David's Astronomy Pages
Solar System (CCD Gallery)

Observations - Moon
 Moon
  Image Gallery
Image
Gallery
 
Home
Page
  Observations - Asteroids
Asteroids
 
Star
Sun
 
Inner Planets
Mercury
Venus
Earth
Mars
 
Outer Planets
Jupiter
Jupiter's Moons
Saturn 
Saturn's Moons
Uranus
Neptune
  
Dwarf Planets
(1) Ceres
(134340) Pluto
(136472) Makemake  {previously 2005 FY9}
(136108) Haumea  {previously 2003 EL61}
(136199) Eris  {previously 2003 UB313}
(136199) Eris  {previously 2003 UB313}
 
Candidate Dwarf Planets
 

Star


Sun

Our local star, the Sun
Sun through solar filter, visual light
(visible features : photosphere, limb darkening, sunspot (944) )

 

CCD Image Mosaic 
0.11s exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, Solar Filter + V filter  
2007-02-14 14:06h UT (#179116-45)
[ Details of Sun - Mosaic Imaging & Construction ]
[ see equivalent SOHO/MDI Image for Mar 02
 
Sun Spot 944 (detail)
visible features : 
Umbra
: The darkest, coolest portion of sunspot.  
Penumbra: lighter colored halo surrounding the central umbra
CCD Image (300% size)
0.3s exposure, 2x2 binning, Solar Filter + V filter  
2007-02-14 14:18h UT (#179156)

Back to Top


Inner Planets


Mercury

Mercury
no CCD image available 

Back to Top


Venus

Venus (69% phase Mag -4.1)
 
CCD Image, 0.11 sec exposure, lunar filter
2004-02-19  19:27 h UT (#58044)
8" LX200 operating at f/7)

Back to Top


Mars

Mars - close to Opposition (2003)
(phase 99.6%, 25.0 arc min diameter)
8" SCT operating at F/29 through eyepiece projection
0.25 sec exposure. Unfiltered. Unsharp masked.
Image Scale 0.31 arc sec/pixel 
(equivalent to surface scale of 85 km/pixel)
2003-08-23  00:32:04 h UT (#52117)

 

Mars  - near Opposition (2005)
diameter 20 arc secs, taken with Barlow lens,  f/31, 
0.29 arc sec/pixel, rotated to show N pole at top

 CCD Image -  Approximate Colour
Red : 5 x 1s, Green : 5 x 1s  Blue : 15 x 2s
aligned, stacked & colour combined, 
unsharp masked
2005-11-04  22:50 h UT (#103001-25)
  CCD Image - Clear Filter
24 x 0.11s
aligned & stacked ,
unsharp masked
2005-11-04  23:12 h UT (#103068-92)
 

Back to Top


Outer Planets


Jupiter

Jupiter (2002) Jupiter revolution over 1 hour
2002-03-01  23:18hUT
CCD Image, 0.3 sec exposure (#18089)
Heavy unsharp marking
8"/f10 SCT with Barlow
2002-03-01  23:14 to 00:07hUT
Sequence of CCD Images, 
0.3 sec exposure (#18084 et al)
Heavy unsharp marking
8"/f10 SCT with Barlow

 

Jupiter and main moons

2002-03-07  21:08hUT
CCD Image, 1 sec exposure (#19041)
8"/f10 SCT
animated sequence of CCD Images of Io Occulation 2002-03-07).

Back to Top


Saturn

CCD Image of Saturn
2001-Oct-31 (#8043)

 

2001-11-09, 01:03h UT (#10022)
Six of Saturn's moons appear in this CCD Image (2 sec exposure)
(click on an image for details & larger view)

Back to Top


Uranus

Uranus, Oberon and Titania

 

Uranus + the moons Oberon and Titania
2002-09-13  00:13 to 00:15h UT
CCD Image, 4 x 30 sec exposure (2x2 binning)
11.4 x 7.6 arc min  (#25068-72)
(Notes on Identification of Uranian Moons)
Oberon has a calibrated Magnitude of +14.7 +/- 0.2

Back to Top


Neptune

Neptune + the moon Triton
2002-09-23  21:32 to 21:34h UT
CCD Image, 5 x 15 sec exposure (2x2 binning)
11.4 x 7.6 arc min  (#27018-22)
 
Neptune + the moon Triton
(Neptune mag +7.9, Triton est. mag +13.0)
2002-09-23  21:34 to 21:36h UT
CCD Image, 5 x 15 sec exposure (1x1 binning)
3.3 x 2.3 arc min  (#27023-27)

