One of the most sought objectives by amateurs astronomers (apart from the apochromatic triplet of 20 cm  f/5... ) is undoubtedly the attainment of good contrast and high resolution colour photos of the external planets (Mars, Jupiter, Saturn); and already some of the most advanced amateurs have done it with extraordinary results.

The attainment of these objectives should not be, nevertheless, the ultimate goal, as there are other interesting experiences that can be performed based on photographs thus obtained.

The most common, and very well spread and known experience, is to combine a long series of photos with the purpose of simulating the rotation of the planets. This technique is known as "animation".

Another technique, maybe not properly appreciated so far, (and I ask myself why) is to combine two photographs obtained at more or less long time intervals, with the purpose of obtaining stereoscopic images of the planets ("stereo view").

This one is quite simple. In the case of Jupiter, for example, that spins around itself quite quickly, a rotation of only 15 degrees (that takes around 25 minutes) is enough to obtain a stereoscopic image. To see Jupiter rotating 15 degrees is in fact equivalent to a shift of 15 degrees along its orbit, with what a sufficiently big basis is obtained in order to get an impressive stereo effect.

Consequently, there is another interesting possibility, of which application I have no news, and that I consider rather innovative: to combine animation with stereo view.

This should be quite simple: in a large series of photographs there are in fact all the elements necessary to attain both objectives. When combining both animations it is only enough to pay attention to leave between them a slight displacement (a fraction of a second, to be determined empirically). The result should be a "stereo animation".

Personally I have had these ideas since long time ago, but for contingent reasons of different nature, I have never had the possibility of attaining them.

Therefore, my intention is only to spread these suggestions to other amateurs, who have the interest and possibility of doing it, so that they may try by themselves, with the recommendation to use the crossed view technique. Don't make the mistake of undermining the capability of the readers to attain it.

The use of a stereoscopic viewer, or that of the complementary colours, are not,  from my point of view, the most suitable to this aim.

See for this purpose, in this site, my article on binocular vision.