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Community photo entitled Storm and Moon in Quiet Balance by Jelieta Walinski Ph.D on 03/12/2026 at Desert Bloom Observatory, AZ, USA

Storm and Moon in Quiet Balance

On 03/12/2026 09:15 pm by Jelieta Walinski Ph.D | Website | Desert Bloom Observatory, AZ, USA

Tonight I share an image of Jupiter that feels like a small victory earned through patience. The Great Red Spot appears on the lower left side of the planet, while Io shines to the right—almost as if the tiny moon is balancing the great storm across the face of the giant world.
Jupiter’s bands reveal themselves like flowing rivers of cloud, storms layered within storms, shaped by powerful winds that circle the planet at hundreds of kilometers per hour. The Great Red Spot itself is a colossal hurricane larger than Earth, raging for centuries in Jupiter’s turbulent atmosphere.
Capturing planets is never easy. Focus shifts, the atmosphere trembles, and processing tests both patience and understanding. Many times the result is disappointing—but each attempt teaches something new. Tonight I remembered a simple truth that keeps me going: No pain, no gain.
With every image, the planet reveals a little more of its story.

>Telescope: Celestron EdgeHD 8
>Camera: ZWO-ASI2600MCPRO
>Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ-6R Pro Computerized Equatorial Mount S303000
>ZWO standard Electronic Automatic Focuser EAF-5V
>ZWO ASIAir Plus Wifi Camera Controller
>Tablet
>Memory Card

Image were processed in Autostakkert, sharpened in Registax and final editing in photoshop