Jupiter & Europa 11-01-2025
On January 11, 2025, I had a great opportunity to observe and capture Jupiter along with one of its most fascinating moons, Europa. Using my new Askar 103APO telescope, I was able to bring out some detail in the planet's cloud bands. And it’s icy moon Europa hovering nearby.
Acquisition details:
Gear used:
🔭 Askar 103APO
⚙️ Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
📸 ZWO ASI224MC
Mars 11-01-2025
Captured on the same night as my latest Jupiter image, this photo shows Mars at opposition, a perfect time to observe the Red Planet at its brightest and closest to Earth. In this image, the southern polar cap is clearly visible, along with some darker surface details across the Martian disk.
It’s always exciting to capture Mars during this special alignment. Even though it’s a small planet, moments like these reveal just how much detail can be brought out with the right conditions and equipment.
Acquisition details:
Gear used:
🔭 Askar 103APO
⚙️ Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro
📸 ZWO ASI224MC
Neptune & Triton 23-11-2022
Finding Neptune for the first time was quite the challenge. It took me five nights of searching before I finally spotted it. Back then, I was using a mount without GoTo functionality, which meant I had to locate it manually. Just when I thought I had it in view, I swapped the eyepiece for my planetary camera… and lost it again.
Later, I upgraded to a new mount, the Skywatcher EQ5 Pro GoTo with a hand controller. With that setup, I was finally able to locate Neptune once more, this time with the camera ready. The planet appeared as a beautiful, deep blue dot, and to my surprise, its largest moon, Triton, was also visible in the image. A rewarding moment after all the effort, and a reminder of how far a bit of patience and the right gear can take you in this hobby.
Acquisition details:
Gear used:
🔭 Omegon Advanced 150/750
⚙️ Skywatcher EQ5 Pro
📸 ZWO ASI224MC
Uranus, Oberon & Titania 17-01-2022
It took me three nights to finally track down Uranus using a mount without GoTo. Manually scanning the sky made it all the more rewarding when I finally spotted that pale blue green planet shining faintly in the distance.
What surprised me most was that not only did Uranus reveal itself, but I was also able to capture two of its moons: Titania and Oberon. I didn’t expect to see those, a really cool experience!
Acquisition details:
Gear used:
🔭 Omegon Advanced 150/750
⚙️ Omegon EQ-320
📸 ZWO ASI224MC