When I first started observing telescopically two summers ago, Jupiter was my favorite target. On more than 40 clear nights I tracked the progress of the Galilean Moons by sketching them as many times as I could each night. Eventually I was able to tell them apart by comparing my sketches to their known orbital periods, and could roughly predict where each Moon would be each night.
Since discovering digital technology, I have sadly given up sketching Jupiter (the only thing I ever sketched at the eyepiece). For old time's sake, I sketched out the positions of the Moons last night when I first observed Jupiter, but subsequently switched the digitally capturing them. It may be my loss as an observer, but it also fun to look back through the pictures and video, find the best stuff, and put them all together. This was most of my night observing the Jovian system:
Since discovering digital technology, I have sadly given up sketching Jupiter (the only thing I ever sketched at the eyepiece). For old time's sake, I sketched out the positions of the Moons last night when I first observed Jupiter, but subsequently switched the digitally capturing them. It may be my loss as an observer, but it also fun to look back through the pictures and video, find the best stuff, and put them all together. This was most of my night observing the Jovian system:
I have a video to make of the Moon last night, but I'm having computer problems today, so I will produce and post it as soon as I can.
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