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.