Open: Saturday, 5 August 2017, 1832 MST Temperature: 84°F

Session: 1136 Conditions: Partly cloudy

Equipment Used:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 8-24mm zoom eyepiece
2" 30mm eyepiece

Camera:
iPhone 6s Plus

1838 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

1840 MST: viewed Jupiter, 102X. No moons were yet visible, but the Great Red Spot was rotating into view.

1843 MST: Wi-Fi ON. Did some brief ScopeBoss iOS app tests for the developer. 1846 MST: Wi-Fi OFF. Reported the results.

1855 MST: switched to the Baader Zoom 8-24mm Eyepiece and viewed Jupiter, 102X. The Jovian moon Ganymede was now visible. Zoomed to 203X (12mm). The view of the Great Red Spot was nice.

1901 MST: the sky was now mostly clear.

1906 MST: the Jovian moons Io and Europa were now visible, 203X.

1907 MST: the waxing gibbous Moon was rising over the hill to the southeast.

1921 MST: sunset.

Seeing at Jupiter was getting worse and did not allow for a good view at 305X (8mm), but it was still pretty good at 203X. The Great Red Spot had rotated to nearly the central meridian. Zoomed back out to 102X; the Jovian moon Callisto was now visible.

1930 MST: viewed Saturn, 102X. Seeing was not very good, but the view at 203X was fairly good. No moons were visible yet. 1934 MST: Titan was now visible, 102X, but seeing was getting worse. 1942 MST: the moons Dione, Rhea, and Tethys were visible, 102X.

Switched back to the 2" 24mm UWA eyepiece (102X) and slewed the 12" telescope to the Moon, which was still behind a tree.

1944 MST: viewed the Moon through the tree limbs, 102X. A slight terminator was visible. Switched to the 2" 30mm eyepiece (81X) in order to be able to photograph the Moon's entire disk with the iPhone.

1955 MST: the Moon was now clear of the tree. This is a handheld iPhone 6s Plus afocal 81X photo taken with the iOS Camera app:

Then did some lunar observing, 305X. Seeing was not good. The crater Bailly at the lunar limb near the south pole looked interesting. This is a handheld iPhone afocal 305X photo showing the craters Tycho (upper right) and Bailly (lower left):

2011 MST: last look at the Moon, 102X.

2012 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Saturday, 5 August 2017, 2022 MST Temperature: 78°F

Session Length: 1h 50m Conditions: Mostly clear

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I have posted my review of the Ziv Camera Right Angle Viewfinder.

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