Venus Observed at 6.34pm, 1.1% illumination, Takahashi FC 100 DL.

[paulastro]

  I’d been trying on and off to pick up Venus since 3.45pm and just couldn’t find it (using 10x50s), though the sky was quite milky much of the time where Venus was supposed to be.  At 5.45pm, the sky was better in the W, but still I couldn’t see it.  By 6.10pm I was about to give up, the West was  clearer than it had been all afternoon, but I assumed it must be behind a house or roof.  Just before 6.20pm I had one more quick sweep, and there it was between two roofs, a beutiful thin crescent in 10x50s!!  Joy.  I was jumping up and down I was so pleased I had persisted.               

 I had the FC 100 DL ready with the Baader zoom and quickly centred it.  What a wonderfully thin crescent.  Not as good as when it’s much higher, but still very nice.  I also managed to use the barlow with the zoom for a closer view, Greatl!  I kept it in view until 6.34pm when it went down below one of the roofs.  I was very lucky as it was just about the lowest place I could see down to on my local horizon.  Lucky to catch it 14 mts before it set too! 

 

Checked the data for my last view at 6.34pm and it was: m-4.1, 59.3”, 1.1% illumination, azimuth 281 degrees, altitude 4.5 degrees.    Very chuffed to get this as, as far as I can recall, it’s the biggest diameter and least illumination I have ever observed on Venus telescopically.

[Stu]

Nice one Paul, amazing achievement!

[Pig]

Paul,
It sure is a great feeling when something your searching for pops into view ..... I will try to get a look tomorrow it sounds wonderful

[paulastro]

Many thanks Stu, that's very kind of you.  I would have expected to pick it up much sooner, but I expect the very thin crescent and the milky sky early on made it much more difficult than it would be normally.  I wouldn't expect to see it again now before I observe it in the morning sky - though I'll probably not be able to resist trying  again tomorrow if it's clear  .

[paulastro]

5 minutes ago, Pig said:

Paul,
It sure is a great feeling when something your searching for pops into view ..... I will try to get a look tomorrow it sounds wonderful

I must admit I was rather excited when I saw it, but luckily no neighbours were around to hear what I shouted .

[Moonshane]

Amazing observation and persistence :0)

[John]

Well done to get it in your scope Paul

Yesterday I resorted to an upstairs window with 11x70 binoculars to pick it up. I didn't get a chance this evening.

I think it hits 1% on the 25th March - now theres a challenge !

Edit: There seem to be 3 of us on the forum that own Tak FC-100DL's - you, Gavster and myself. I reckon thats probably around 50% of the scopes in the UK accounted for

[laudropb]

Very good capture Paul. I tried from about 5 to 6:30, but just could not get it.

[johnfosteruk]

great report Paul, well done sir. quite an achievement.

[paulastro]

40 minutes ago, John said:

Well done to get it in your scope Paul

Yesterday I resorted to an upstairs window with 11x70 binoculars to pick it up. I didn't get a chance this evening.

I think it hits 1% on the 25th March - now theres a challenge !

Edit: There seem to be 3 of us on the forum that own Tak FC-100DL's - you, Gavster and myself. I reckon thats probably around 50% of the scopes in the UK accounted for

Thanks John.  That's interesting, I wander who has the other three?

[Cosmic Geoff]

Well done Paulastro.

I saw Venus at 17.28 pm with my 127mm Mak using GoTo and solar align, 25mm eyepiece.  A thread-thin crescent. I also found Mercury with the GoTo, and later saw Mercury with the naked eye.

[paulastro]

3 minutes ago, Cosmic Geoff said:

Well done Paulastro.

I saw Venus at 17.28 pm with my 127mm Mak using GoTo and solar align, 25mm eyepiece.  A thread-thin crescent. I also found Mercury with the GoTo, and later saw Mercury with the naked eye.

Thank you Geoff.  I have to admit, a few minutes before I found Venus I started to think how much easier it would be with a goto.  Luckily I then quickly came to my senses, I'm far too low-tech to go down that route.  I tend to go a bit pale if I even have to have a battery to power any asto equipment - except for my torches of course! 

[John]

15 minutes ago, paulastro said:

Thank you Geoff.  I have to admit, a few minutes before I found Venus I started to think how much easier it would be with a goto.  Luckily I then quickly came to my senses, I'm far too low-tech to go down that route.  I tend to go a bit pale if I even have to have a battery to power any asto equipment - except for my torches of course! 

You are not the only one like that Paul. I prefer no-tech if I can have that

 

[mikeDnight]

I tried from around 945am until 10.30 but to no avail. I think the sky brightness and thin cloud deprived me of an early view. After collecting my grandson from school at 3.30 and his dad from work at 4pm, I rushed out to the observatory around 420pm and had another go at finding the fine crescent. By now the Sun was dropping behind the trees to my west but Venus was still high enough to be caught from my site. Fortunately a passing aircraft allowed me to focus my scope on infinity. I then swept the region just above the tree tops and ghere it was. The seeing was turbulent but it was still quite a beautiful sight. 

Attached is a quick watercolour illustrating a turbulent view against a bright, not very transparent sky.

Mike

[Walshie79]

Couldn't see Venus this evening (it had set by the time I got somewhere with a low enough W horizon) but Mercury compensated. Very conspicuous and visible to a surprising time (~1hr or so) after sunset. Probably the darkest sky I've ever seen it in- it really is so bright when we'll positioned it's strange how it's believed to be hard to see.

And Mars is still there! Must be close to 12 months it's been visible in the evenings now, can't remember it ever staying around for so long. 

[Paul M]

Venus will be just about at conjunction on the 25, even though it will still be 8 deg north of the Sun it's setting at about the same time from our latitudes. From the high arctic Venus will remain above the horizon all night.

I suspect other than for Inuit observers, Venus at conjunction will be daylight affair. Quite risky for visual sweeping of the sky so close to the Sun.

I'm sure it's not beyond an intrepid and cautious observer though!

[goodricke1]

Spotted it in the 8 inch half an hour ago; 1% illumination, 8.5° from the Sun and 20 hours before conjunction. Here is a pic -