Saturday, 16 December 2017, was cloudy. Due to the clouds I was unable to photograph Asteroid 3200 Phaethon immediately after its closest approach to the Earth. Fortunately I was able to photograph it on the night before its closest approach. Also missed out on an excellent pass of the International Space Station Saturday night. Received 0.16" rain on Sunday, 17 December, and 0.01" on Monday, 18 December. There was even some lightning before sunrise. The sky cleared on Tuesday, 19 December, but I was down with what we decided was a case of mild flu. And yes, I had received this year's mildly effective flu shot. The sky was still mostly clear on Wednesday, 20 December, and I was feeling slightly better so I opened the observatory for a brief session..

Open: Wednesday, 20 December 2017, 1807 MST Temperature: 63°F

Session: 1178 Conditions: Mostly clear

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

Camera:
iPhone 8 Plus

1812 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed the Moon, 102X and 81X. Earthshine was very nice this evening.

Mounted the iPhone 8 Plus on the 2" 30mm eyepiece using the Levenhuk adapter. Used the iOS app NightCap Camera for these afocal 81 images:

Crescent Moon (ISO 250, 1/200sec)


Earthshine (ISO 640, 1/3sec)

1836 MST: final look at the Moon, 102X.

1838 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Wednesday, 20 December 2017, 1844 MST Temperature: 57°F

Session Length: 0h 37m Conditions: Mostly clear

As I was leaving the observatory and walking up the pathway to the house a Javelina snorted at me. I did not see it but it was very close to me. Definitely got my attention as Javelina can be aggressive at times.

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