Help with lunar occultation on 25th Oct

[Sirius Starwatcher]

Hello all, I am keeping fingers crossed for good weather on 25th for the occultation moon/ Saturn. Can any of you experienced members advise how to maximise my chances of seeing this . I have the 200 Dob and my eyepieces are listed on the sig box below thanks in anticipation.

Garry

[Laurie61]

First contact is around 17:00 so if you can be out and set up at least 30 min before that would help. The moon is only 3% illuminated and might take a bit of finding with the sun still up. Saturn re emerges around one hour after it is occulted but will be low in the wsw, so you will need an unobstructed view to catch it's reappearance . 

[astronymonkey]

Id be very careful gary as the sun is only 20 degrees away when it begins somid leave it an hour until the re emergence when the sun will have set.

Cheers

[stevend]

Id be very careful gary as the sun is only 20 degrees away when it begins somid leave it an hour until the re emergence when the sun will have set.

Cheers

Check on Stellarium, it will make you appreciate just how close the sun is. Re-quoting as I think it is too risky.

[baggywrinkle]

Fingers and toes crossed for a clear evening.....

[astronymonkey]

Our society is doing a members viewing night but have advised that only experienced observers should attempt the disappearance although we intend on using our sct and video feed to allow safer observing. Personally im not going to do it visually as its too much of a risk.

later on, for the reappearance the sun is below the horizon so is safer.

Cheers

[Sirius Starwatcher]

Many thanks all looks like I'm going for the reappearance I'm glad I asked the question.

[RichM63]

It was a good question, I just hope that elsewhere, others have heard and realized the answer.

[astronymonkey]

I agree, it was a good question. I know the sky at night magazine covered the occultation in their october issue but I dont think they give enough info about how close the sun will be and how risky it would be.

Cheers

[Sirius Starwatcher]

Exactly Astronymonkey, as you can see I am really new to this fascinating hobby and I have an awful lot to learn as not being scientific based or minded. If not for the answers above I would not have realised the proximity of Sun to Saturn. So the lounge yet again gives helpful and meaningful answers to learners.

I think SGL is one of the best learning tools I have ever come across.

[Phil Fargaze]

Same for me as Astromonkey. I will have my watec video camera recording the action onto laptop. I believe 20 degrees on the sky is about two fist widths, so very risky. 

Anyway, general advice for occultations is to do your homework. Have details of disappearance and/or reappearance to hand plus an accurate clock. Be aware of the Alt and Az so you know where in the sky it will occur. It`s good to get familiar with the scene by using a planetarium program especially for a reappearance. A super good horizon will be needed for Saturn`s reappearance. I`m scratching my head at the moment wondering where I can get set up to view it. 

Garry, don`t give up on occultations! There are plenty of stars that get occulted, at better times and elevations. Maybe not as exciting as Saturn but still a wonderful sight.

The last time I managed a Saturn occultation was this one below.

[D4N]

Seriously, it's really hard to point a scope at the sun, it takes practice! Of course if your trying for the moon there's a good chance of getting the sun by Sod's law.

Personally I'll rough polar align, Goto the moon with lens cap on and if the shadow looks ok I'll check the RDF and centre on the moon before taking the cap off.

TSED70Q, iOptron Smart EQ pro, ASI-120MM, Finepix S5 pro.

[Paul73]

Great capture Phil.

Re the sun danger. I wouldn't risk it. There will be plenty of other oculations.

Paul

[DRT]

I agree, it was a good question. I know the sky at night magazine covered the occultation in their october issue but I dont think they give enough info about how close the sun will be and how risky it would be.

Cheers

I searched this subject this morning whilst excitedly reading Sky at Night's article for the fith time and completely agree with Ian that they just haven't covered the Sun risk adequately. The position of the Moon at disappearance is described as "a little over an outstretched hand width to the left and up from the Sun". That sounds very close to me, especially for anyone using a Dob or something else that requires just a slight unintentional nudge to move that distance in the sky in a split second.

After reading the advice above I have decided to give up on this one completely as the disappearance is too risky and my location would never allow me to see the re-appearance.

Is there somewhere on the web that lists events like this so that I can plan an alternative?

[Phil Fargaze]

With a bit of luck and a lot of care to avoid the Sun I managed to see the reappearance!  

From where I was located ( near to Hinton in Suffolk) the conditions were ideal. I searched for the Moon and Saturn from about 16.30 BST. The Sun was blazing away and I could not get to see either the Moon or Saturn before disappearance. I waited for the reappearance ( due at 18.07 BST ) and acquired the thin sliver of the moon about 20 minutes before the reappearance. 

I used the Watec camera to record an AVI onto the lap top.

Reappearance would happen when the Moon was just 3 degrees above the horizon from my location whilst the Sun was 5 degrees below. 

The contrast was getting better in the twilight but the ever reducing altitude cancelled out any benefit of the darkening sky.

By the time Saturn began to clear the moon it appeared at best as a fuzzy blob! Here is a screen shot below of the view I had.

Saturn is the `blob` just below centre to the right of the lunar crescent.

[Phil Fargaze]

Is there somewhere on the web that lists events like this so that I can plan an alternative?

Generally by keeping an eye on the astronomy magazines they will provide details of any significant events. There is an occultation section maintained by the Society of Popular astronomy

which can provide advice and predictions. see here http://www.popastro.com/occultation/index.php

[D4N]

Nice you got to see it, even if it was just a blob

I aligned and focused on the sun before disappearance then slewed to the moon and took my solar filter off. Then of course the clouds rolled in and stayed

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[DRT]

Generally by keeping an eye on the astronomy magazines they will provide details of any significant events. There is an occultation section maintained by the Society of Popular astronomy

which can provide advice and predictions. see here http://www.popastro.com/occultation/index.php

Thank, Phil.

[DRT]

I'm glad someone got to see it. In the end I would have missed it due to a small domestic crisis but I felt better when I looked out of the window and saw a huge bank of black cloud on the western horizon which meant I wouldn't have seen it anyway.

My sympathy goes to anyone near me who was frustrated by that cloud but it certaily made me feel better and probably saved a minor dispute with Mrs T

[astronymonkey]

We tried but were clouded out. Its good to see someone managed to see it though.

Cheers

[Phil Fargaze]

Occultations add that extra frustration into astronomy. Whilst the deep sky object will still be there the next night, the anticipated event is only visible once, although at the same time it adds that little bit of excitement. This event was especially difficult but there will be easier events to view. For me, occultations reveal the enormous power and mechanism of the universe in constant motion.

[DRT]

For me, occultations reveal the enormous power and mechanism of the universe in constant motion.

Very true. I have been fascinated by eclipses since I was a small boy and it was only in recent years that I found out that the only reason we have the perfect eclipses that we do is because of the one in a million chance that the relative size and relative distances of the Moon and Sun from us are just in the right place. Unbelievabley circumstantial, especially if it turns out we are the only intelligent things with eyes in the Universe.

The conundrums of space and the objects in it are sure to give our species Millenia of pleasure and head-scratching.

[S.A.M]

A group of us went out near Upavon in Wiltshire to view the occultation only for the cloud filter to be in operation   Did manage to see sunspot AR2192 thru the small gaps in the cloud while waiting for the moon to show its face.

Peter