Webcam Imaging of Mercury's Rotation, Amateur images of Mercury Options

[jsheff]

Hi, all,

A fellow amateur astronomer in the Boston area, John Boudreau, has been getting some neat images of Mercury, including some that show longitudes not mapped by Mariner 10. He's put together a few of them into a movie that shows Mercury's rotation and changing phase.

Before you go to check out the link, I'd like to remind you that this was all done using a backyard telescope and an inexpensive webcam - equipment readily affordable to hobbyists, using image stacking techniques that were pioneered by amateur astronomers, and that are now being refined by people like John. And perhaps most remarkably, his imaging was done from sites in the densely-populated suburb of Saugus, Mass. - not exactly an area known for dark skies and good seeing!

http://home.comcast.net/~jeboud/mercury.htm

- John Sheff
Cambridge, MA

[tasp]

Like riding along with MESSENGER and looking back at Mercury after the first flyby coming up soon.

Thanks, really whets the appetite for the upcoming show in January.

I think upcoming missions frequently inspire excellent work from the (not so) amatuer community.

[tedstryk]

I would suggest looking at some of the other planetary images on his site. The Mercury ones are good, but so are his shots of the other planets.

[ElkGroveDan]

I would suggest looking at some of the other planetary images on his site. The Mercury ones are good, but so are his shots of the other planets.

I agree. This guy has some amazing work up there. The detail in his these images is astounding. The Jupiter image is really something. Thanks John for posting this.