the result is acceptable. The bright region just inward of the limb at 10 o'clock is Caloris Planitia, and the two darker regions at 12 and 3 o'clock also match the blurred Messenger image. Other features are less convincing, but there is some similarity.

For a discussion of the precautions required for imaging Mercury in close proximity to the Sun, please see my post on June 5th last year.

Files associated with this observation

Members page_0.PNG (268.5 kB)

Like this image

Chris Dole, Jeremy Shears, Graham Winstanley, Ray Emery, Andy Wilson, Philip Masding, Mr Michael Alan Frost, Martin Lewis, Ian Rothwell, Peter Mulligan, Steve Knight, Bill Leatherbarrow, Andrew Dumbleton

Comments

Martin Lewis, 2019 Sep 05 - 22:26 UTC

Amazing images Chris for only 5" and so close to the Sun. Inspirational stuff.
Martin

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