COMET SEARCH

Location:  Front Yard, Little Lepreau, NB, Canada

Date Time:  February 28, 2020 1800-2100 hrs

Weather:  Windy and mostly clear, -1C at 1800hrs to no wind and mostly cloudy from 1900-2100, -3C and 56% humidity.

Equipment:  Canon Rebel t3 attached to 80mm ED/APO at prime focus.  Images processed with Photoshop.

Attendance:  David McCashion, Edward O from SJ.

Objective:  To image Comet C/2019 Y1 ATLAS which was in Pegasus, low in the west at sundown.

Report:

• A nice pairing of a slender waxing crescent Moon and Venus in the evening sky.

• By the time it got dark, around 1944 hrs, a thin layer of clouds started moving in, and Comet Atlas had moved below the treeline, in the western sky.  Took one image and stars could be seen through the thin clouds, but the comet did not stand out.

• Shortly after the Comet Atlas search, clouds took over most of the sky.  Tried for Comet C/2017 T2 PANSTARRS, but clouds moved into that part of the sky too.  Went inside for about an hour, then tried again just before 2100hrs.  There was a short break in the clouds, in the NW sky, where T2 Panstarrs was located.  Took a few images, then clouds moved back in.  Comet was located near the W of Cassiopeia on the Perseus side.  Ed noted that this comet appears to be mostly white, where most comets appear greenish in images, with a lesser percentage being blue.  Two thin tails appear to be radiating from the 11 o'clock positions and the 10 o'clock positions.  Comet is now heading in the direction of Ursa Major, where it should brighten even further by May of this year.
  
  
  

  

  Image cropped and over-exposed to better show coma and tail.  Single shot, 30 second, ISO 6400.

  
  

  

  Uncropped and over-exposed.  Single shot, 30 second, ISO 3200.  Large circular camera aberration in upper right.

  
  
  • Due to fast moving clouds, had to rush focusing camera, and this resulted in slightly out of focus images.  There was simply no time to fine tune the focus.  Also, a high thin layer of clouds also affected image quality.
  • Seen one south to north, bright satellite, and no shooting stars.
  
  
  

MOON/MARS OCCULTATION

Location:  Backyard, Little Lepreau, NB, Canada

Date Time:  February 18, 2020 0730-1030

Weather:  Mostly clear at 0730, thin clouds moved in around 0745, completely clouded over by 0810hrs.  Very cold, -10C, approaching snow storm later in the day, with 10cm of snow predicted.

Attendance:  David

Equipment:  LX 200 Meade and 0.6x focal reducer with Canon T3 attached at prime focus.  Image processed with Photoshop.

Objective:  To view and image the Moon/Mars occultation which was due to occur between 0857-1016 on this morning.

Report:

• Set up scope at around 0730, shortly after thin clouds started moving in from the west.  
• Moon was low in the southern sky, below the treeline from the front deck, so went to the backyard to get a better angle.  
• Moon was about 35 degrees above horizon and was in the Waning Crescent phase.
• Took several images, but only one faintly shows Mars.  Clouds soon thickened enough that moon couldn't be seen.  It didn't reappear for rest of day.

1/125 second, ISO 100.

ZODIACAL LIGHT

Location:  McPherson Beach, NB, Canada

Date Time:  February 17, 2020 1830-1930hrs

Weather:  Windy, cold, mostly clear, -2C.

Equipment:  Canon Rebel T3 with 18-55 lens.  Processed with Photoshop.

Attendance:  Danielle, David

Objective:  To view and image the zodiacal light which was supposed to be in the western sky at first dark, after sundown.

Report:

• Went down to a local beach in order to see the western sky at first dark.  Evening twilight took about 40 minutes.  Once it got dark enough, the zodiacal light was obvious in the western sky.  Danielle thought it looked like an aura.

Venus upper left.  Facing west at 1928 hrs.  Single shot 13 second, ISO 6400 f/5.6.

Facing west at 1922 hrs.  Single shot 10 second, ISO 6400.

• While waiting for twilight to fade away, we watched the how dark it got around the northern sky and The Big Dipper.  Ursa Major is standing on end this time of year, in the evening.

Image taken at 712pm.  10 second, ISO 6400.

• Also, while waiting for twilight to fade away, we observed Orion with it's presently fading Betelgeuse.  The giant star is currently fading in brightness due to its variability.  This has caused great interest by professional and amateur astronomers alike. 

Image taken at 724pm.  10 second, ISO 6400.

• No shooting stars or satellites were seen.

SPACESTATION FLYOVER

Location:  Back porch, Little Lepreau, NB, Canada

Date Time:  February 5, 2020  1810-1825hrs

Weather:  Mostly clear, hazy 0 C with significant windchill.  Light breeze.

Equipment:  Canon Rebel T3 with 18-55mm lens.  Images processed with Photoshop.

Attendance:  David McCashion

Objective:  To view and image the international space station flyover that was supposed occur from 1813-1820hrs according to heavens-above.com.

Report:

• Space station arrived on time, in the NW, flew high over-head, reaching Venus brightness of mag -3.6.  Flew through Gemini and Canis Minor, passing just to the north of a bright gibbous moon.
• Days getting longer.  Twilight till 1830hrs.

2 second, ISO 200, f/5.6, focal length 20mm.

3.2 second, ISO 200, f/5.6, focal length 20mm.

3.2 second, ISO 200, f/5.6, focal length 20mm.

3.2 second, ISO 200, f/5.6, focal length 20mm.