Observation by Chris Hooker: Io sodium cloud, 26 February 2024

Uploaded by

Chris Hooker

Observer

Chris Hooker

Observed

2024 Feb 26 - 20:08

Uploaded

2024 Feb 26 - 23:01

Objects

Jupiter

Equipment

110 mm F/6 ED refractor
0.45x re-imaging focal reducer
Alluxa sodium D-line filter; Thorlabs 570 nm filter
ZWO ASI178MM camera

Exposure

Sodium: 90 sec; Off-band: 18 sec

Location

Didcot, Oxfordshire

Target name

Jupiter

Title

Io sodium cloud, 26 February 2024

About this image

Io's sodium cloud imaged in good conditions. The appearance is noticeably different from the image on the 24th February. There is an extended bright stream of sodium emission extending around 16 Jovian radii outwards slightly north of the orbital plane, and a very faint, broad band to the south. There are two narrow streaks between Io and Jupiter: the lower image is an enlargement of this region which has been processed differently to show these streaks better. The Galilean moons are identified by their initial letters; north is up.

Io was near western elongation, so did not move significantly. Europa was moving in towards Jupiter and Ganymede was moving away; this movement is shown by the bright margins where the sodium images were in slightly different positions to the 570 nm off-band ones.

Files associated with this observation

Io sodium 2024-02-26 2008 UT CJH.png (415.1 kB)

Like this image

Gerard Cauchi, Mike Harlow, Bill Leatherbarrow, Mike Foulkes, Dr Richard John McKim, Philip Jennings, Steve Knight

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