Jupiter is at opposition tomorrow night (May 9 at 01h UT): the ideal time to observe it!  Io is in eclipse at that time, but in transit 21 hours before and after, so those will be good times to try imaging it partially occulting its own shadow; also Europa on May 9.

Observers: please do all you can to take good images of the planet for several days around May 24, which is the date of Juno’s next perijove (PJ13).  The views of low latitudes will be oblique, so a ground-based map will be very useful for putting them in context.

The latest map made by Marco Vedovato is attached, with major features marked.

I haven’t had time to write a proper report lately, but the main features of current interest are:

–The NEB still has elaborate structure, but is fading from the north side; how far will the fading extend?

–The Equatorial Zone increasingly shows a pale fawn-coloured (‘reddish’) Equatorial Band. Will this develop into an obvious coloration?

–The S. Tropical Disturbance (STropD) is still streaming past the GRS and pumping up the STB p. it with turbulence, but it has still not re-formed a p. end across the STropZ.  The f. end of the STropD will soon pass the GRS in turn; will it re-form then, or dissipate in a darkened STB?

–The STB Ghost has completely transformed into a dark STB segment f. Oval BA.