We have reported on Dr. Joseph M. Zawodny’s work previously in this blog. Today, I have just come across this magnificent little photo of Jupiter that he has published to his flickr account.

Joseph writes:

Seeing was not as good as a few days ago and transparency was low. The sky was hazy with thin clouds and quite brightly lit by urban lights. After rechecking the ephemeris, I see that there should have been a visible transit of Ganymede during this imaging session. Frankly, I did not see it then and can’t really see it in this image either.

Equipment: TEC 140 at 4x (3920mm fl @ f/28), DBK 31AF03 and IDAS LPS P2 filter. 500 of 500 images were stacked in Registax.

As mentioned in a previous blog post, we have teamed up with BBC magazine Sky at Night to bring you a competition in which you can win one of three astronomy cameras, manufactured by The Imaging Source.

We are offering three prizes: 1x DMK 41AF02.AS as the main prize and 2x DMK 21AF04.AS as the runners up prizes.

The competition closes on September 17, 2007.

If you know the answer to the following question, go to the competition site and participate.

What is the maximum exposure time of the DMK 41AF02.AS monochrome camera?

Only six days remain, so enter today!

All of The Imaging Source astronomy cameras ship with the camera control software IC Capture.AS.

Using IC Capture.AS, you can:

• Set all camera parameters.
• See the live image data stream from the camera.
• Retrieve singular images from the camera and save them as BMP or JPG files.
• Capture image sequences and save the single images as enumerated BMP or JPG files.
• Capture image sequences and save them as lossless, uncompressed AVI files.

However, IC Capture.AS is not the only software, which can be used with The Imaging Source astronomy cameras. The following 3rd party software packages are also compatible:

• Astro_IIDC
• AVIRAW
• Guidemaster
• K3CCD Tools
• MaximDL
• Metaguide
• PHD Guiding
• RegiStax

And the following packages are being updated so that they will soon be compatible:

• AstroSnap
• Lucam Recorder (available towards the end of 2007)

Please note that only IC Capture.AS is officially supported by The Imaging Source. Please contact the authors of the 3rd party software for support.

For eleven years running, The Great Lakes Association of Astronomy Clubs (or GLAAC), a loose association of amateur Astronomy Clubs in Southeastern Michigan, band together in order to provide an enjoyable family oriented activities that focus on Astronomy and Space Sciences.

GLAAC educates others through talks, star parties, and resource sharing with the general public and more specifically, local schools, scouts, and the like. Astronomy at the Beach is their premiere event this year is showcased with a special lecture entitled “To The Moon: The Orion Manned Program” by NASA’s own Rob Landis.

We at The Imaging Source are proud to announce that John Kirchoff of Rider’s Hobby Shop-Livonia, an event sponsor, will both participate in the activities and conduct product demonstrations of the DMK 21AF04.AS and IC Capture.AS software. If you are in the Southeastern Michigan area, stop by and check out The Next Generation of Astronomy Cameras by The Imaging Source!

The Widescreen Centre, in London, UK is a family owned and run business and has been since they started in 1971.

They are fully independent and deal with all the major brands in their specialists’ areas.

As of September 2007, The Widescreen Centre now sells The Imaging Source astronomy cameras and, in addition, offer highly competent after-sales service.

Below is an advert that will be appearing in the next edition of Astronomy Now and BBC Sky at Night magazines.

Simon M. Bennett, the managing director of The Widescreen Centre, will be demonstrating The Imaging Source astronomy cameras at the upcoming Star Party, which will be held at Kelling Heath in Norfolk, on September 14, 2007.

We will post more about the Star Party as and when it happens. Watch this space