maw lod qan

Its quickly becoming a circus here!

This is actually moving all the way across the state on the Gulf "sea breeze". I paid $20 dollars to park in a church parking lot and gave them $20 more being it's a church and am looking right out my windshield at the vehicle assembly building and 39A. It's still drizzling.

Its T-minus 3 hours. I'm sitting in a MacDonalds parking lot no more than maybe 10 miles from launch pad 39A. I've driven 151 miles,,, And it's doing this. Still got 3 hours, so I'm going to start using the force!

There are very few moments that will stick with you like the moment you look up and say to yourself, "wow, I see it now!" Here in Florida, Orion is amazing and easy to see during the right time of the year. He's gone for a while because another easy one has chased him across the sky. That's Scorpios. One word of warning, if the constellations make you smile, you better have a chair nearby when you turn your telescope to Saturn.

Very nice. I hoped to see them close together but have been rained out 3 days in a row.

Past three day we've had afternoon thunderstorms and rain. They're giving only 40% of it getting launched and is also a time specific launch. Down to the exact minute. Haven't made up my mind if I should drive the 3 hours one way, but I sure would like to see it up close.

I gladly join the group of Doug's! Saturns rings are mesmerizing! I yield this thread to the next Saturn-a-holic to make his confession. 😁

It can also be as simple as using a camera to image as much of the sky as possible, including constellations or the Milkyway. I image a lot like that in hope of capturing a meteor as it streaks across the sky.

I had hope to see them together through the eyepiece, but thunderstorms filled our evening sky. It's amazing how something so simple to those who dont understand or enjoy astronomy can bring us so much pleasure.

Well done on 4 planets. I'm lucky, right now the planets are placed fairly high for me here in Florida. I had hoped to make it 6, with looking at the ground around me yesterday but our thunderstorm season denied me Venus and Mercury. Enjoy what you do view and be patient. The more you look the more you'll see and learn to train your eyes. Dont pass up the moon when you can view it. It has many wonders of it's own to enjoy.

Got out this morning to try and take a few images of the three morning planets. Immediately upon looking through the eyepiece I saw three moons visible to the upper left viewed. Now with the flip that makes it lower right in real life, right? Told myself, must be one behind the planet. Did a little observing, then changed over to my camera mount, Canon with a 2x barlow 23mm lens, eyepiece projection. It was a bit windy, viewing not the best, the main equatorial bands visible but not clear. Took a bunch of images, changing ISO and exp to get the moons, even though it turns Jupiter into a light bulb. Moved to Saturn, then seeing clouds moving in turned to the tiny red speck of Mars. Went back in and transferred the images to the computer. When I got looking at them, I realized I had caught Io just as it transited across the front of Jupiter. The viewing wasnt good enough for me to capture it with Jupiter behind it, but definitely got it leaving the disk. Oh to have a better camera and tracking mount. One day! One day!

Excellent image. I'm tickled when I get a decent image with my trusty Canon doing single frames.

I hope you get it worked out. We had some real big gusts yesterday here too! Came for quite a distance away. Thunder storms are making their first appearance.

I find I still like to think and act like a spring chicken, even with my "spring" count numbering 65 of them. I started at 13 or 14, then had almost five decades of no telescope, even though I still looked up and loved what I saw. I have found the members here to be excellent when it comes to assisting beginners. They are honest and truthful, which is still probably the most important trait we need in friends. Even distant ones. If a beginner wants to learn this hobby, there might not be a better place to learn than here. Just my 2 cents.

👍👍

👍 Well done. I was planning the same thing yesterday, but my evening got clouded out! No Venus and Mercury. Earlier in the day, I did a few of the Sun to add to the mix. Got out this morning and got the other three so I hope this evening is clear. My images are not close to being as good as yours being single images with a Canon and manual dob!

Very nice!

I understand working and how schedules can put a kink on other things. Lately I've got to the point that when its something, let's call it unusual, I put in for time off. Believe me, Walmart gives you time off but only when it doesn't affect them and their operation. I've pulled my "sorry, I'm not missing this" twice in the past four years. I hope im around in 2025/2026, but who knows? I hope you get to view this if you can.

Your images are spectacular Craig. I fought a small band of fair weather clouds coming in off the Gulf of Mexico so got very little time to view both planets before Mercury disappeared. Maybe tonight and tomorrow night I'll have more time.

Paced myself so I could stat up past my regular work bedtime. Venus doesn't appear till around 8pm with our crazy DST! It is amazing it can still be so brilliant with such a little crescent showing through the telescope. Viewed Mercury also though it sank rapidly beneath trees to my East. That makes five planets in roughly twelve hours I viewed, not counting the Earth.

I'm amazed by the arch of the Milkyway in your image. What I normally get to see is a band going overhead from South to North. The South end is always the thickest part.

Incredible images. Thanks! Sharp, clear images like these show what our nearest neighbor has waiting to be seen.

I know you've, not sure of the best term to use, come to see things differently than some of us over here. Sometimes, an example just needs to be set. Wearing a scarlet letter is no longer enough. With too many it's become a fashion statement. Need an occasional public hanging.

Thanks for the heads up. I dont remember seeing them this close together. I have imaged them in a wide field together a couple years back.

I haven't been able to pick it out of the glare yet. Still trying though.