Back to Top


Dwarf Planets


(1) Ceres

Dwarf Planet (1) Ceres
(moving through Cetus at the time)
Ceres has a diameter of about 950 km 
and is the closest dwarf planet to the Sun
Annotated CCD Image, 
3 x 20 sec exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C Filter
2007-12-06  01:38h UT (#239172-74)
  
Animation showing motion of 1 Ceres over 85 minutes
CCD Image Animation (2 frames)
3 x 20 sec exposure (average combine), 
2x2 binning, C Filter, Linear Scale
2007-12-06  00:13h UT (#239125-27)
2007-12-06  01:38h UT (#239172-74)

Back to Top


(134340) Pluto 

Dwarf Planet (134340) Pluto 
(moving through Ophiuchus)
Pluto has a diameter of roughly 2,390 km
Animated sequence of CCD images taking over 3 days.
Motion recorded as 0.83 arc min per day.
2003-08-02  to 2003-08-05 
8.5 x 6.7 arc mins 

Back to Top


(136472) Makemake {previously 2005 FY9}

Dwarf Planet (136472) Makemake
Makemake is the third largest dwarf planet in the solar system 
with diameter of approximately 1,500 km
(it was previously known as 2005 FY9)
No CCD Image
  
  

Back to Top


(136108) Haumea  {previously 2003 EL61}

Dwarf Planet (136108) Haumea 
(passing through starfield in Coma Berenices) 
Estimated Mag 17.3  (mag limit of image +18.5)
Haumea (was 2003 EL61) is the third largest known 
object in the Kuiper Belt, with a diameter of ~1500 km

 

Annotated CCD Image 
10 x 180s exposure (average combine), 2x2 binning, C filter,  
2007-03-15  22:38h UT (#183238-47)

[ Goto Image taken 5 day later ]

 

MPL 2003 EL61

 

CCD Image 
Image details as above

Back to Top


(136199) Eris  {previously 2003 UB313}

Dwarf Planet (136199) Eris   
Possible observation of Eris on 2009-09-20, lying in starfield in Cetus

Faint object marked by cross-hairs lies at the  forecast position of Eris on 2009-09-20 
has approximately the  correct magnitude (+18.3 measured vs. +18.7 predicted)
and is not present on a DSS Reference Image.

Eris is the largest known object in the Kuiper Belt with estimated diameter of 2,500 km
(it was previously known at 2003 UB313)
The bright star in the image is HIP 7802 (mag  +8.8)
Annotated CCD Image (cropped) 
18 x 60 sec (average median combine),  3x3 binning, C Filter
2009-09-20 00:08 h UT  (#389461-80)
12" LX200R  (at f/5.7) + ST-10XME
  
  (136199 Eris) - higher contrast image 
18 minutes total exposure, sum combined
Negative CCD Image (cropped) 
18 x 60 sec (sum combine),  3x3 binning, C Filter
2009-09-20 00:08 h UT  (#389461-80)
12" LX200R  (at f/5.7) + ST-10XME
   
136199 Eris - Image Detail (2009-09-20) DSS Reference Image 
Negative CCD Image (cropped)
237% size enlargement
18 x 60 sec (sum combine),  
3x3 binning, C Filter
2009-09-20 00:08 h UT  (#389461-80)
12" LX200R  (at f/5.7) + ST-10XME
Negative Reference Image (cropped)
DSS-2-Red Survey
[ http://archive.eso.org/dss/dss ]

Back to Top


Candidate Dwarf Planets

There are a number of other bodies that are candidate dwarf planets. These include

- (4) Vesta
- (90377) Sedna
- (50000) Quaoar
- (90482) Orcus
- (28978) Ixion
- (55565) 2002 AW197

Minor planet 4 Vesta
Animated sequence of 2 CCD Images showing motion of 4 Vesta (Mag +7.5) 
over a 53 minute period in constellation of Taurus.

(click on an image for details & larger view)
2002-01-17
CCD Images, two 30 sec exposures (#16019 & 16058)
7.5 x 5.8 arc min
  
2002-01-17
CCD Image, 30 sec exposures (#16018)
11.1 x 7.4 arc min

Back to Top


This Web Page: Solar System (Image Gallery)
Last Updated : 2009-10-03
Site Owner : David Richards
Home Page : David's Astronomy Web Site