Gfamily

Although for Saturn, I think a telescope would be better, I wouldn't rule out getting binoculars, there is so much that is really accessible with a simple pair of 10x50s or 8x40s, and these can give you a lifetime of great observing. A member here ( @BinocularSky ) writes a monthly newsletter specifically for binocular observers, and that will give you enough to enjoy each month. It can be found at www.binocularsky.com. With binoculars there are lovely asterisms, open clusters and nebulae to look out for - and they are ideal for observing the moons of Jupiter and the changing face of the Moon from night to night. It's just that their magnification is limited, and Saturn is one of the targets that are just too small to be really impressive. @Binocularsky writes regularly for magazines about what to look for in the night sky with binoculars, as well as binocular reviews. He knows his stuff.

I reckon you need at least 25x magnification to see the rings of Saturn at all, and binoculars that powerful are a handful, so best tripod mounted. Personally though, I would say that you would be far better off getting a small telescope plus a suitable eyepiece that will give you 30 or 40x magnification at least. Depending on the aperture, you can then look to increase the usable magnification (work on the basis of aperture in mm = typical max magnification - you may do better, but it'll be very dependent on the atmospherics) I have seen the rings using a not very good spotting scope, so that might be an option if you want something that would have daytime/terrestrial use as well.

There is also the Our Galaxy view, which is available in a browser, as an app or as a download for laptops Available here https://www.otherwise.com/download/

Now back at PC - Stellarium correctly showing time as UTC+01:00 Next minimum according to S&T calculator webpage 09:34 UT on 02.10.2022 Next minimum according to Stellarium 0.22.2 - 2022-10-02 05:46:55 UTC

Based in UK, so UTC+1. Away from my pc at the moment, don't think it's to do with time zones

This is from the Autumn Astrocamp 2022 in South Wales last weekend. SW 127 Mak on an AZ GTi mount, being operated by my phone, and a Sony A5000 operated by an intervalometer. And result...

I think he might mean vibrance rather than vivacity - it's under the Adjustments tab

Lunar - definitely Planetary - hmmm. The problem is the small image size on the sensor. If you use a barlow, and you have a long focal length, it can help, but as the image is straight onto the sensor, it will be small A usual approach for planetary is to capture a video stream for several 10s of seconds, and these are then processed using software. Some cameras will compress the image, so results may not be optimum.

Do consider mirrorless cameras alongside dSLRs. I have a Sony A5000 (which isn't ideal, the A6000 is meant to be better); it has some issues, but it's 1/3 the weight of the dSLR that I was using previously. That and a wired intervalometer makes it relatively easy to get into imaging.

Back on topic, Here's a thread by a Planetary Scientist on what the visible appearance of the ejected material tells us...

For a planet at any point along the Ecliptic, the maximum altitude (above the horizon) it can reach will vary depending on which hemisphere you're in. So - when Jupiter and Saturn were both in Sagittarius a couple of years ago, you would have had better views from the Southern Hemisphere. Whereas when they are in the constellations Taurus or Gemini, they'll be at higher altitude (and therefore visible through less atmosphere) when viewed from the Northern Hemisphere. Another factor that might affect visibility (but on a more localised basis) is what the atmosphere is doing. For me at about 50 degrees North, this is generally led by the position of the Jet Stream at the time - if it loops over across the UK it can reduce the stability of viewing. ETA with regard to the latter point - the very well regarded planetary imager Damian Peach, very often uses a telescope in Barbados as that offers a stable atmosphere.

Good of you to introduce yourself - It was a shame we had to leave on the Sunday - but that Saturday evening night was something special.

It's very similar to other inner solar system asteroids like Bennu and Ryugu. JWST has just made an observation of the Didymos asteroid, i wonder what they'll see...

As per the Wikipedia article... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Asteroid_Redirection_Test#Effect_of_the_impact_on_the_orbit_of_Dimorphos_and_Didymos

What's not known is whether the collision is elastic or inelastic, nor whether the impact will lead to a change in angular momentum as well as linear momentum. Much to learn.

Was your daughter's phone connecting to the Synscan wifi ? Can you set the iPhone to ignore it?

My experience with using telephoto lenses is that the variable aperture iris gives multiple diffraction spikes, which a nifty fifty will avoid. The only scope in that range that I've any second hand experience of, is a RedCat 51 that a friend has used. It makes a very compact until, and being a Petzval design doesn't need a separate Field Flattener.

The shame is that if NASA had been able to design the SLS from the ground up, it is quite possible that it would already be around the Moon. It seems to me that the Senate imposed obligation to reuse Shuttle engines and technology is what's causing a lot of the problems.

Mid Cheshire Astronomical Group

Hi Francis If you're from Liverpool, have you found out about the Liverpool Astronomical Society? They do talks in the City Centre that might be of interest, and they have an observatory in Pex Hill (Widnes) that you can go along to on Wednesday evenings for observing (7-9pm). I'm sure you'll be very welcome. I'm not a member, but I know some of the people there, and they're great. Here's their event calendar http://liverpoolas.org/events/

You can reduce the effects of tube currents by lagging the outside of the OTA with radiator foil. It sounds anomalous because it increases the time for the internal temperature to reduce, but it seems to be the speed of temperature adjustment that causes the internal currents that affect the seeing. Also, when observing the planets in the summer, they will be at low altitude and more affected by atmospheric conditions. Of course, if we were observing them in the winter we could well be affected by the Jetstream - you just can't win! In principle, you might consider getting a focal reducer to increase the field of view - to be honest, my biggest bugbear of SCT and Maks is the narrow field of view, which means that many open clusters lose their impact. As for dew, yes, a heated shield or a 12v hair dryer could be of value.

Hi @alexwolf Can I ask a question about the calculations for the minima of the eclipsing binary star Algol? If I use the Sky and Telescope calculator, I get the following date/time for the upcoming minima However, Stellarium is not giving the same times As you can see, S&T.org predict the minimum at 22:19 UTC, whereas Stellarium is giving a time almost 4 hours earlier. Is it possible that Stellarium is giving the time of the start of the next dip rather than the actual minima? Thanks ETA - I am using v0.22.2

Yes, so long as the mask is centred on the objective, it should produce the correct image pattern to allow you to get good focus.

As mentioned last month, MrsG's new binoculars set up for some planetary observing list night. Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune spotted.

I tried to order through our local bookshop, but it's out of stock, though it is being reprinted. I'm hoping to be able to get the author to come to our Astro Group sometime to talk to us about the book. He's fairly local to us, so it's a possibility.