Calendar Discussion - Lunar and Vesta conjunction (UK: 02/02/2020 00:00)

[admin]

One for our Southern Hemisphere members, the magnitude 8 asteroid Vesta will be under 2 degrees away from the Moon by the time of nautical twilight. It is closer earlier on, but not sure when you would be able to pick it up. Probably best in a wide field scope with a 2.5 or 3 degree field of view. Likely not dramatic, but interesting to see the two objects in context with each other.

This is a screen shot set for Melbourne Australia for @Geoff Barnes 😁👍

View the calendar event

[Geoff Barnes]

Ta for that @Stu

I won't be able to get them both in the same FOV but I'll get my SW 32mm onto it and maybe the Baader zoom as well for a closer look if weather permits.

It will just about be dark enough by 9.40pm so worth a shot, moon glow might drown it out though.

Edited January 31, 2020 by Geoff Barnes

[Geoff Barnes]

Right @Stu I'm going out, the sky is clear and the moon is moving into the perfect clearing between the trees, wish me luck!  

[Stu]

1 hour ago, Geoff Barnes said:

Right @Stu I'm going out, the sky is clear and the moon is moving into the perfect clearing between the trees, wish me luck!  

Good luck Geoff!

[Geoff Barnes]

Got it! Had a bit of bother orienting myself with the Dob, the image you gave me was upside down in the viewfinder so I ended up searching southeast of the moon, not northeast. Nevertheless, with the SW 32mm Plossl I managed to find a tiny spec just where I thought it would be, swapped it with the Baader zoom and took it up to 187x which showed it as definitely not a pinpoint star. Then put in the SW 4mm Planetary for 375x and wow, a small roundish disc of a faint and pale yellowish orange!

A good job I went out early and got it as cloud quickly moved in and my session was over, mission accomplished!  

[Stu]

Great stuff @Geoff Barnes glad you got it. Sorry about the confusion with orientation, I'll make sure I comment on what I've posted in future so people remember to adjust accordingly.

Well done!