paulastro

I couldn't resist taking a frame of the largest sunspot of the new solar cycle (25) so far. Onwards and upwards to the next solar maximum! 🌝. Looking forward to better things on the way. The seeing was pretty poor, and this is about the best I managed. Taken with the SW 120ED, single frame, Olympus E-M5 mk11, 1/4000 sec at 400 asa. The close-up is a crop of the same frame.

I know it's not the most exciting event, but I was pleased to see the eclipse yesterday evening. To be able to see the horizon where the Moon would rise, I had to stand on a pair of steps in the the corner of the observatory to see over the observatory wall. Using 10x50 binoculars I saw the first sliver of the gorgeious orange Moon rise through the murk on the horizon at 9.32pm. It rose rapidly and largely kept clear of cloud until 10.02 pm when it was engulfed by cloud - shortly before the eclipse was due to end. I was pleased that for most of the time I could see the shadow receeding from Moon, though it did seem easier to see in the later stages. The Moon in the pic taken on my phone below is over-exposed, but it shows the view looking over my neighbours garage roof toward the eastern horizon.

Good news! Well sort of, alas only a penumbral eclipse, and the Moon rises not long before the end of the eclipse. Around these parts the Moon rises at 9.21 pm and the eclipse finishes at 10.05 pm. So you'll have to be quick off the mark and hope it's in a clear patch between any rain showers.

I knew about this some time ago and have it down as my 'must see' event of the year. However, I wouldn't mind another reminder a few days before, just in case I've forgotten all about it by then 😄.

And here's the fuller version from the website Mike. INFERIOR CONJUNCTION OF VENUS: Tomorrow, June 3rd, Venus will pass almost directly between the Earth and the sun. This is having a strange effect on the planet's shape. "It is like a ring of fire," says Didier Favre, who sends this picture from Brétigny-sur-Orge, France: When Favre took the picture on June 1st, the sun was only 2 degrees from Venus–hence the blue sky. "It was not an easy picture to take," says Favre, "but what a beautiful view!" Why does Venus look like a ring? Simple: The planet's nightside is facing Earth. Sunlight filtering through the edge of Venus’s carbon dioxide atmosphere forms a luminous ring around the dark disk. Astronomers call this an "inferior conjunction of Venus," and it's one of the best in decades. At closest approach on June 3rd, Venus will be 29 arcminutes (about half a degree) from the center of the solar disk. Only twice since 1961 has Venus come closer–during the famous Venus Transits of 2004 and 2012 [ref]. Observing Venus at this time is dangerous. With the sun just a fraction of a degree away, it is easy for stray sunlight to sneak into optical systems, damaging sensitive electronics and hurting human eyes. Only skilled observers taking careful precautions should attempt it.

And here's the fuller version without the pic on the web site. INFERIOR CONJUNCTION OF VENUS: Tomorrow, June 3rd, Venus will pass almost directly between the Earth and the sun. This is having a strange effect on the planet's shape. "It is like a ring of fire," says Didier Favre, who sends this picture from Brétigny-sur-Orge, France: When Favre took the picture on June 1st, the sun was only 2 degrees from Venus–hence the blue sky. "It was not an easy picture to take," says Favre, "but what a beautiful view!" Why does Venus look like a ring? Simple: The planet's nightside is facing Earth. Sunlight filtering through the edge of Venus’s carbon dioxide atmosphere forms a luminous ring around the dark disk. Astronomers call this an "inferior conjunction of Venus," and it's one of the best in decades. At closest approach on June 3rd, Venus will be 29 arcminutes (about half a degree) from the center of the solar disk. Only twice since 1961 has Venus come closer–during the famous Venus Transits of 2004 and 2012 [ref]. Observing Venus at this time is dangerous. With the sun just a fraction of a degree away, it is easy for stray sunlight to sneak into optical systems, damaging sensitive electronics and hurting human eyes. Only skilled observers taking careful precautions should attempt it. WARNING - PLEASE READ THE WARNING ABOVE - IT IS DANGEROUS TO ATTEMPT OBSEVATIONS SO CLOSE TO THE SUN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike, This is the email. Im reving the link to the email. Space Weather News for June 2, 2020 https://spaceweather.com https://www.spaceweatheralerts.com INFERIOR CONJUNCTION OF VENUS: Venus looks like a ring of fire! The 2nd planet is making a close approach to the sun this week--an event astronomers call "inferior conjunction." In fact, it's one of the closest approaches in decades. Astronomers daring enough to observe the event are capturing rare images of Venus backlit by the sun. Visit Spaceweather.com for the full story. Aurora alerts: Sign up for Space Weather Alerts and receive a text message when auroras appear in your area. Above: Venus approaching inferior conjunction on June 1, 2020. Photo Credit: Didier Favre of Brétigny-sur-Orge, France Share Tweet

Mike, I received this email from spaceweather today, it vindicates your observation if anyone is doubting your observation, which was quite outstanding in my view. Email removed, see post below.

Many thanks Chris, I'm glad you had a good view, even if it was rather cut short.

Thanks for the heads up for this Mike, I did see it as I told you on the phone. Rather than writing it all out again here, this is a link to a post I've just put on the Observing Lunar forum where I have included a few notes about it. Thanks again.

