Narrowing crescent 19/5/2020

[mikeDnight]

The clouds miraculously cleared for a short while late in the afternoon, so it was an unmissable opportunity to catch up on my observations of Venus. I fault sight of the planet long before the Sun had set, and as it was set against a blue sky it was easy to see the whole globe suspended almost in 3D. The seeing was hit and miss with moments of steady air in amongst an otherwise agitated image due to some mild turbulence. This is a mirror reversed view as I was using a diagonal prism, and a 80A blue filter was used for part of the sketch. The fine horns extending around the darker globe were easy to see at 256X when the seeing was steady and appeared finer than in the sketch. It was difficult to see exactly where the fine horns actually ended and the dark limb began. Even the dark limb directly opposite the widest part of the crescent appeared at times to be illuminated, but that would have been merely due to contrast. Clouds moved in again bringing the observation to an end but I'd had my fix, so I felt much happier.

[jock1958]

Thanks Mike another fine sketch! might give it a go later today before it gets to low. 

[Alan White]

Very nice Mike, sadly it was not for me yesterday.
I so wanted to see Mercury and Venus but clouds and trees conspired against me yesterday.
 

[AdeKing]

Thanks for this lovely sketch Mike, my own efforts are rather more crude but show the narrowing phase well enough.

I've thoroughly enjoyed observing this year and have been locking on to Venus with a goto mount in the mid afternoon and observe it into the evening as the skies darken and before it disappears behind trees at the end of the garden.

I've still to see any cloud detail, but I'm sure I will eventually but that won't be for another year.