19th December 16:25 hrs: Jupiter & Saturn 1/4 degree apart

[Barry-W-Fenner]

Some stunning views of this pair of planets. Jupiter appears to have gained a 5th large moon. I assume this is Saturn's moon titan. Its perfectly lined up with the galileo moons.

[reezeh]

I just managed to see Jupiter and Saturn about half an hour ago between the scudding clouds.

Total time I had of clear sky was about 8 seconds, over 2 gaps in the clouds. 

Used my Canon 10x30 IS binoculars.

Low down over the hill crest but looking fantastic. 

I'm going to look again but I think this'll be it. 

As good as can be expected for Northern England... 

 

Edit: Went back upstairs for another look after posting this and managed to get a longer view with my Nikon 8x40 CF binos. But only through the bathroom window which is stuck shut.

Watched it til it was hidden by a low cloud and just before it would have disappeared behind the roof of the old farmhouse a short distance away.

It's over for me now, unless a miracle happens tomorrow. 

Edited December 20, 2020 by reezeh
Went for another look and decided to keep my comments in one answer.

[Ships and Stars]

Confession time for this faint fuzzy addict - first time I've seen Saturn or Jupiter through a telescope! (used binoculars before, but no scope - too low from home). Shame on me  

I left the bins at home tonight and set the 12" dob up in a passing place on a closed road near me but up high enough to get the views.

Seeing was surprisingly good considering how low they are. First was the 13mm APM 100deg at 115x, quite sharp, then the 9mm APM at 167x, just stunning, moons stringing out from Jupiter despite the glow of the sun below the horizon. Banding on Jupiter clearly visible.

Then 2x powermate with the 13mm APM at 231x, not as sharp but still ok! Dropped back to the 9mm APM, the evenings winner.

To top off a great evening, this is the earliest I've ever been home from a viewing session! 🤣 I can sleep tonight!

PS I think John's post has turned into the temporary Great Conjunction forum - thank you John!! 👍

[Barry-W-Fenner]

[vineyard]

Running around like a headless chicken for about 20 mins.  Noticed clear skies, went out and could just see J & S rapidly disappearing into the SW.

Helter skelter getting the old Vixen Porta & Telementor up, and bingo.  Got them in 10-O - lovely.  Some Galilean moons strung out (incl one quite far from Jove?) and Saturn in the background presenting its rings beautifully.  Out of curiosity popped in a Nag Zoom and could take it to 4mm and still get both in the same FOV - although v mushy of course.  At 10-O it was v clear & sharp (nice banding on Jupiter).

If you can get clear sight & have an EQ mount tracking, you are in for a treat.

Over all too soon w clouds.  But still wonderful seeing this celestial dance.

[kerrylewis]

Quick Iphone shot before they hit the trees - including Christmas lights! 

Even if tomorrow is clouded out I'm glad to have seen it. I can't recall such a close conjunction before  

 

[Pixies]

Beautiful clear skies in Edinburgh. I managed to bag the gas giants with my little 90mm Mak. The dob is too low to get a view over the garden wall.

So strange to see them both so tight together in a 25mm EP. Saturn was almost as close to Jupiter as Callisto was. Couldn't make out any of Saturn's moons in the little Mak, though.

I'm happy enough with this evening's view, if tomorrow is clouded out.

[Pixies]

6 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

That's a star in line with Jupiter's moons - outside of Callisto:

I was getting worried with the number of moons I could see!

[kerrylewis]

27 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

Some stunning views of this pair of planets. Jupiter appears to have gained a 5th large moon. I assume this is Saturn's moon titan. Its perfectly lined up with the galileo moons.

It's a star - HD 191250 according to my Jupiter app. Just adds to the fun! 😀

Edited December 20, 2020 by kerrylewis

[badhex]

1 hour ago, johnturley said:

Looking quire promising for a glimpse from Dronfield at present.

Dronnie eh? I'm a Chesterfield (Duckmanton, nr Bolsover) lad originally although in Berlin now! I would much prefer your Bortle 5 skies 😉

[bish]

Seeing not bad. Rings quite sharp. Belts and moons of Jupiter clear. 

