Forthimage – Amateur Astronomy from Edinburgh
This website is an observing log and a place where I can post my images and observations. You can find more information about the equipment I use on the About/Equipment page and Papers I am co-author of.
Having imaged many of the obvious objects I find it more satisfying now to contribute data to various projects.
I am currently (President after 4 years) Secretary and Webmaster of the Astronomical Society of Edinburgh and some of my pictures are displayed on their Flickr page.
I contribute data to the HOYS citizen science project, ExoClock, BAA Mars and VSS sections, AAVSO, GMN, UKMON, as well as others. You can now see my meteor camera data on the Meteor Camera page. MPC code Y81.
Mark
Recent posts
Crescent Moon & Venus conjunction 2026-06-17
Canon 600D 300m kit lens
Earthshine and Pleiades
Venus only 5° away (not shown)
Eratosthenes ASERO scope
First Moon image from the SCT added to ASERO in Spain that I setup.
| Object ID | Moon / Eratosthenes |
| Details | 2026-03-27 20:28 UT |
| Telescope | C11 Edge HD, 2x Powermate 5600mm fl |
| Camera | PlayerOne Uranus-C Pro |
| Filters | L |
| Exposure(s) | 11x60s 140fps |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS!4, WinJUPOS, WaveSharp4, Photoshop |
Jupiter 2026
All general Jupiter images in 2026.
Aristillus, Autolycus and Montes Caucasus
| Object ID | Aristillus, Autolycus and Montes Caucasus |
| Details | 2026-03-25 22:00 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | PlayerOne Mars-C II |
| Filters | L |
| Exposure(s) | 83s fps .ser |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS4!, WaveSharp 4, PS |
Lunar ‘V’ and Rima Hyginus
| Object ID | Lunar ‘V’ and Rima Hyginus |
| Details | 2026-03-25 21:58 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | PlayerOne Mars-C II |
| Filters | L |
| Exposure(s) | 83s fps .ser |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS4!, WaveSharp 4, PS |
Lunar Alps in shadow
Sun just catching the peaks of the Lunar Alps and keeping the Alpine Valley in shadow.
| Object ID | Lunar Alps, Alpine Valley Aristotenes, Eudoxus |
| Details | 2026-03-25 21:28 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | PlayerOne Mars-C II |
| Filters | L |
| Exposure(s) | 83s fps .ser |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS4!, WaveSharp 4, PS |
Lunar X
| Object ID | Lunar X |
| Details | 2026-03-25 21:32 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | PlayerOne Mars-C II |
| Filters | L |
| Exposure(s) | 83s fps .ser |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS4!, WaveSharp 4, PS |
Bessel rays across Mare Serenitatis
| Object ID | Bessel, Mare Serenitatis |
| Details | 2026-03-25 |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | PlayerOne Mars-C II |
| Filters | L |
| Exposure(s) | 83s fps .ser |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS4!, WaveSharp 4, PS |
Plato craterlets and Alpine Valley
Not great seeing
| Object ID | Plato craterlets, Alpine Valley fault |
| Details | 2026-02-28 18:58 UT |
| Telescope | 250mm f4.8 Newtonian |
| Camera | PlayerOne Mars-C II |
| Filters | L |
| Exposure(s) | 120s 104 fps .ser |
| Capture | FireCapture |
| Processing | AS4!, WaveSharp 4, PS |
Oval BA 2012 – 2026
Discovered I had this feature in my archives and how it has changed over the years. It really did seem to be a mini GRS, almost as red as the GRS itself, but recently it has barely any red at all and has faded quite a lot.
Oval BA is a red storm in Jupiter’s southern hemisphere similar in form to, though smaller than, the Great Red Spot (it is often affectionately referred to as “Red Spot Jr.”, “Red Jr.” or “The Little Red Spot”). A feature in the South Temperate Belt, Oval BA was first seen in 2000 after the collision of three small white storms, and has intensified since then.
The formation of the three white oval storms that later merged into Oval BA can be traced to 1939, when the South Temperate Zone was torn by dark features that effectively split the zone into three long sections. Jovian observer Elmer J. Reese labeled the dark sections AB, CD, and EF. The rifts expanded, shrinking the remaining segments of the STZ into the white ovals FA, BC, and DE. Ovals BC and DE merged in 1998, forming Oval BE. Then, in March 2000, BE and FA joined, forming Oval BA.
Wikipedia
Jupiter 2025-12-30
First of the season for me. Got the eADC to work prooperly which makes a hughe difference.
10x60s videos derotated. First time I’ve had detail on one of the Moons.
Bad seeing comparison from a few days later. This shows dramatic difference seeing makes: same amount of data (10x60s videos), equipment and processing. The one on the right had to be hammered with sharpening to get anything much out of it. The one on the left needed only light sharpening.
Saturn 2025-12-30
First Saturn of the season.
- FireCapture
- AS4!
- waveSharp 3
- PS




























































