FLORIDA OBSERVING (UPDATED)

Location:  Kissimmee, Florida, USA

Date Time Weather:

January 30, 2017 2000-2030hrs.  Cool, no wind, mostly clear, no bugs, 11C.  Dew.
January 31, 2017 0500-0635hrs  Cool, no wind, frost warning, clear, no bugs, 6C.
January 31, 2017 1845-1900hrs  Warm, no wind, clear, a few bugs, 16C.
February 2, 2017 0425-0535hrs  Warm, slight breeze to no wind, partly cloudy, no bugs, 11C.

Attendance:  Myself.

Equipment:  Canon Rebel with 18-55mm and 75-300mm lenses and tripod.  Canadian Telescopes 80mm ED/APO with a telescope adapter on a Vixen Alt/Az mount.

Objective:  To view celestial objects not possible to see from southern New Brunswick, most notably Omega Centauri (GC 5139) which is located below Corvus in the sky, in the morning during this observing week.

Report: On the evening of Jan 30  2000-2030hrs

• A thin crescent Moon lay below Venus and Mars, high in the Western sky.  Due to terrible light pollution from the nearby tennis court, no image could be taken.  Light pollution was a major factor, which was expected while observing from the center of a major city.
• Venus appeared in its half moon phase.  
• Orion and Sirius were much higher in the sky than from New Brunswick.
• M45 was almost directly over-head.
• No shooting stars or satellites were seen.

Morning of Jan 31.0500-0635hrs

• Omega Centauri was reported to be low in the southern sky in the early morning hours according to Heavens-above.com sky chart.  It is suppose to be below the star Spica
• After imaging the sky to the south through light polluted skies for a little while, found a spot where the southern horizon could be seen better through trees.  Omega Centauri popped out immediately in images.
• Searched with unaided eye and could not see the huge, bright Globular Cluster, even through the eyepiece of camera.  Cluster did however show up easily even at low magnification.  Was surprised to not be able to see it with unaided eye or through eyepiece.
• Was not able to locate OC through the eyepiece of camera through telescope before daylight.  No images through telescope were taken.  Only images with camera and its two lenses were able to capture the bright globular cluster.
• Leo was observed high to the west.
• Ursa Major was seen in the north north west, much lower than where it is from New Brunswick.
• One satellite was seen, no shooting stars.

Evening of January 31, 2017 1845-1900hrs

• Just turning dark from twilight.
• Orion rising high in the West.
• Nice close conjunction of crescent Moon, Venus and Mars high in the west.  Very bright.
• One Satellite and no shooting stars observed.

Morning of February 2, 2017 0425-0535hrs

• Cloudy periods covered low southern part of sky for the first 40 minutes.
• Viewed and imaged Jupiter which remained visible throughout.  One of its moons was very close on the left side, with the other three on the right side.
• Viewed and imaged Omega Centauri with telescope.  It showed up in the eyepiece as a huge, faint comet.  A few stars were barely resolved around the outside of its core.  Was very hard to find through eyepiece of camera.  Easy to find in 12mm, 19mm and 32mm through telescope.
• No shooting stars or Satellites were seen.

Notes:

• A Falcon 9 Rocket was reported to Launch 'anytime after January 30' from the Kennedy Space Center Launchpad 39A while we were here in Kissimmee.  At one point it was scheduled to launch on Friday Feb 3, 2017.  Difficult to ascertain when exactly the rocket is going to launch due to changing weather conditions.  This delays launch times.

Images:

Focal length Prime Focus, 1/50 second, ISO 400, f/0

Focal length Prime Focus, 1/125 second, ISO 200, f/0

Focal length 25mm, 10 seconds, ISO 1600, f/4

Focal length 28mm, 10 seconds, ISO 1600, f/4

Focal length 28mm, 10 seconds, ISO 1600, f/4

Focal length 75mm, 8 seconds, ISO 1600, f/4

Focal length 150mm, 8 seconds, ISO 1600, f/5

Jupiter and 4 of its Moons February 2, 2017 @ 0442hrs

Unprocessed Image of Omega Centauri (GC5139) February 2, 2017 @ 0502hrs

Processed Image of Omega Centauri (GC5139) February 2, 2017 @ 0502hrs

COMET 45P HONDA

Location:  Lower West side Saint John, NB, Canada

Date Time:  December 31, 2016  1730-1820 hrs

Weather:  Breezy, partly clear with thin clouds passing by, very cold -8 C with windchill of -11 C.

Equipment:  Canon Rebel Xsi with 18-55 mm and 75-300 mm lenses, 20x80 binoculars and tripod.

Objective:  To view and image Comet 45P Honda which was suppose to be near a Crescent Moon, low in the west after sundown.

Report:

• Once dark, a thin crescent moon, Venus and Mars made a diagonal line across the south western sky.
•  Neptune is very close to Mars now, it shows up in the eyepiece as a very small pale blue disk that is difficult to discern from nearby stars.
• A thin layer of clouds moved in shortly after 1730 hrs, covering the western sky and the Moon.
• By 1800 hrs the sky had cleared enough to start searching for the comet.  Scanned all around the Moon, especially to the left of the Moon, which is where it was suppose to be.  Could not see the comet or any trace of it through the binoculars.
• Took images and couldn't see it in the view screen either.  Not until images were processed did the very faint grey fuzzy object become visible right where it was suppose to be.
• No shooting stars or satellites were seen.

Images: