(updated 2012-Dec-23)
Jovian Extinction Event (JEE) Main Page
Modeling the Jovian dust field, moon atmospheres, flux
tubes and Io’s Torus through JEE
Principle Investigator: Scott Degenhardt scotty@scottysmightymini.com
NEW! Join the JEE Yahoo Discussion Group
Subscribe:
JEE_Talk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Unsubscribe:
JEE_Talk-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
JEE2013 Call for
Observers
JEE2012 (archived) Call for observers
Predictions of
window of opportunities of Jovian Extinction Events in PDF format:
(NOTE: If you downloaded
predictions prior to November 4, 2012 you will need to download the new and
improved Version 2)
JEE2012
JEE2013
JEE2014
Conjunction JEE Window of Opportunities
potentially measuring moon atmospheric dust, flux tubes, occultations,
eclipses, and stellar conjunction timings:
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/CJEE.htm
Self extinction of Io as it traverses the tips of the Torus Tips of Io: http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/ITTJEE.htm
Extinction of objects
as they pass behind Io’s Torus Tips:
under construction
JEE FAQ:
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/JEE2012_FAQ.htm
Archived predictions:
Complete
prediction kit through Aug 2012: http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/JEE2012_Jun_Aug.zip
Summary table of events through
Aug 2012: http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/JEE2012_Jun_Aug_Table.htm
**
Preliminary RESULTS of all JEE Observing Programs **
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/results/
JEE2013 Call for Observers
As
Jupiter’s orbit ever so slowly closes towards edge on in late 2014, JEE events
will have ever smaller separations between the Jovian moon conjunctions and
near eclipses. JEE2012 showed us once again what all past observing Campaigns have
shown, we are in unchartered territory and surprises in our lightcurves
abound and need much more additional data.
2013
opens up with what I like to call the “Quarter of Io”. The geometry of the
conjunctions of Io and Europa are such that starting in January and leading up
to the April 4th UT conjunction of I-II the separations will get so
close that we may skim the upper atmosphere of Io with extinction measurements.
Using Europa as the probe for Io’s surrounding dust and gas field we will look
for dimming as Europa passes behind Io line of sight to within 8 Io radii where
we measured Io’s extinctive part of its atmosphere to in IAEP2009 and JEE2010.
Add to that the excitement of JEE2012 showing us all new anomalies that may be
material streaming through the flux tubes of moons connected to Jupiter’s
poles, we may get repeated measurements of this new anomaly with this fortuitous
close geometry. Pay special attention in the predictions for all events where I
is in front and II is in back.
After
the April 4th I-II conjunction I and II begin separating in distance
of their closest approach with each conjunction until later when Jupiter’s
orbit closes more. But then the Summer of 2013 belongs
to Europa. Starting in early June Europa will be in front with Io in back being
the probe for Europa’s dust and gas, and the conjunctions will get within 20
Europa radii where we measured Europa’s equatorial extinction to extend to.
Starting in early June 2013 pay special attention in the predictions for all
events where II is in front and I is in back.
Towards
the end of 2013 every conjunction gets closer and closer until September of
2014 when the bodies of the moons actually occult each other and JEE data will
be plentiful with each event. Record any part you can within a JEE event window
of opportunity. Place high priority on events with smaller arc seconds of
separation, especially when those separations are less than 20”. These measurements
outside of occultations as the bodies are further
apart are still important for placing outer limits and boundaries on Jovian
dust and gas distribution.
Remember
also that Io transits its Torus Tip once a day and suffers self extinction
during those tip transits.
You
can get the latest discussions on JEE work on the new Yahoo JEE_Talk
Discussion Group:
JEE_Talk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Predictions
through 2014, past results, and additional information about how to observe and
submit data of JEE can be found at:
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/
Scott Degenhardt
Santa Fe, NM USA
Jovian Extinction Event Principle Investigator
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/JEE_Talk/
***JEE2012 Extended Call for Observers***
The initial JEE2012 Observing
Campaign yielded new and repeatable anomalies. During this Campaign we were
probing the outer limits of the atmosphere of Europa. We found initially that
the expected extinction rates based on a 1st order assumption of a
spherical distribution of dust did not exist in the north polar region of
Europa. Instead of finding a linear type of extinction rate there were spikes
in the dimming of the moon passing behind Europa that at the moment appear to
potentially be caused by the walls of the flux tube(s) that connect Jupiter to
Europa. In an effort to verify if the source of these brief dimming are from
the walls of the flux tubes I have generated predictions through 2014 of what I
am now calling “JEE Window of Opportunities”. Using JPL ephemeris I have
created a macro that tells me when any of the four major Jovian moons are
within 30 radii of the moon closest to earth (i.e. in front) at the time of
this conjunction. Since the orbits of the Jovian moon are not edge on until
2014 each of these conjunctions will allow us to trace out the flow tubes via
extinction from far above each moon to the equator of each moon as we get close
to edge on in. Then as the orbit of the moons opens up in the opposite
orientation we will be able to use these conjunctions to trace out the flux
tubes below the moons. These conjunctions will both validate the new anomaly
source as the flux tubes and provide us new measurements, or it will refute
this theory. Given the surprisingly brief minima of this new anomaly (on the
order of a few minutes) it seems essential that all imaging be done via video,
which provides streams of images instead of CCD which is usually spaced out
over time and may miss one of these brief minima. But ANY images are accepted.
