JANUARY 21ST - WELL, I DIDN'T EXPECT THIS !

[paulastro]

I wanted to have another session before new Moon, but had little expectation for this morning.  I looked at all the weather sites I usually look at yesterday evening (AccuWeather, Clear Outside, BBC Weather app, Met Interactive Weather Map) and all indicated just about 100% cloudy for the narrow period I had to catch the Moon before doom. Of course, ever the optimist, I set the alarm for 6.00 am this morning.  I didn't even look through the window before I got up, I fully expected it to be cloudy but had decided the night before to get up anyway just in case there was a small hole in the cloud.  Went up the steps out the back of the house with the scope not even glancing up.  I couldn't believe it when I set the scope down, glanced up - to see a perfectly clear sky with a slender crescent Moon just about six degrees above the SE horizon !! 

I have to say though, the seeing was really pretty bad, not surprising really with the low temperature and the low altitude.  Having said that, the seeing didn't detract from how beautiful it looked, and even more so as the Moon rose a little bit when I could see Mars about 8 degrees to the right and a degree below the Moon.  As the dawn started to break the azure blue just above the horizon made it all an outstanding spectacle.

I took numerous snaps before packing up at about 7.40, hoping I would be lucky and that one of the shutter releases would coincide with a micro-moment of better seeing.  The only pic I obtained I could do anything with is below.  Taken at 7.79 am, SW 80ED, AZ5, Olympus E-M5 Mk11, 1/80 sec at 400 asa.  Have a look at the limbs of either version and you will see how bad the seeing still was.  Very pleased to have added one to my sequence.  One more opportunity tomorrow morning, but not according to the weather forecasts.  I'll be up anyway just in case and I'll know then how many times I've taken pics and observed during the lunation.  Very pleased with the opportunities I've had however it turns out tomorrow.

 

 

 

[Rob]

Nice!. I moon watched on the way into work.. which was on the M27 Motorway (AKA the car park) roughly crawling at 10 mph for 8 miles.. at 7am it looked stunning showing nice earth shine too..

Rob

P.s the 10 mph on beloved M27 (Grrrrr) is a daily thing. seeing the Moon like today really helps pass the time.

[Stu]

Nice shots Paul, glad you've been able to grab some more images. It certainly looked beautiful this morning when I left home at about 6.45am, it was regularly in sight for most of my journey to work which was nice.

Forecast looking dodgy moving forward though so we may have had the best if it for a while.

[mikeDnight]

You Yorkshire men have all the luck! 

[paulastro]

1 hour ago, Rob said:

Nice!. I moon watched on the way into work.. which was on the M27 Motorway (AKA the car park) roughly crawling at 10 mph for 8 miles.. at 7am it looked stunning showing nice earth shine too..

Rob

P.s the 10 mph on beloved M27 (Grrrrr) is a daily thing. seeing the Moon like today really helps pass the time.

Rob, I'm glad you saw it, even if it was from the M27.  I know the area very well, I was at university in Southampton from 1982 to 1985 and stayed in the area for some years afterwards.  I used to go to the New Forest frequently to watch and photograph the wild deer.  I last went back just over a year ago.  I love the area, wouldn't mind going back there but I'd have to leave the wife - mmm, now there's a thought........🤔

[paulastro]

2 hours ago, Stu said:

Nice shots Paul, glad you've been able to grab some more images. It certainly looked beautiful this morning when I left home at about 6.45am, it was regularly in sight for most of my journey to work which was nice.

Forecast looking dodgy moving forward though so we may have had the best if it for a while.

Many thanks Stu.  As you say, the forecast looks bad - no clear weather forecast here for several days.  Still you never know, tomorrows my last chance so I'll give it a go.

[paulastro]

mikeDnight said:

You Yorkshire men have all the luck! 

 

Wrong on two accounts Mike.   Firstly, as you well know I'm a brummie and proud of it.   Secondly, what luck?  It was a mixture of determination, steel like grit, tenacity, stupidity and an alarm clock 🤣.

[AdeKing]

7 hours ago, Rob said:

Nice!. I moon watched on the way into work.. which was on the M27 Motorway (AKA the car park) roughly crawling at 10 mph for 8 miles.. at 7am it looked stunning showing nice earth shine too..

Rob

P.s the 10 mph on beloved M27 (Grrrrr) is a daily thing. seeing the Moon like today really helps pass the time.

Yes it's a real pain. Really wish they'd improve J9 to ease the massive eastbound bottleneck there in the morning.

But you're right the moon makes a nice distraction.