Stephen McAllister, a physics teacher from Port Glasgow, Scotland, has captured breathtaking images of Jupiter and its moon Io using his smartphone and a budget-friendly telescope.
A dedicated amateur astrophotographer from Scotland has captured breathtakingly clear images of Jupiter and its moon Io, all from the comfort of his own garden. Stephen McAllister, a physics teacher from Port Glasgow, gained internet fame last year after sharing stunning photos of space taken using his smartphone and an affordable £80 telescope purchased from Aldi.
Now, relying on his reliable equipment, Stephen has managed to capture a remarkable image of Jupiter and its fourth-largest moon, Io. Despite the challenging weather conditions across the UK last week, Stephen seized the opportunity on Friday, January 10th, to capture the stellar shot, remarking that 'good things come to those who wait.' 'I don't think that was specifically written for astrophotographers, but with the weather being as fickle as it was in 2024 it feels like it could have been!' he added. '2025 seems to be shaping up better though already.'Stephen expressed his joy at capturing the image from his own backyard, stating, 'I lucked out last week with four clear frosty nights on the bounce and one of those was set aside for the 'king of the solar system', the big gas giant. 'Quite often I am loading up the car with gear to head out the back of beyond, but I was able to shoot it from my own garden for a change which my spine was grateful for.' To achieve this impressive shot, Stephen took multiple one-minute video clips and then meticulously stacked the best 50% of 1800 frames using Autostakkert imaging software. Subsequent post-processing was done using a free image processing software called Registax. Stephen affectionately refers to his 'planet killer' scope, a Maksutov Cassegrain telescope nicknamed 'MC Hammer,' as 'a really heavy beast, but when he is on his game nobody can touch him.'Luckily for those who missed the chance to witness the gas giant, Stephen assures that Jupiter will remain visible throughout the rest of the month. 'Jupiter reached opposition on the 7th of December and was at its brightest that night,' Stephen added. 'Jupiter will steadily recede and fade over the next few months, but it will still be fairly well placed for viewing in January and February.
Astrophotography Jupiter Io Scotland Telescope Amateur Astronomer
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