1542e 2013/10/18–19 19:00–20:15 EDT Foxmead E window 8 ne
Penumbral lunar eclipse
At maximum eclipse, at 19:50, there was a very slight shading visible around 5 o'clock on the Moon's face.
Temperature = 5.7°C
Friday, October 18, 2013
Monday, October 14, 2013
1541m 2013/10/13–14
1541m 2013/10/13–14 03:30–06:15 Foxmead E window 9 7x50b
Looking for Comet ISON (C/2012 S1), which is near Mars and Regulus this morning. I checked several times with 7x50 binoculars, and was able to see the stars in the chart below, but the comet was too faint, less than magnitude 7.3. I will need to try again another morning with more aperture.
Temperature = 3.2° C
Looking for Comet ISON (C/2012 S1), which is near Mars and Regulus this morning. I checked several times with 7x50 binoculars, and was able to see the stars in the chart below, but the comet was too faint, less than magnitude 7.3. I will need to try again another morning with more aperture.
Temperature = 3.2° C
Friday, October 11, 2013
1540n 2013/10/11–12
1540n 2013/10/11–12 00:30–01:05 Foxmead POD 9 28cmsc
Jupiter triple shadow transit
I started observing when Jupiter was very low (altitude 7.0°) so the seeing was poor, and there was a lot of atmospheric chromatic dispersion. As time went past, the seeing gradually became better, and Callisto's large shadow on the South Polar Region became evident, looking like a bite out of the disk. Finally, Io's shadow became clear at 01:03.
I had deliberately not checked the shadow positions before going to the eyepiece. On checking afterwards with Starry Night, it turns out that I had missed Europa's shadow completely! What I thought was Europa's shadow was probably a dark barge in the North Equatorial Belt. Oh well, two out of three isn't bad! Most of the observations were made at 175x. The seeing was not good enough to tolerate 255x.
[Starry Night reconstruction @ 01:03 EDT]
While Jupiter was rising, I also observed the Orion Nebula @70x, and Castor and 38 Geminorum at@ 255x. 38 Geminorum B had a definite violet tinge.
Temperature = 4.3°C
Jupiter triple shadow transit
I started observing when Jupiter was very low (altitude 7.0°) so the seeing was poor, and there was a lot of atmospheric chromatic dispersion. As time went past, the seeing gradually became better, and Callisto's large shadow on the South Polar Region became evident, looking like a bite out of the disk. Finally, Io's shadow became clear at 01:03.
I had deliberately not checked the shadow positions before going to the eyepiece. On checking afterwards with Starry Night, it turns out that I had missed Europa's shadow completely! What I thought was Europa's shadow was probably a dark barge in the North Equatorial Belt. Oh well, two out of three isn't bad! Most of the observations were made at 175x. The seeing was not good enough to tolerate 255x.
While Jupiter was rising, I also observed the Orion Nebula @70x, and Castor and 38 Geminorum at
Temperature = 4.3°C
1539e 2013/10/11–12
1539e 2013/10/11–12 21:35–22:25 Foxmead POD 9 28cmsc
Aligned on Fomalhaut and Capella.
Deep sky: M45, M31, M32, M110, M34, Double Cluster.
I knocked over the power bar, unplugging the mount, and had to realign, on Capella and Altair. Goto inaccurate, so I replaced Capella with Fomalhaut.
Uranus and Neptune as tiny disks at 70x. M31 and Aldebaran.
Getting cold, so came inside to warm up before Jupiter transit.
Temperature = 6.2°C, wisps of cloud.
Aligned on Fomalhaut and Capella.
Deep sky: M45, M31, M32, M110, M34, Double Cluster.
I knocked over the power bar, unplugging the mount, and had to realign, on Capella and Altair. Goto inaccurate, so I replaced Capella with Fomalhaut.
Uranus and Neptune as tiny disks at 70x. M31 and Aldebaran.
Getting cold, so came inside to warm up before Jupiter transit.
