15th Dec: That Pair Again !

[John]

Clear SW horizon here tonight so out with the ED120 refractor to check on Jupiter and Saturn currently nestling just 40 arc minutes apart.

Very nice views using the 8mm Ethos eyepiece @ 113x. The field of view frames the pair with a bit of room to spare either side. Enough magnification to see some details as well

3 Galilean moons showing plus a couple of cloud belts. GRS might be on view but the seeing is poor so that's not clear. Titan just beginning to gleam. Cassini Division flicking in and out of visibility.

Grabbing every chance I can - just don't know what the next few days are going to bring, weather-wise !

I get about 40 minutes of time between picking Jupiter out of the twilight sky and it dropping behind the branches of a large tree so need to make the best of it. Fortunately I can see that piece of sky from the back garden so I'm not needing to travel far.

Wonder when these planets were last 40 arc minutes apart in the sky ?

Hope others are getting some views this evening too

 

 

 

[Peter Drew]

   ☹️

[Mr Spock]

When I get to view I'm going to have to drive to high ground. No chance from here.

[Stu]

Nice one John. Had a ten minute gap in the clouds so managed to see them in the Heritage 150p with 24mm Panoptic. Low power views but Galilean moons visible and the separation of Saturn’s rings clear too. Just nice to see them.

[paul mc c]

View through the 127 mak and dslr

[skyhog]

Yes. I rolled back the obsy roof about 3.30pm, managed to get them both in the same field of a 30mm ep on the 12inch lx200, still quite light.  Nice to add to the list of things you don't see that often. Looked very nice in the southwest as the sky darkened. Hopefully we'll all get a chance when they are at their closest.

[vineyard]

Had a quick chance before clouds came in.  18.2mm Delite w TV76 and both comfortably visible (in about the middle 60% of the FOV so I guess that means it could have handled a shorter f/l - will try a 12mm next time I get a chance). 🤞🏾for 21st!

[Telescope40]

Just a pair of binoculars for me tonight. My Canon IS 10 x 30’s. Pleasing view. Caught the Jovian moons. 
Will be great to follow over the next week or so or cloud cloud cloud. 
Here’s hoping 

John 

Edited December 15, 2020 by Telescope40

[Ibbo!]

Yes I was back up the ladder this afternoon and got some shots before they went into the murk.

[paulastro]

A great view and report John.  I really share your enthusiasm for observing this whole event as often as possible. It's probably the rarest event any of us has observed or will in the future - though Im sure now I have said that, someone will correct me 🙂. But really, what a wonderful thing to see, I'm just pleased I've seen them this close.  I'll certainly be trying at every opportunity. Wow!

  

[Davey-T]

Just drove up to high spot, more to check the FOV for the actual event.

Didn't look too promising when I arrived but clouds cleared after an hour of waiting, took a quick snap with Canon 70/200 @ 200

Dave

[Tiny Clanger]

Managed a brief view from the back garden this evening, both planets visible together in the mak127 with a 32mm plossl, too low to get any sort of detail beyond the Galilean Moons and the rings, all soon lost to sight behind houses.

A layer of cloud was drifting in too, but I hoped Jupiter was visible through it, so jumped in the car and drove off to investigate whereabouts near home might have a clearer line of sight while I could still sort of see Jupiter playing hide and seek through the cloud . Found a not too muddy or pot holed pull in with a good view, and a bridleway joins the road there , so I can go into the farmer's field and set the 'scope up if and when the chance of a clear view presents itself. And it's an arable field too, so no nosy cattle to contend with 😀

[paulastro]

That looks like the cloud where I was 🙂

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Nice report John! Great to see these two giants in the same FOV. Who knows if we will get another chance!

 

[John]

3 hours ago, John said:

...Wonder when these planets were last 40 arc minutes apart in the sky ?

 

 

 

 

To answer my own question, the last time they were this close (ie: 40 arc minutes) was in February 1961 I think. I was 1 year old so I missed out on that.

I don't think they will be as close as they are tonight again until 2080. I will be 120 then so I'll probably miss out on that one as well !

 

[Mark at Beaufort]

Great report John. I was not able to observe tonight so hopefully I will grab it again in the next few days.

[Alan White]

Nice report John, a scope view sounds great, I did a quick smash and grab view with binoculars this evening.

 

[maw lod qan]

Wonderful with all the bad weather you deal with you are getting to see them move together.

[Captain Scarlet]

An unexpected patch of clearness in the right direction, so I grabbed my Kowa 88mm spotting scope and used it first-time-ever on a celestial object. I mounted it on my Stellarvue M2 alt-Az and I think I’ve found my “grab and go” set-up. Fully waterproof too which was just as well!

Anyway, back to the point, the two planets were both on view at max zoom, 60x, and remarkably clear. All 4 Jovian moons unless there was an interloping star, two main equatorial belts, Saturn’s rings very clear. And just off stage right and down (this is a correct-image scope) a huge looming crescent New Moon.

Im glad to be able to say at least I have seen the conjunction-ish now, hopefully I’ll get some gaps on 20-21-22.

Magnus

Edited December 16, 2020 by Captain Magenta

[John]

The clear sky here was a bit after the pair got too low to observe so I missed them tonight

 

 

[Mark at Beaufort]

Certainly getting closer. Viewed using the Heritage again with the SvBony zoom. I am really hoping the sky will be clear over the  next few days. The forecast for the 21st is not looking good.

[Muc]

Didn't see them tonight but did catch the 4% moon setting which is the youngest I've ever seen it. So lovely. Another good thing about the conjunction!

[Scooot]

Nice report John. Not many people have seen them in the same FOV for hundreds of years. I joined the club this afternoon briefly with my 10” and 17.3mm. Three of Jupiter’s moons, but  it was very cloudy so I didn’t notice Saturn’s, but it was for literally only a couple of minutes. I still feel very privileged to have seen them together, it was quite something.  

[Tiny Clanger]

Flippin' clouds rolling in again as the Sun set after a bright sunny afternoon here in the East Midlands, , but I'd optimistically parked the mak outside anyway while I started to cook dinner, and at about 4:45 a gap showed me the crescent Moon, nothing else. Checked again at 4:55 and there the two planets were, too low and fuzzy for any detail, but whereas on Tuesday 15th I needed to use the 32mm cheapie plossl to see both in the same field of view, tonight the 25mm BST comfortably contained both, and they even just squeezed in to the view through my 17mm plossl.

Just one Galilean moon managed to struggle through the twilight and cloud, think it may have been Callisto. And then in came the serious clouds and all was lost, I must have had a whole four minutes view !

[kerrylewis]

Lovely view from home as the clouds parted just in time. Both planets in the 10mm eyepiece with the 100 DL 

I like to think of what it means in 3D as I look at them. Saturn smaller and out there beyond Jupiter lining up for us for our delight on little ole Earth 😀