paulastro

Blimey Olly, I thought you were basking in sunshine most of the year, but then I dont get out much 🙂

Yes Doug, living up here I'm delighted to have seen what I have of it 🙂

This is particularly true if you managed to see it yesterday. Today it's less than 3' closer, so not a great deal of difference. Tomorrow, the distance is less than it was yesterday. Here are the distances for these three days at 4.55pm. Sunday 20th 9' 22" Monday 21st 6' 06" Tuesday 22nd 8' 45" Thursday 24th 20' 11" So plenty of opportunity yet to see the two planets and their satellites together using a reasonably high magnification. I've added Thursdays distance, as that is the next time the forecast indicates it will be visible from this part of darkest Yorkshire. In fact, for many places the forecast indicates that Thurday will be a good day for solar observing and conjunction watching followed by a clear night. Happy days 🙂🥳

Excellent report and lovely image, thanks for posting 🙂.

After breaking my finder and being attacked by dogs yesterday, this evening was happily less stressful 🙂. Had to spend am hour in the car sheltering from heavy rain, but at 4pm it subsided and I had good views with the 10x50s and the SW 72ED, untill it clouded over again just after 5pm. Used a Baader zoom and x3 barlow, giving powers of from x52 to x156. Impressive with having the two in the same view at higher powers- not to mention it being extremely rare. At 4.55pm the separation was only 9' 22.8". This is not very much further away than it will be tomorrow at closest approach. Just as well, as the weather tomorrow is going to be very poor over most of the UK - but I'll be back at Penistone comes what may 🙂. First pic using phone, second is SkySafari screen grab.

Oh, you live in Yorkshire?

Went up to Penistone Hill again and thought I'd go up to the triangulation point (1030 feet above sea level) rather than lower down the hill, so as to extend the brief window of visibility for us northern dwellers before the planets set. In hindsight, certainly not the best call I've ever made! It had been sunny most of the day, up to leaving home at 3pm. Arrived at 3.10pm and there were some ominous clouds around. Carried my gear up the hill to the top - clouds even more ominous, and the wind was very strong. Then it started to rain, just as I had set the SW 72ED on the AZ5. Put a cover on to protect it. Then a very strong gust blew the whole thing over. The finder foot snapped of the scope still attached to the bracket - the finder flew out the bracket. I just about recovered my composure when I was attacked by three large dogs who wanted to play with me and my equipment. Luckily the owner appeared and managed, with some difficulty, to drag them off me. The rain became heavier. I grabbed my gear together and sort sanctuary further down the hill close to where my car was parked. Sat in the car in heavy rain and winds that rocked the car at times - for nearly two hours. At just gone 5, still raining but lighter, a small patch of thinner cloud developed, heading toward where the planets should be. Out the car and a few mts later picked up Jupiter only a few degrees above my horizon, no Saturn visible, in my 10×50 binocs. Rushed to set the scope, now light rain. Luckily ( as I had broken the finder off the scope) Jupiter was very low down and close to a telephone pole, so centred it easily in the 72ED by off setting from the telephone pole. EUREKA, my day had just got a whole lot better as there was Jupiter and Saturn nicely framed at about x50 in my Baader zoom. Fabulous, could see three of Jupiters satellites and Saturn and its rings above and to the right. Viewed them for about 5 minutes before Jupitet set leaving two of its satellites pointing the way to Saturn above it at just under 15' distant. I think I'd earned the view I had! Just a typical observing session, and I'll be back tomorrow to do it all over again 🙂. Screen grab using SkySafari using my phone just before Jupiter set.

That looks like the cloud where I was 🙂

A great view and report John. I really share your enthusiasm for observing this whole event as often as possible. It's probably the rarest event any of us has observed or will in the future - though Im sure now I have said that, someone will correct me 🙂. But really, what a wonderful thing to see, I'm just pleased I've seen them this close. I'll certainly be trying at every opportunity. Wow!

Went to Penistone Hill again, the conditions had been good before I left home. When I arrived at 3.30, my enthusiasm dampened as ominous dark clouds came over the summit toward me. Set up the AZ5 and mounted the SW 72ED, aligning the finder and locking on focus with the Baader zoom and x2 barlow so I'd be ready if it cleared. It started to rain so I covered the mount and carried the scope into the car. It rained heavily for most of the next two hours. At about 4.40, with dark clouds Iin the wrong place the rain relented. Some small clear patches looked as if they may just go close to where the planets should be, at around 5 degrees altitude at my local horizon. Following the small patches, at just gone 5, I glimpsed Jupiter with my 10x50s - what good fortune! Then, Saturn too. My mount was only yards away, in less than a minute I had the scope on the mount, whipped off the end caps and my eye at the eyepiece. I only had about 3/4 minutes on and off views, in and out of the cloud - boy, did I enjoy my unexpected success. In the clear the view was wonderful the planets framed nicely with the zoom on 20mm and the x2 barlow. Very pleased I didnt give up before I had my lucky break. At 5.05, according to SkySafari, the distance between Jupiter and Saturn was 40' 49.1".