Temperature = 6.2°C, wisps of cloud.
1538d 2013/10/11
1538d 2013/10/11 16:20–16:30 Foxmead POD 9 28cmsc
I woke the telescope up after a long hibernation, nearly two months. It pointed to within 2 degrees of Venus, close to greatest elongation east. I synched the alignment on Venus, then slewed to the Moon, which was perfectly centred. I synched on the Moon. I tried to locate Mercury (also at greatest elongation east) but couldn't see it. Got rid of cobwebs and wasp nests in preparation for the triple shadow transit on Jupiter tonight.
Temperature = 20.2°C, deep blue sky.
I woke the telescope up after a long hibernation, nearly two months. It pointed to within 2 degrees of Venus, close to greatest elongation east. I synched the alignment on Venus, then slewed to the Moon, which was perfectly centred. I synched on the Moon. I tried to locate Mercury (also at greatest elongation east) but couldn't see it. Got rid of cobwebs and wasp nests in preparation for the triple shadow transit on Jupiter tonight.
Temperature = 20.2°C, deep blue sky.
Friday, August 16, 2013
1537e 2013/08/16–17
1537e 2013/08/16–17 20:30–22:40 Foxmead POD 8 28cmsc 10x50b
Aligned CPC1100 first on the Moon, then on Saturn, then slewed over to Venus, all at 70x. Mosquitoes were voracious, so I decided to go indoors to let them disperse.
Back out around 22:00, looking for Nova Delphinus 2013. I aligned the CPC more carefully on Altair and M27, which was very nice despite the bright Moon. Then I slewed to NGC 6905, a small planetary nebula, which was just visible in the moonlight. I observed it last 11 years ago. From there I starhopped to the Nova, which was shining brilliantly at around magnitude 5.4, as I later estimated using 10x50 binoculars. To confirm this, I had the scope go to the coordinates of the nova, and there it was again. This is the brightest novae in many years.
By then I was getting cold, so I parked the scope and closed up the observatory. The bright Moon and a slight haze in the sky made any further observation impossible.
Temperature: 14°C–9° C
Aligned CPC1100 first on the Moon, then on Saturn, then slewed over to Venus, all at 70x. Mosquitoes were voracious, so I decided to go indoors to let them disperse.
Back out around 22:00, looking for Nova Delphinus 2013. I aligned the CPC more carefully on Altair and M27, which was very nice despite the bright Moon. Then I slewed to NGC 6905, a small planetary nebula, which was just visible in the moonlight. I observed it last 11 years ago. From there I starhopped to the Nova, which was shining brilliantly at around magnitude 5.4, as I later estimated using 10x50 binoculars. To confirm this, I had the scope go to the coordinates of the nova, and there it was again. This is the brightest novae in many years.
By then I was getting cold, so I parked the scope and closed up the observatory. The bright Moon and a slight haze in the sky made any further observation impossible.
Temperature: 14°C–9° C
Monday, August 5, 2013
1536m 2013/08/05
1536m 2013/08/05 05:10–05:50 E-facing window 9 ne
A wonderfully clear bright morning! I rose at 05:10 and immediately spotted Jupiter. Mars was more difficult against the brightening dawn sky. Then bright Mercury cleared the trees at 05:12. When I looked again at 05:50, the slender crescent Moon was well above the trees, and I could just make out Mercury above it. Jupiter was still visible, but Mars was lost in the sky's brightness. Starry Night makes a nice composite of all these events as of 05:50:
Temperature: 9°C
A wonderfully clear bright morning! I rose at 05:10 and immediately spotted Jupiter. Mars was more difficult against the brightening dawn sky. Then bright Mercury cleared the trees at 05:12. When I looked again at 05:50, the slender crescent Moon was well above the trees, and I could just make out Mercury above it. Jupiter was still visible, but Mars was lost in the sky's brightness. Starry Night makes a nice composite of all these events as of 05:50:
Temperature: 9°C
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