MOON JUPITER CONJUNCTION

Location:  Front yard, Little Lepreau, NB, Canada.

Date Time:  February 23, 2016 2330-2345hrs

Weather:  Lots of hazy, see through clouds leading to a forecasted snow/rain for next day.  No wind -12C.

Attendance:  Myself

Equipment:  Canon Rebel Xsi with 75-300mm and 18-55mm lenses, tripod.

Objective:  To view and image Moon/Jupiter conjunction, which I viewed earlier in the evening.

Highlights:

• Moon was 98% illuminated on this night, one day past full.
• With arm out-stretched, Jupiter was less than one finger width away from the Moon.  This would make it approximately 2 degrees separation between the two celestial bodies.
• Images taken with both lenses.  Clouds made images extremely bright so that only a low ISO and a very quick shutter speed could be used.
• Orion was lowering in the western sky.
• No Satellites or shooting stars were seen.

Images:

Image shows hazy see-through clouds.

ISO 400, 2.5 seconds, F/4.5 and focal length of 25mm.

ISO 100, 1/160 second, F/5.6 and focal length of 300mm.

SNOW MOON 2016

Location:  Front deck in Little Lepreau, NB, Canada

Date Time:  February 22, 2016 2015-2145hrs

Weather:  Clear, no wind to very slight breeze, -9C windchill -17C.

Equipment:  Canadian Telescopes 80 ED/APO on Vixen Mount with 12mm eyepiece and a yellow light filter.  Canon Rebel Xsi with attachment for telescope eyepiece.

Attendance:  Myself.

Objective:  To image and view the Full Snow Moon that was to be rising at observing time.

Highlights:

• Quickly imaged these objects before observing:  Full Moon, Jupiter and four of its Moons, Jupiter alone, Sirius, Betelgeuse, Orion's Head area, Orion's Belt including double star Mintaka, M45 and Mizar and Alcor in Ursa Major.
• Note:  While imaging attempted to use Barlow to increase magnification of images, but could not get image to come to focus in view screen.  Further investigation need to rectify situation.
• Attached yellow light filter to 12mm eyepiece than inserted eyepiece into diagonal.  Viewed the Moon.  Much detail could be seen and the yellow light seemed to make the very bright Moon easier to look at.
• Viewed Jupiter with same eyepiece and filter.  Storm bands were easily seen and Jupiter's moons were spread two on one side close and two farther away on the other side.  Very nice sight indeed.
• No Shooting Stars or Satellites were seen.

Images:

Jupiter and four of its Moons.

Jupiter.

OBSERVING REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 10, 2016

Location:  Side yard off driveway, Little Lepreau, NB, Canada.

Date Time:  Feb 10/16 1800-2030hrs

Weather:  Mostly clear to mostly cloudy calling for snow flurries of possibly 10cm by morning.  No wind, -9C, no windchill and no wind.

Equipment:  Canadian Telescopes 80 ED/APO f/6.25 with 32mm eyepiece, camera adapter mounted on a Vixen Alt/Az mount and a Canon Rebel Xsi camera with 18-55mm and 75-300mm lenses.

Attendance:  Myself.

Objective:  To view and image Moon and two comets:  C/2013 US10 Catalina in Camelopardalis and C/2013 X1 Panstarrs in Pegasus.

Report:

• Viewed and imaged a thin crescent moon part way up in the western sky from 1800-1850hrs.  Clouds moved in through most of the western and southern sky, covering the moon after 1850hrs.  Moon was thin and Earthshine showed up in the eyepiece and in images.
• Attempted to view and image Catalina, but could not find it above Polaris in Camelopardalis in the eyepiece.  My first attempt was in the wrong direction(under Polaris), but after checking heavens-above.com the correct location was scanned.  By this time, this part of the sky was starting to cloud over.  Images of the region it was thought to be in were taken.  Preliminary viewing did not spot the faint magnitude 7 comet in the view screen.  After reviewing processed image taken, a very faint Catalina was captured in image!
• Comet Panstarrs, in Pegasus was too close to the Moon, too low in the sky and there was too much hazy cloud to even attempt to locate the magnitude 9 comet.  No attempt was made.
• Viewed and imaged Ursa Major, standing on its tail in the NE, Cassiopeia in the NW, Polaris due North and Orion in the SE, in between clouds.  Captured a Satellite going through Ursa Major in an image.  Attempted to image double star system Mizar and Alcor but clouds moved in as camera was being set in that direction.
• Clouds completely took over the entire sky by 2030hrs.
• No shooting stars were seen and one satellite.

Note:  The following morning, February 11, by 0930hrs, at least 25cm of light snow had fallen.

Images:

Moon Camera attached to telescope at prime focus, 1/6 second, ISO 200, f/6.5

Earthshine at 1846hrs.  Camera attached to telescope at prime focus, 3.2 second exposure, f/6.5, ISO 100.

Orion obove the clouds at 1935hrs, 25 second exposure, ISO 1600, f/4.5 

Polaris over a Hemlock tree at 1933hrs 25 second exposure, ISO 1600, f/4.5

Catalina in Camelapardalis at 2012hrs, 25 second exposure, ISO 1600, focal length 120mm, f/4.5

Satellite flies through Ursa Major at 1930hrs, f/4.5, focal length 1930hrs, 25 second exposure.