Also a surprise during the
initial JEE2012 Campaign was that despite the 3 degree tilt in Io’s orbit it
still suffered extinction as it traversed the tips of its Torus. The extinction
amount is less than when the Torus material is edge on, but it is still
detectable. Io crosses either its eastern or western Torus Tip every single
day, so endless opportunities exist to make these
measurements. And as we go through edge on orbit in the following years we
should see the amount of extinction peak at edge on and then diminish as the
orbit of Io opens the other way. We also may have detected a pattern in the
extinction that represents banding, or clumping of the material as predicted in
some papers that might be there due to magnetic waves from Jupiter. These
banding effects in the lightcurve are also on the order of 10 minutes from a
peak to a minima, so high time resolution provided by
video is valuable. Spectral data is highly desirable but will be difficult due
to the very thin amount of material causing extinction. It would appear though
that the Torus Tip extinction events are visible at all times every day of
every year. So expect unending predictions of Io Torus Tip Jovian Extinction
Events (ITTJEE).
** Preliminary
RESULTS of all JEE Observing Programs **
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/results/
Publications, presentations, PR:
IOTA2012 Annual Meeting: presentation of JEE2012 Observing Campaign Preliminary Results:
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/JEE2012_PreliminaryResults_IOTA2012.zip
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/JEE2012_PreliminaryResults_IOTA2012.pdf (if viewing PDF one animation will not work. Click here to view animation)
Degenhardt, S. et. al (2010), Io and Europa Atmosphere Detection through Jovian Mutual Events, The Society for Astronomical Science: Proceedings for the 29th Annual Symposium on Telescope Science, p. 91-100
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/SAS2010_Io_Europa_Degenhardt.pdf
2010 SAS Conference: Io and Europa Atmosphere Detection through Jupiter Mutual Events Power Point Presentation files:
http://scottysmightymini.com/SAS2010/SAS2010IoEuropaDegenhardt.zip
YouTube video in four parts of the SAS 2010 Power Point Presentation:
Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJE_V9Jysto
Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BFRpbTc748
Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02s4KIZ55NE
Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UECOxlFKLVI
Photo gallery (Equipment, faces, and fun!):
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/photos.htm
(under construction)
JEE
Schematic Diagram
Sample data set of a reduction from 2009-Sep-01 Io occultation of
Europa.
Introduction
The
next Jovian Mutual Event season (JME) is still almost two years away. But the
interaction of the Jovian moons is upon us. In July and August there are
multiple opportunities to record dimmings of Jovian
moons via extinction of their light by the atmospheres of other moons and/or by
the dust and gas material in the Torus of Io. Using a moon passing behind
another moon, the light from the moon in the rear can be used to probe the
material of the moon in front of it by measuring the loss of light or
extinction of the rear moon’s light via the material in front that it is
passing behind.
Europa's atmosphere is documented to extend out to about 25 Europa radii from
its surface. There will be numerous conjunctions, or close misses of Europa
with Io and Ganymede over the next several months. These conjunctions do not
involve occultation or JMEs. This means with the right magnification the two
moons will remain separate light sources and not merge so that one can do
photometry on each moon individually. these eliminate
the problems of merging intensities (although when dealt with properly, merging
intensities are not really a problem). Our previous study of
JMEs and JEEs have shown that the source of dimming in these events is
the moon that is behind the moon possessing a known tenuous atmosphere. The
upcoming conjunction JEEs provide the best opportunity to document this
extinction phenomenon and give rise to the possibility of inverting the
lightcurve to produce a 3D model of the dust and gasses in the Jovian system.
Out at the tips of the Torus of Io the material in this torus is collimated to
our line of sight from earth so that when Io is behind the tips it is
experiencing the extinction from a 200 Io radii column of dust and gas. We have
made past observations showing the dimming from this amount of material is detectable
in amateur scopes.
JEE2012 is a great opportunity for amateur and professional astronomers to work
together to accomplish something no one thought was possible. That is to
actually detect and measure the tenuous atmospheres surrounding some of the
moons of Jupiter as well as this same material that is captured in a torus ring
around Jupiter, called the Torus of Io. The most exciting aspect of this
project is since the moons of Jupiter are bright compared to most astronomical
endeavors, the JEE work can be done in the smallest of telescopes, putting the
ability to accomplish a real scientific measurement in virtually anybody’s
hands. We have documented measurements of Io’s atmosphere in a small 80mm finderscope. Thus even the simplest amateur astronomer can
perform some of the same measurements that our space probes have done flying
out to Jupiter, and at a significant fraction of the cost.
A complete current prediction kit through Aug 2102 is available here:
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/JEE2012_Jun_Aug.zip
It is important to note that I have developed a better prediction method which
gives one a predicted lightcurve so one has a basis to know when and how long
to observe. It is also important to notice that many of the upcoming events are
6 to 10 hours long and Jupiter is not currently visible for that long in any
one location. So it will be important to get as many observations as possible
from different locations in order to make a complete lightcurve.
Jovian Extinction
Event Predictions:
Scott
Degenhardt June
15, 2012
Send
data correspondence to scotty@scottysmightymini.com
http://scottysmightymini.com/JEE/
Predictions
Excel macro program:
Ephemeris Source:
http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons.cgi
Solar
System Dynamics Group, Horizons On-Line Ephemeris System
4800
Oak Grove Drive, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Pasadena, CA 91109
USA
Information: http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/
Connect
: telnet://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov:6775 (via browser)
telnet
ssd.jpl.nasa.gov 6775 (via command-line)
Author
: Jon.Giorgini@jpl.nasa.gov
Stellar JEE occultation predictions using Occult 4, Herald,
D. et. al
Jovian Moon
Configuration Graphic:
Guide 8 by Bill Gray
Other
Modeling tools:
Starry
Night 2007
Orion
Special Edition
https://support.simulationcurriculum.com/home
Microsoft Excel macro developed by
Scott Degenhardt
The IAEP
team and data from that study:
Scott
Degenhardt, S. Aguirre, M. Hoskinson, A. Scheck, B. Timerson
T.
Redding
J.
Talbot
Return to scottysmightymini page