The Summer Milky Way and Gas Giants with Moons

The Milky Way over the Jodrell Plank Observatory -the 600d Canon DSLR with EOS 18-55mm lens at f=18mm 'piggyback' on the Meade 127mm Refractor. A stack of 30x60 sec lights at ISO1600. Credit: Kurt Thrust

Jupiter showing the Great Red Spot and just visible the newly formed white spot below it. Two of the four Galilean Moons, Io and Ganymede, are also clearly visible. 127mm Meade Telescope with 2.5x Barlow lens and QHY5-11 colour planetary video camera. Three minutes of video were used to create the still image. Credit: Pip Stakkert

Saturn and three Moons, Dione, Enceladus and Tethys. 127mm Meade Telescope with 2.5x Barlow lens and both the QHY5-11 colour and mono planetary cameras. Six minutes of video were used to create the still image. Credit: Pip Stakkert.

" In contradiction of the usually accurate weather forecasts, the night of the 19th of August 2020 was clear and transparent. The absence of the Moon was also advantageous for astro-imaging.

Pip Stakkert and I made an early start using the planetary video cameras and the 127mm Meade Apo-refractor to image the gas giant planets Jupiter and Saturn, which remain low on the Jodrell Plank Observatory's southern horizon. Our thanks go to Anita Roberts, friend and sponsor of the Jodrell Plank Observatory, for cutting back the planting on the adjoining hedge.

The planet Mars remains too low during sensible working hours for us to use the Meade telescope to image it. We shall however try to capture the 'red planet' in September.

We completed our early morning imaging session by 'piggy backing' the Canon 600D dslr camera on the Meade telescope and captured the Summer Milky Way in all its glory as it streamed down over the Observatory buildings. The dark dust clouds in the Milky Way never fail to impress the Jodrell Plank team!". - Kurt Thrust current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory