Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Astrophoto: Hi-Res Stereo Pair of Jupiter and the GRS

Astrophoto: Hi-Res Stereo Pair of Jupiter and the GRS:



A high resolution stereo pair of Jupiter and its Great Red Spot, captured on February 26, 2015. The two images were taken roughly five minutes apart. Credit and copyright: Damian Peach.


A high resolution stereo pair of Jupiter and its Great Red Spot, captured on February 26, 2015. The two images were taken roughly five minutes apart. Credit and copyright: Damian Peach.
Cross your eyes and take a look at this image. If you’re lucky, you will be treated to a wonderfully clear 3-D view of Jupiter and its Great Red Spot, without the aid of a stereoscope. Or — if you haven’t quite mastered the art of viewing stereo pairs — you might end up with eyestrain.

Prolific astrophotographer Damian Peach took these two shots roughly five minutes apart — which makes them a great candidate for creating a stereo pair.

“Inspired by a suggestion from Dr. Brian May,” Peach told Universe Today via email, “this is the first time I’ve had two excellent quality sets of data so close in time with the GRS right in the centre to attempt this. I completely reprocessed the data for both images to keep a soft natural appearance and to closely match the colour between them as possible.”

Peach also said he measured the size of the GRS at 15,500km in width.

Still trying to view this as a 3-D image? Try this suggestion from Oxford University:

Hold a finger a short distance in front of your eyes and stare at it. In the background you should see two copies of the stereo pair, giving four views altogether. Move your finger away from you until you see the middle two of the four images come together. You should now see just three images in the background. Try to direct your attention slowly toward the middle image without moving your eyes, and it should gradually come into focus.
See more of Peach’s great astrophotography at his website.



About 

Nancy Atkinson is currently Universe Today's Contributing Editor. Previously she served as UT's Senior Editor and lead writer, and has worked with Astronomy Cast and 365 Days of Astronomy. Nancy is also a NASA/JPL Solar System Ambassador.

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