Jupiter without its Southern Equatorial Belt

The Southern Equatorial Belt (SEB) started to fade during the latter part of 2009 and completely disappeared around May of 2010. It is believed that bright ammonia clouds obscure the dark belt at irregular intervals. The SEB previously vanished in 2007. The belt returned around November 2010. North is up in this image.

Philips ToUcam Pro II - PCVC 840K, 640x480, IR Rejection Filter, Televue 2.5X Powermate, 8-inch Celestron Super C-8 Schmidt-Cassagrain at f/25, Losmandy G-11 Gemini EQ mount, Processed with Registax 5.1 and Adobe Photoshop, ATMoB Clubhouse, Westford, MA, 28 August 2010.