I was out observing from about 9.25 pm to 11.00 pm, using the SW 120ED, on an Ercole mount. The Gibbous Moon was 79,9% illuminated and 10.15 days old. The Sinus Iridum showed great detail on the terminator and the N of M Imbrium was also well placed. Many of the principle areas of dark Mare were also nicely on view, often neglected by observers, but I find them quite fascinating. At first the seeing was very tremulous but there were some fleetingly good moments giving good views. I was alerted by a text message by mikeDnight before I went out saying that he could see the central rille which meanders down the centre of the Alpine Valley. When the seeing had settled a little I took a look and indeed, in the better moments it did come into view, particularly in the N (NE), and smoother, part of the valley. It was hard work but was visible intermittently from about 9.35 to 10 pm. when the seeing deteriorated. I have seen it before on a few occasions, but not many times, and the lighting has to be just right. So thanks for the alert Mike, much appreciated. I took a few single frames with the Olympus E-M5 Mk11 and I made a couple of crops to show the Sinus Iridum/ N Imbrium area and also to show the areas of dark mare.

Thanks Mike. I don't suppose the BAA Handbook has many errors, but they did make a bit of a hash of the dates of the lunar phases in this years edition - at least for January after which I stopped referring to it! Anyway, I'm sure someone will be able to explain it. Perhaps out of illumination and phase, perhaps one of them is by diam of the disk and the other the % illuminated by area or then again perhaps not 😄.

Thanks Mike. The view with the binoviewers was quite stunning, MUCH better than my snaps, particularly on Copernicus, it really was quite something - but then of course you are quite aware of this. It's one reason why I have decided to post my lunar observations in this forum rather then the lunar imaging. I don't consider myself an imager, but an observer who takes snaps to give anyone reading it an inkling of what I was observing - or at least a shadow of it 🙂

I had a session with the SW 120ED between 9.30 pm and 11.20 pm, seeing variable but some good seeing at times. Copernicus was magnificent and I spent some time exploring the immediate vicinity. It's a great area for looking to see what fine detail you can pick out. Longomontanus and Clavius were also well placed. Below is a single frame and a couple of crops taken with my Olympus E-M5 Mk11. They give an idea what it was like, but the detail using the binoviewer with Orthoscopics through the 120 was much better, using around x300 at better moments.

Mike. According to SkySafari pro 6, at the time you observed its vital statistics were m - 3.8, diam 57.6 arcsec and illumination 0.3%. You give the phase as .005 which is 5/1000 compared with 3/100, which is 30/1000. Is my maths wrong or are we talking about different things? 🤔

Certainly not for modesty Mike! 🤭

I had a nice evening on the Moon with the SW 120ED, almost spoilt with the number of interesting features that were well placed. Of particular note was the Imbrium/Apennines area, the terminator area from Deslandres to Tycho and the terminator including Maginus, Clavius (just emerging into sunlight) and Moretus The Dark Mare Deposits in Sinus Aestuum ( south of the Apennines) were particularly striking, sand are some of the most impressive on the Moon. They always strike me as looking like areas where soot has been strewn across the surface. I took a single frame at 10.05 pm using the 120ED, Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/320 sec at 400 asa. I have also made some crops of the same frame to show the areas previously mentioned.

Mike, I noticed a crater which was impressively filled with detail when I was observing last night, but at the time I couldn't recall what it was called. I didn't spend so much time as you did on it as I was concentrating on other features. When I read your description I looked at a single frame I had taken of the whole Moon, and it was Bond W which you observed. I've cropped it and added it below. It's a very large mag from my original single frame so the pic is decidedly low-res, but it gives an inkling of the detail you were observing. It stuck in my mind because there was so much detail in it visible in my SW 120ED - I wish I'd gone back to it for a longer look in retrospect. I've also added the frame from which it was cropped.

So, 'like a canal net-work' eh Mike. Your getting very Lowellian-like in your old age. And all this with a Mars opposition coming up in October. What's next Mike, Martian canals? 🙂

I had a fine session from 9.30 pm to 11.20 pm with the SW 120ED. The seven day Moon showed fabulous detail all along the terminator. Walther was particularly well placed showing a lot of floor detail with particularly good terminator detail to the S limb. In the N, the area from the Alps, S to the Caucasus Mtns and on to Rimae Hadley showed incredibly fine detail. The seeing was particularly good and steady for minutes at a time so most of the time was spent using my binoviewer. I took a single frame, below, but it does poor justice to the real thing. The pic was taken at 10.29 pm, SW 120ED, Olympus E-M5 mk11, 1/200 sec at 400 asa. The crops are from the same frame.

I was out using the SW 120ED from 10 pm until around 11.30 pm. The seeing was very changeable, but Aristotles. Eudoxus and Montes Causocus were very favourably illuminated and quite spectacular. Maurolycus and the nearby area on the terminator also showed fine detail at times. The variable seeing made it difficult to obtain a full disk shot without having inconsistent detail across the frame - the single frame below is about as good as it got. It was taken at 10.06 pm with the 120ED, Olympus E-M5 Mk11 on 1/160 sec at 400 asa. The two crops are from the same frame.

Great pictures, thanks for sharing them 🙂🔭

A nice Moon out mid evening with the Catherina trio of craters well placed. Seeing not good, but managed several pics. The single frame below was taken at 9.40 pm, SW 80ED, Olympus E-M5 MK11, 1/160 sec at 400 asa. The crop is taken from the same frame.

barkis. Just checking, you do know that this is screen from SkySafari don't you, and not an image I have taken? - just checking, but thank you for your kind words anyway.

This is a pic I took yesterday of my SW 80ED in the observatory set up to look for Venus. The clouds looked fantastic - but then I am a member of the Cloud Appreciation Society 🌝.