Nice naked eye view of mars, the moon and jupiter/saturn lined on a diagonal.

[reezeh]

17 minutes ago, Pixies said:

That's a star in line with Jupiter's moons - outside of Callisto:

I was getting worried with the number of moons I could see!

You could have named the interloper "Sidus Ludovicianum" 😉

[Barry-W-Fenner]

47 minutes ago, Ships and Stars said:

Confession time for this faint fuzzy addict - first time I've seen Saturn or Jupiter through a telescope! (used binoculars before, but no scope - too low from home). Shame on me  

I left the bins at home tonight and set the 12" dob up in a passing place on a closed road near me but up high enough to get the views.

Seeing was surprisingly good considering how low they are. First was the 13mm APM 100deg at 115x, quite sharp, then the 9mm APM at 167x, just stunning, moons stringing out from Jupiter despite the glow of the sun below the horizon. Banding on Jupiter clearly visible.

Then 2x powermate with the 13mm APM at 231x, not as sharp but still ok! Dropped back to the 9mm APM, the evenings winner.

To top off a great evening, this is the earliest I've ever been home from a viewing session! 🤣 I can sleep tonight!

PS I think John's post has turned into the temporary Great Conjunction forum - thank you John!! 👍

A little off this topic, but have you considered purchasing a dew shield for the 300p SAS

[Mark at Beaufort]

Set up the Heritage 130P scope at 4.15pm and then 30 minutes later a very large dark cloud covered the whole area. About 5.15pm the sky went totally clear so viewed the two planets with various eyepieces. 10mm Baader ortho, Fujiyama 9mm Ortho and 6mm Baader Ortho. I added the Baader barlow and the best view was the 6mm with the 1.3x barlow attachments.

It was great to see the additional 'Moon' the 7.45 mag star SAO188965 also nice to pick up Titan.

I also recorded the live link to Exeter University - 

 

[spike95609]

I just about got a good look at it in my 10" scope just before it disappeared into some trees. I was planning on just using my bins as I thought they would be much too low for the scope, so it had no time to acclimatise at all, but I managed to get it up to 80x and could see Saturn's rings clearly and Titan just about, no detail on Jupiter sadly. I was fooled into thinking that HD 191250 was one of its moons until I just checked it on Stellarium, I knew something was wrong because I could see what looked to be five moons in a row and obviously that's not right. Very pleased to have seen it, as the forecast for tomorrow isn't good.

[Davey-T]

Clear sky this evening but a freezing gale trying to blow tripod over.

Looked better through bin's.

Dave

[Ships and Stars]

12 minutes ago, Barry-W-Fenner said:

A little off this topic, but have you considered purchasing a dew shield for the 300p SAS

Hi Barry, I made one from a black foam camping mat but another confession - I've never used it! It would increase contract though. Frequently too windy here for dew to form however 🤣

Was gusting to 40 last night...

I need to start using the dew shield to see how it affects contrast.

[scarp15]

Clear and cold evening in Newcastle. Went up onto Cow Hill, which is a great vantage point on the Newcastle Town Moor. A few others spaced apart here, only myself with an optical aid which was surprising. 16x70's stabilized on a monopod, commanding view of Saturn, Jupiter and Callisto. Bracing, four layered garments not enough, down jacket next time.

[MercianDabbler]

If at first... Tonight the clouds dispersed instead of getting bigger. Flippin windy though.

Took my ST80 back out to the field and mounted on my camera tropod. Not ideal but anything more would have been too much to carry.

First (cropped) pic with the EOS 70D at prime focus of the ST80. This was one of the first ones I took and looked wayyy underexposed at the time. ISO 1600, 1/100 second. The sky was a lot lighter than it looks in the photo. Longer exposures looked more like the actual light level but all failed due to the wind shaking the scope. This was about as good as things got visually too - could see the ring gap but never could quite manage 4 Jovian moons or do more than suspect any bands on Jupiter. The 10mm eyepiece from the ST80 bundle was about the best.

