One picture of Jupiter may be worth a thousand words, but what about more than half a million?
Veteran astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy of Arizona revealed this stunning image of Jupiter this month on Sept. 17 after capturing his best view yet of the giant planet this month. But what you see is not just a single image, it is a mixture of hundreds of thousands of images.
McCarthy wrote on Twitter (Opens in a new tab) While sharing the photo on Sept 17. “This photo was taken with an 11-inch telescope and a camera I usually use for deep-sky work.” You can see more photos of McCarthy on his Instagram page embed the tweet (Opens in a new tab) In addition to his astronomical website (Opens in a new tab).
Related: See Jupiter at its closest to Earth since 1963
McCarthy uses software to stack multiple photos taken during a night sky photo session and the results are amazing. He used a similar technique to take a “ridiculously detailed” picture of the moon that took months. He said Jupiter is always a great target for the camera’s eye.
“Sightings of Jupiter never age,” McCarthy told Space.com in a statement. It is a wonderful planet.” “And while the number of photos seems like a lot, I was shooting them at 80 frames per second, so it went through relatively quickly.” He added that it took about two hours to take the photos.
“Conditions were very good that night, so I saw the planet in much more detail than usual, and that was very exciting,” McCarthy added.
Watching Jupiter never ages. It is a wonderful planet.
– Andrew McCarthy
Jupiter will be in opposition for 2022 on September 26, making this the best time to observe the giant planet this year. It can be easily seen with the naked eye as a bright light in the eastern night sky.
This year, the planet’s opposition will show Jupiter’s closest approach to Earth in 59 years. It will be 367 million miles (591 million km) away, its closest point to Earth since 1963.
If you’re hoping to get a better look at Jupiter in the future and are looking for equipment to help you, check out our guides for the best binoculars and the best telescopes for spotting the giant planet and other celestial landmarks.
To capture the best pictures of Jupiter, don’t miss our recommendations for the best astrophotography cameras and best lenses for astrophotography. Here are our tips on astrophotography for beginners to get you started.
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