Most satisfying observations?

[ollypenrice]

For me:

1) Finally seeing the Rosette unambiguously and in its entirety. TV Genesis F5, UHC filter, Spanish Pyrenees (before moving to France to live.)

2) The Zodiacal light naked eye and in the enjoyable company of Dr René Dumont who was probably the world authority on the subject and authored the article in Maran's Encylopedia of Astrophysics. This faint, diffuse wedge of light was so much more interesting when accompanied by an expert's commentary!

3) A shadow transit of Callisto over Jupiter. Why so special? Because it was in the middle of the afternoon on a very bright, sunny day. (0.8 metre Ritchey Chrétien, 31mm Nagler*, Observatoire des Baronnies, SE France.)

Olly

* Not your average planetary EP! 

[Ags]

5 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

A shadow transit of Callisto over Jupiter. Why so special? Because it was in the middle of the afternoon on a very bright, sunny day. (0.8 metre Ritchey Chrétien, 31mm Nagler*, Observatoire des Baronnies, SE France.)

Yes, it kind of proves light pollution doesn't hurt planetary observing ?

[markclaire50]

3 hours ago, Ags said:

Yes, it kind of proves light pollution doesn't hurt planetary observing ?

Pretty amazing. So what physics are going on here? The scope must have been packing substantial magnification to give enough contrast to see Jupiter at all? 

[Stub Mandrel]

28 minutes ago, markclaire50 said:

Pretty amazing. So what physics are going on here? The scope must have been packing substantial magnification to give enough contrast to see Jupiter at all? 

This web page gives an explanation, the chap calculates daytime sky has a magnitude of about 3 per square arc-second. At the moment Jupiter has an apparent size of 0.35 arc-seconds or ~0.1 square arc-seconds. Its magnitude is -1.97 or -1.97 per 0.1 square arcseconds  = (very roughly)  -4 magnitudes per arcsecond. -4 to 3 is seven magnitudes so jupiter is  about 600 times brighter than daylight sky(!)

https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2011/07/10/how-bright-is-the-daytime-sky/

This page has a shot of the Ring Nebula taken at 8:32 on a July day in Canada in a blue sky!

http://mallincam.tripod.com/id46.html

 

[markclaire50]

2 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

This web page gives an explanation, the chap calculates daytime sky has a magnitude of about 3 per square arc-second. At the moment Jupiter has an apparent size of 0.35 arc-seconds or ~0.1 square arc-seconds. Its magnitude is -1.97 or -1.97 per 0.1 square arcseconds  = (very roughly)  -4 magnitudes per arcsecond. -4 to 3 is seven magnitudes so jupiter is  about 600 times brighter than daylight sky(!)

https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2011/07/10/how-bright-is-the-daytime-sky/

This page has a shot of the Ring Nebula taken at 8:32 on a July day in Canada in a blue sky!

http://mallincam.tripod.com/id46.html

 

Hi Stub

Thanks for this. The ring nebula image is fascinating! Never would expect that. On the jupiter calculation, I think apparent diameter is 35 arc seconds at moment. I find these calculations difficult to do at the moment, but if you use 35, would it drop difference to around 15 times brighter than sky? Still a surprise to me, and would still make it visible. Does that mean I should be able to find it with my 127 mm mak, in daylight? Now, that would be good! 

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, markclaire50 said:

Hi Stub

Thanks for this. The ring nebula image is fascinating! Never would expect that. On the jupiter calculation, I think apparent diameter is 35 arc seconds at moment. I find these calculations difficult to do at the moment, but if you use 35, would it drop difference to around 15 times brighter than sky? Still a surprise to me, and would still make it visible. Does that mean I should be able to find it with my 127 mm mak, in daylight? Now, that would be good! 

Your are correct and I am a silly billy!

I suspect the detail depends on where it is in the sky and time of day.

[markclaire50]

4 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Your are correct and I am a silly billy!

I suspect the detail depends on where it is in the sky and time of day.

I'm not even sure my estimate is right. I was thinking about this. What is needed is a different unit of brightness per square arc second, to compare sky and jupiter. 

[Froeng]

Most satisfying sights:

1. Watching the impact marks caused by Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter turn into view in my C8 as it happened (1994)

2. Comet Hyakutake naked eye with the tail covering half the sky (1996).

3 seeing Markarian’s chain for the first time in my C8.

Frank

[Owmuchonomy]

1) Quasar CTA 102 in Pegasus 2017. Tipped off that this was in one of its ‘bright’ phases at mag 12.5 I assembled a few people at the obsy to witness 6 billion year old photons on the retina. Halfway back to the Big Bang nearly. Incredible. C9.25 and averted vision.

2) M42 through the ED150 and an Astronomik UHC filter on a 20mm ES 82 EP. Staggering detail under great skies. Two weeks ago.

3) The Northern Lights naked eye over North Yorkshire. The mother’s day storm of 2016. Green and red ionisation.

[markclaire50]

5 hours ago, Froeng said:

Most satisfying sights:

1. Watching the impact marks caused by Shoemaker-Levy 9 on Jupiter turn into view in my C8 as it happened (1994)

2. Comet Hyakutake naked eye with the tail covering half the sky (1996).

3 seeing Markarian’s chain for the first time in my C8.

Frank

I'm Very envious! 

[mikeDnight]

My three most satisfying observations have to be 

1)  The best view of the Moon I've ever had through any telescope, was with a Takahashi FC100DC with 1.6x Extender Q, + 2x barlow and binoviewer using 16.8mm orthoscopics. No other view or scope/barlow/eyepiece combination has ever come close!  A truly 3D view at around X280, my stomach rolled as I drifted over the cliff face of the Apennine's. I got lost in the complex rilles running along the southern shore line of Mare Frigoris, twisting and dividing as they traversed the mountain range leading to Vallis Alp's, where two of them cut across the valley width as fine dark lines.

2) Mars in 2003 when high in the sky and at 26 arc seconds was spectacular in my Tak FS128, but the view of Mars I had in 2016 using the FC100DC revealed even more detail than I saw in 2003, despite the planet skimming the roof tops and only 16 arc seconds, though the detail was perhaps not as immediately obvious!

3) Saturn through my SW 120ED DS Pro. (2008/2009 ish). The rings were beginning to open and their outer edge appeared speckled with a fine peppering of dark material impossible to sketch. This feature was observed by myself, my late friend Phil and paulastro at the same time but at different locations on two consecutive nights!