The other two showing the view over Warwickshire with the Canon 18/55 kit lens.

[Davey-T]

33 minutes ago, MercianDabbler said:

Longer exposures looked more like the actual light level but all failed due to the wind shaking the scope.

Took longer exposures and got moons but wind wiped out any detail on Saturn.

Dave

Edited December 20, 2020 by Davey-T

[John]

51 minutes ago, MercianDabbler said:

If at first... Tonight the clouds dispersed instead of getting bigger. Flippin windy though.

Took my ST80 back out to the field and mounted on my camera tropod. Not ideal but anything more would have been too much to carry.

First (cropped) pic with the EOS 70D at prime focus of the ST80. This was one of the first ones I took and looked wayyy underexposed at the time. ISO 1600, 1/100 second. The sky was a lot lighter than it looks in the photo. Longer exposures looked more like the actual light level but all failed due to the wind shaking the scope. This was about as good as things got visually too - could see the ring gap but never could quite manage 4 Jovian moons or do more than suspect any bands on Jupiter. The 10mm eyepiece from the ST80 bundle was about the best.

The other two showing the view over Warwickshire with the Canon 18/55 kit lens.

Personally, I think the 3rd photo you posted particularly sums up what the great conjunction is all about

[Stu]

Excellent views here tonight in the Tak. I picked them up in binos at 4.08, and then got the scope on them soon after (had to move the tripod a few metres to get in the best place).

I had about an hour on them through until they went behind a neighbour’s house, but was delighted to have had a decent session with them this close. I just used my Leica Zoom giving up to x83 which seemed enough of the conditions.

Lorna and Mrs Stu came out and enjoyed the views. I had the tripod up as high as it would go and so we had to perch on the top rung of the Catsperch! Easy to plonk Lorna in there but trickier for me to clamber up!

You can see Jupiter about to disappear behind the rooftop in the last picture.

I told Lorna to remember her old Dad when she sees the next one in 2080!!

[Paz]

I followed the same plan today with what felt like the same 50:50 chance of success and this time the clouds cleared enough and stayed clear allowing a good session.

The views were a bit vague due to the low altitude but it didn't matter, it was great seeing them in the same field of view.

Best view was with 10mm Delos and ADC with the ed102r, so 71x and 1 degree fov.

They are the tiny pixel of light near the middle of this photo.

 

[bish]

I wont be able to look tomorrow due to work, so it was a result for the sky to be clear for the whole time. It was total cloud an hour before setting up. Seeing was good too and had a nice view of the moon to for a warm up.

[geeklee]

Some great reports and pictures in this thread.  I was very happy to find a marginally accurate forecast for today and kept a happy eye on the skies this afternoon as they stayed fairly clear.  There was some low cloud in the SSW direction, but it held about the same spot so headed out around 4pm with the binos and got a sighter for the planets, still bright enough I could only see Jupiter with the naked eye though.  Got my small frac and larger dob out and ready.  

Even though I was ready for how close they would be, it still blew me away seeing the pair at moderate zoom with plenty of space around them.  What a sight seeing them together in the same eye piece like that.  With it being so low and early, Saturn was surprisingly clear but Jupiter was mainly a white blob with the occasional moments of slight clarity where some colour and structure came out.  Jupiter's moons were also a challenge in the bright skies.

By 4.30pm the sky had still darkened significantly (even for those 30 minutes) and Jupiter's moons popped out in the frac no problem.  I could get closer with the dob but the view was poorer and the family and I just used the frac for another 5-10 mins until we started to lose them behind nearby houses.  A poor sketch through both scopes was the last thing to do 👍

As an added bonus, got some quick time on Mars and the Moon before I had to bail and get the food started before a mutiny started... priorities?

I'm really pleased I got the chance to spend even a little time on these so close to the main event (as I'm not sure what tomorrow will bring).  I was getting concerned it was going to be a wash out up here.

Edited December 20, 2020 by geeklee