September 1, 2020: Three planets, a Planetary, and a Supernova

[michael.h.f.wilkinson]

Unexpectedly, the skies cleared today, so I drove off to my observing spot north of town, on the dike by Aduarderzijl. My aim was to have a go at imaging Jupiter and Saturn, and trying to hunt down supernova SN2020rcq in UGC 6930.

I set up the C8 on the GP mount, and had a look at the gas giants, first at 93x with the Nagler 22T4, then at 145x with the Delos 14 mm. Jupiter was decidedly mushy in either, with a combination of boiling seeing and atmospheric dispersion affecting the view. Saturn was considerably better, perhaps due to the slightly higher altitude, or the fact that Jupiter was above some distant houses, and Saturn was over a waterway. The Cassini division was only visible fitfully.

Mars was visible lowin the east, but the view was awful. I then turned to hunting the supernova. This was an easy star hop from Phad, and with the big 14x70 finder I got the right spot quickly. I first tried the Nagler 31T5, but upped the magnification by inserting the 22T4 once more. I could not spot the galaxy (unsurprising, in the moonlight), but there was definitely a stellar object in the exact spot indicated in the finder charts I printed. That's supernova number 15 bagged!

After a little war dance on the dike, I turned back to the gas giants, but Jupiter was still mushy, Saturn a bit better. I then turned to Mars, which had risen considerably higher, and now showed a lot of detail.

I then turned to M57, and it was a gorgeous sight, despite moonlight. After a quick trundle across the moon (never ideal at full moon) I called it a night.