HYADES OCCULTATION TONIGHT!! - Just in case you've forgotten, includes Aldebaran in the early hours of 6th.

[paulastro]

Weather forecast here clear all night - amazing.  Starting with reappearance of gamma Tauri at 7.47pm. 

Aldebaran occultated at 2.39am, re-appearing at 3.24am - exact times depends on your location, so check if you're not sure.

Details in BAA Handbook, AN and elsewhere.

[Pete Presland]

Due to be clear here as well, according to some weather sources. Hopefully should get a look at the Moon among he Hyades cluster, not sure if I will make the later event though.

[paulastro]

Just come in from re-appearance of gamma Tauri, but missed it - it was so faint I never noticed it come out until it was a little way away, overwhelmed rather by the Moon (and the fact I used too low a magnification).  So few Hyades stars visible (using Equinox 80) it looked very underwhelming,  I don't think I'll go out for Aldebaran either Pete.

Some nice detail on the edge of the Moon made up for it a bit .

[Fozzie]

I caught the early event... seeing a bit off tonight but ive baged Curtis which is 2.88km wide, a new record for me, which previiusly stood at 4km.. 

Managed a hand held shot, you can just make it out..

Ta

Fozzie 

[Stu]

Great shot Fozzie!

[iPeace]

Visiting elsewhere, got some 20x60 bins on a tripod out back and had a nice look. Too late for the occultation, but still a great sight of the Moon with the Hyades off to the left and the Pleiades up above. Not all in the same view at once of course, but fun!

EDIT: In retrospect, I actually saw the Moon "in" the Hyades; what I saw off to its (lower) left was the sub-formation of Theta 1 and 2 Tau, 80 and 81 Tau, and HR1427 and HD28568. Upper left were Delta 1, 2 and 3 Tau, and to the right Gamma Tau. Not the first time I have mentally mistaken the sub-formation for the whole of the Hyades...

[Nyctimene]

I was lucky enough to spot the final highlight of the Hyades occultation - the reappearance of Aldebaran - this morning. Conditions were awful with a mixture of clouds and haze; just Beteigeuze and Rigel could be made out naked eye. But my 80/400 Vixen FH showed the moon sufficiently sharp and bright enough with 50x mag; the Messier double crater could be seen, in short moments even the "parrot tail" extension rays.

At 04h 32m approx. Aldebaran appeared abruptly at the SW darkened limb of the moon, sparkling, and clearly brighter than any bright reflective structure on the moon's surface (Aristarch, Proclus), and at an almost grazing angle. Within two minutes, the separation was very distinct, and could be made out even with 7x50 binoculars 10 minutes later. (The bins showed just 6 main stars of the Pleiades!). I observed Aldebaran's tiny orange speck gaining more and more distance to the moon for another 10 minutes, being quite satisfied in having conquered clouds and haze; and so to bed at 05h CET.

Stephan

[Stu]

Well done Stephan!!