MARS CLOSE

Location:  Little Lepreau, NB, Canada

Date Time:  May 20, 2016 2055-0300hrs ADT

Weather:  @ 2055hrs-Breezy, mostly clear, 12C.  Not dark till 2130hrs.
@0300hrs- see-through fog, hazy, otherwise clear, 4C no wind.
Didn't get dark until after 2130hrs.

Equipment:  Big scope, with 4mm, 9mm, 19mm, 32mm, 1.5x Barlow, yellow filter, and a .6 focal reducer.  Nexus 4 cellphone camera and Canon Rebel Xsi camera with telescope attachment.

Attendance:  MacKenzie C, Maddison C, Leah C, Edward O and David M.

Objective:  To view and image Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon.

Highlights:

• Moon was one day before full....was very bright, low in the SE at beginning of observing.
• Maddison and MacKenzie both were very interested in the Moon.  Maddy noted 'circles' and Kenzie noted 'mountains.  They viewed it through the big scope with the 2", 32mm eyepiece.
• Leah viewed the nearly Full Moon, Jupiter and Saturn.  Was her first time viewing Saturn.
• Ed and I both observed Mars and noted how big and bright it was compared to even a few months ago.  We both seen detail across the disk in the form of a smiley face mouth.  We both noticed a faint lightening on one edge of the Red planet that could have been a polar cap.
• Ed, Leah and I observed Jupiter and all noted how big the gas giant appeared in eyepiece we discussed one of its visible moons, Europa...how it could possibly harbour life.  Ed noticed three cloud stripes across the disk of Jupiter, where I noted two.
• Ed, Leah and I observed Saturn with Leah noting that this was her first view of the ringed planet.  Definite separation between planet and rings, but no Cassini division observed.
• No shooting stars or satellites were seen.

Images:

Jupiter

Note smiley face lips.