Thanks Nik. I'd try the Mak if I were you, with the separation already down to 47' this evening. You never know with the weather when you will get another chance, especially up here!

Had first telescope view late this afternoon, previously only viewed in binocs. Drove to Penistone Hill, only about 5 mts drive away. In haste I drove to the wrong side of the hill, and had to drive all the back to the other side to get a view 😟. Set up by 4.05, picked up Jupiter in SW 72ED by 4.20. Using 17.5 Morpheus first with x2 barlow giving x48, 1.5 degree field. Planets nicely framed. Delighted to see the two planets in the same field view - at last! Two satellites showing either side of Jupiter (when it was a little darker) and the two equatorial belts visible. Saturn's rings showing variation looking really nice with Jupiter bottom left in prism diagonal. I I substituted a x3 barlow giving x72 the planets were both still in the field but much closer to the edge, I preferred the view in the lower power. Just before I packed up at 4.59, according to SkySafari, the separation was 47'23.5" I have my fingers i crossed I will get some more views as the two planets get closer, weather permitting.

That was an excellent observation Mark, thanks for posting. I've had poor weather and not seen them for a week. Tonight around sunset they will only just be over a degree apart, only 1 deg 30" according to Sky Safari. It's well worth observers looking every night they can until after the closest approach, as they are already the closest they've been for many years - and closing! Theres no guarantee it will be clear on 21st for any of us in the uk so make the most of any opportunities Needless to say my 72ED is ready to go whenever there's an opportunity, though probably not later this afternoon alas.

Having read this thread, I'm amazed so many of the contributors are still into astronomy! If I found so many things about astronomy so annoying, I would have given up over 50 years ago. 😁 May I suggest three courses of action that may help those so afflicted. 1 Read "Starlight Nights" by Leslie Peltier. 2 Read "The Light-Hearted Astronomer" by Ken Fulton. 3 Join The Cloud Appreciation Society. I'm afraid if any of you have read these two books already, and still feel the same way, you are probably already doomed 🙂.

mikeDnight said: "Here's the only blurry pic of me alongside my first telescope, a 60mm Astral bought from Dixon's. It cost me £110 in the January sale of 1980. " There's been some observing done on the spot you're standing on in the ensuing years since then Mike. And if I may say so, it's been a pleasure to observe with you on that very same spot. Things could have been very different today if your first telescope had been a reflector - Takahashi may have gone out of business by now! 😃

Good luck tomorrow Nigella 🙂.

Thank you Alan, that's very kind of you. I'm sorry you couldn't observe yourself.

Thanks Dave, I was very lucky to get a view in some clear sky, though I did have the scope set up with the camera to rush out if the sky did break. In fact I was on the phone when the sky lightened and I virtually dropped the phone and dashed out side. I rang back later to apologise!

Not spectacular but I wanted to say goodbye to AR2786 as it approaches the W limb of the sun having put on such a good show as it crossed the disk, and also to see any faculae that became visible. Well to the E of AR2790 (the 'little spot' that didn't know it wasn't supposed to generate a major solar flare a week ago) was a group of pores and faculae. Hopefully these pores may generate some sunspots. I took a sinlge frame at 1.03pm, using SW 72ED, Baader solar filter and Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/1250 at 200 asa.

Congratulations John, I thank you for your 15 years of thoughtful, informed and helpful posts to SGL. I look forward to reading them for many more years to come. 🌞 🪐 ⭐ 🌙

Single frame taken at 12.10, SW 72ED, Baader Solar Film, Olympus E-M5 Mk11/ AR2786 and AR 2785 approaching the W limb, and AR2790 ( the 'great flare' spot) heading more onto the disk. It looks a bit bigger today with a little more faculae, at least in WL. Seeing rather poor and I didn't have a chance for a detailed view with the binoviewer.

Many thanks Luke. It's funny you should say about preferring the views in WL. Up to a few years ago I had a really good double stack, but had to sell for financial reasons. I really missed it at first but still had the means of doing WL solar, which I've been doing for just over 50 years. Now Im thinking of doing more solar as opposed to night time astronomy as I did when I had the DS system. Of course I've been pondering how to get another HA system to compliment the WL. Having thought about it, I'm not so bothered as I thought I'd be. Out of the two, I would choose WL I think if could only do one or the other. As you say, sunspots can be just as beautiful and dynamic as HA, they've had me hooked for a long time! 🙂. (though I could live without solar minimums 😁) I've also pondered over a solar continuum filter for a while, do you consider yours to be an essential bit of kit? Regards, Paul

You're welcome Alan 🙂.

Thank you Mark. I'm pleased you managed to see it. 🙂

I was out from around 9am to 10am. I took a single frame at 9.48am, SW 72ED. Baader Solar Filter, Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/800, 200 asa. The seeing was not great and there was some thin cloud so it's more low res than usual, but as well as AR2786 and AR2785 it shows AR2790 (provisional designation, spaceweather.com) just coming off the SE limb. Apparently this is the surprisingly small spot responsible for Saturday's major solar flare. Visually it has some faculae associated with it using my binoviewer and 16.8 Orthos, but this doesn't show up very well in the crop.