JUPITER & SATURN

[DAVE AMENDALL]

On the evening of the 21st December Jupiter and Saturn will be at their closest for 800 years (only about a 10th of a degree apart. This will not occur again until 2080.  Let's hope it's cloud free in the UK for a change.....Dave

[Moonshed]

10 hours ago, DAVE AMENDALL said:

On the evening of the 21st December Jupiter and Saturn will be at their closest for 800 years (only about a 10th of a degree apart. This will not occur again until 2080.  Let's hope it's cloud free in the UK for a change.....Dave

Seems to me that the more momentous the event the more likely it is to cloud over.

[Nigella Bryant]

As of the 19th December.

[F15Rules]

Couple of poor but real.phone images via my FS128 earlier this evening..I was straining to get a view this early evening, and the different orientations are due to moving the diagonal to get a clearer view..in the 2nd image Jupiter is literally cut in half by the roofline of our house!

John Huntley's very interesting thread in the Planetary Observing forum is well worth a read👍..

Just search for "19th December 16:25 hrs: Jupiter & Saturn 1/4 degree apart" in the forum shown above..

Dave

Edited December 19, 2020 by F15Rules
Additional text info

[Moonshed]

Funny hobby isn’t it? One minute we are admiring a really splendid image of Andromeda, the next a wobbly, blurred image of a couple of planets, and appreciate them equally.

[Nigella Bryant]

11 hours ago, Moonshed said:

Funny hobby isn’t it? One minute we are admiring a really splendid image of Andromeda, the next a wobbly, blurred image of a couple of planets, and appreciate them equally.

Yep, I guess it's because the event is something we haven't/can observe in such a long time that makes the wobbly image's significant. The moment of being there and seeing it with our own eye's, a bit like total solar eclipses.

[Moonshed]

1 hour ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Yep, I guess it's because the event is something we haven't/can observe in such a long time that makes the wobbly image's significant. The moment of being there and seeing it with our own eye's, a bit like total solar eclipses.

Talking of solar eclipses... I went down to Cornwall in 1999 to watch it and remembered good advice I was given, forget about your camera and instead enjoy the moment! I enjoyed the moment.

[maw lod qan]

2 hours ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Yep, I guess it's because the event is something we haven't/can observe in such a long time that makes the wobbly image's significant. The moment of being there and seeing it with our own eye's, a bit like total solar eclipses.

Seeing it with our own eyes, that is what I try to impress to all my friends.

And when it is possibly something that truly will happen only once in a lifetime, then it's even more special to actually witness it yourself!

[Dantooine]

A terrible drawing quickly scribbled on a scrap of paper.. but hey I’ve got to see this in a cloud gap so all is well. 

[Sky-searcher]

Got a few pics in daylight at 4pm before they disappeared behind the roof top of the house opposite. Easily viewed with 14mm Morpheus & Mak 150 between the clouds. Not a good forecast for tomorrow though.

[DaveS]

Grabbed a view in my 10x50s, but so low down as to be below my telescope's horizon. Easy split with naked eye, Stellarium says just over 9 mins of arc.

[Dantooine]

24 minutes ago, Sky-searcher said:

Got a few pics in daylight at 4pm before they disappeared behind the roof top of the house opposite. Easily viewed with 14mm Morpheus & Mak 150 between the clouds. Not a good forecast for tomorrow though.

Such luck with weather. Very nice, almost as good as my drawing 🤣

[Dantooine]

18 hours ago, Moonshed said:

Funny hobby isn’t it? One minute we are admiring a really splendid image of Andromeda, the next a wobbly, blurred image of a couple of planets, and appreciate them equally.

It’s not the hobby, it’s us 😁

[Moonshed]

2 hours ago, Dantooine said:

A terrible drawing quickly scribbled on a scrap of paper.. but hey I’ve got to see this in a cloud gap so all is well. 

Love the delicate way you have shaded the Cassini Division!  😂

Edited December 20, 2020 by Moonshed
Called it Cassini Ring instead of Division

[Dantooine]

3 minutes ago, Moonshed said:

Love the delicate way you have shaded the Cassini Ring!  😂

Yeah this is my version of Astro photography. 

[HollyHound]

1 hour ago, Dantooine said:

Yeah this is my version of Astro photography. 

Still better than my version... by a long way 🤣

[Dantooine]

2 minutes ago, HollyHound said:

Still better than my version... by a long way 🤣

👍

[old_eyes]

So, for a wonder the clouds parted at about 5pm on 20th and there they both were. Very low down up here in North Wales and heading for the hilly horizon, but clear to the naked eye.

I quickly hauled my Dob out and had a happy few minutes admiring both planets in one field of view. Good view of the Galilean moons of Jupiter, and I sort of convinced myself I could make out Titan. Visual only, but it was way too low for any astrophotography rig I had to hand. I am looking forward to some splendid images from astronomers luckier and more organised than I am!

Definitely one for the album.

[Jonk]

Not really a great imaging opportunity, rather a 'for the record' image seeing as the weather will be awful tomorrow.

[Nigella Bryant]

Great Conjunction today just setting. Canon 1000d plus 500mm telephoto. 

[saac]

2 hours ago, Dantooine said:

Yeah this is my version of Astro photography. 

It will sharpen up in post processing

Jim 

[Swoop1]

Once in a lifetime opportunity again disrupted by a regular occurrence. Complete cloud cover right now.

 

[mcrowle]

Totally clouded out here in Cornwall, too, with rain expected to last for the next few hours.

Yesterday evening was mostly cloudy, though with a few clear patches overhead - not much good for attempting to view the conjunction just above the horizon. In any case I would have had to set up away from home for an adequately low horizon, and was expecting visitors from 4pm, so I'm afraid I didn't even try! Maybe next time  .

Regards, Mike.

[Nigella Bryant]

Clouded out with heavy rain here for next few days. Still I managed yesterday and hopefully on Thursday and Friday. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day supposed to be clear here. I don't mind that much as I got it yesterday. These are the sequences so far. 16th to 20th December.

[Dantooine]

1 hour ago, Nigella Bryant said:

Clouded out with heavy rain here for next few days. Still I managed yesterday and hopefully on Thursday and Friday. Christmas Eve and Christmas Day supposed to be clear here. I don't mind that much as I got it yesterday. These are the sequences so far. 16th to 20th December.

That’s a nice record