All photos are © Marshall Faintich
Click on each picture for a larger image.
Mercury is so small and close to the sun that imaging more than just a featureless disk is beyond the capability of my equipment. Venus is completely cloud covered and therefore, seeing surface features with optical equipment is never possible. Both planets exhibit phases as seen from the Earth. Full resolution photos are shown here. |
Mercury 14 July 1991 Venus (gibbous phase) 28 February 2023 Venus (crescent phase) 6 July 2023 |
Seasonal variations on Mars produce changes in its northern and southern polar ice caps. Mars also exhibits shape phases as seen from Earth. Mars has two moons, Phobos and Deimos. |
Mars 1986-88 C/2022 E3 (ZTF) & Mars 10 February 2023 |
Mars 13 November 2022 |
Jupiter's surface is entirely gaseous, and various patterns in the atmosphere can be seen. The most prominent features are two dark bands and the giant red spot which is an enormous storm that has persisted for centuries. In 1989, one of Jupiter's distinctive bands faded away, and was visible again a few years later. |
Jupiter 1986-89 Jupiter 2022 Jupiter 1 September 2023 Jupiter 6 September 2023 |
Jupiter 2 October 2023 Jupiter 10 October 2023 Jupiter 23 October 2023 Jupiter 2-3 November 2023 |
Jupiter 3 November 2023 |
23 October 2023 2 November 2023 3 November 2023 |
25 September 1987 5 December 1989 7 September 2021 25 August 2022 | |||
8 September 2022 19 September 2022 5 October 2022 1 November 2022 | |||
9 November 2022 13 November 2022 1 September 2023 6 September 2023 |
Shadow of Europa on Jupiter 2 October 2023 When one of Jupiter's large moons is between the Sun and Jupiter, a shadow of the moon is cast on the surface of the planet. Shadow of Io on Jupiter 28 August 1986 |
Watch a short movie of the shadow of Europa moving across Jupiter on 2 October 2023 |
Comet Shoemaker–Levy broke apart in July 1992 and large pieces collided with Jupiter in July 1994, causing several large impact scars in the atmosphere that persisted for many months. In my photo taken on 22 July 1994, you can see dark impact scar areas at the top of the planet; two scars are just to the right of center and the other scar is near the left top edge. Scars from Comet Shoemaker–Levy 22 July 1994 |
Saturn has at least 83 moons. As seen from Earth, the tilt angle of its rings changes. Every 13 to 15 years, Earth passes through the plane of Saturn's rings, and when seen edge on, they almost disappear. |
Saturn 1986-89 Saturn 4 August 2023 Saturn 1 September 2023 | Saturn 5 September 2023 Saturn 2 October 2023 Saturn 3 November 2023 |
26 June 1987 1 September 2023 2 October 2023 |
3 November 2023 5 September 2023 shows Rhea movement between 23:02 and 23:59 |
Uranus and Neptune are so distant that imaging more than just a featureless disk is beyond the capability of my equipment. Full resolution photos are shown here. |
Uranus 8 November 2022 Neptune 23 March 1986 |
Jupiter & Venus 1 March 2023 Jupiter & Venus 1 March 2023 |
Moon and Jupiter 1 October 2023 Moon and Jupiter 13 March 2024 |