MORNING CONJUNCTION

Location:  Driveway by the boat and front yard in Little Lepreau, NB

Date Time:  October 8, 2015 0500-0730hrs

Weather:  Very cool, frost, might have been first windchill of the fall, no wind, clear, according to intelicast.com 6C with windchill making it 4C at 0500hrs.  Cooled off considerably just before first light, around 0630hrs turned all the dew into ice(frost).

Attendance:  David M.

Equipment:  Canon Rebel Xsi with 18-55mm lens on tripod and attached to telescope at prime focus.  Telescope 8" Meade LX 200 with 2" 30mm eyepiece and Telerad.

Objective:  To view and image morning conjuction of the Moon, Venus, Regulus, Mars and Jupiter.

Highlights:

• First thing that stood out was the very bright conjuction in the East that was completely above the horizon and rising at 0500hrs.  
• An interesting note:  As the background stars of Leo are moving to the west as days go by... Venus and Mars appear to be moving to the East.  Planets are truly wanderers amongst the stars, as seen from Earth.
• Jupiters bands faded in and out due to its low position in the sky.  Four of its Moons were nicely spaced apart with three on one side, and one on the other.  Jupiter was about nine degrees from Venus and about eleven degrees from the Moon.
• Mars moving away from Regulus.
• Aurora activity was reported around the world on Spaceweather.com  none was seen from here except for a faint glow.  Time elapse images did show a slight glow when image was processed.
• Venus looks like a Crescent Moon in eyepiece.  Venus approximately three degrees from our Moon.
• Windchill was a factor.  Telescope and camera attachments more difficult to work with.
• One shooting star and no satelites were observed.

Images:

Jupiter and four of its moons.

Venus in its crescent moon phase.

Aurora glow?  You be the judge.

Orion under fairly dark sky conditions.