Open: Thursday, 21 June 2018, 1858 MST Temperature: 88°F

Session: 1255 Conditions: Clear

Equipment Used:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 2X PowerMate
1.25" 15mm eyepiece

Camera:
iPhone 8 Plus
D850 DSLR

1903 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

1908 MST: viewed Venus, 102X.

Realigned the finderscope.

1913 MST: viewed the Moon, 102X.

From the floor of the observatory I took this iPhone 8 Plus photo of the 12" LX600 telescope and the Moon:

1938 MST: sunset.

Mounted the D850 DSLR at prime focus of the 12" telescope for this photo of the Moon (1/250sec, ISO 200):

Added the 2" 2X PowerMate for these photos (1/250sec, ISO 640):

Then did some lunar observing, 102X.

1959 MST: viewed Jupiter, 102X. Fours moons were visible. Seeing was not ideal.

2034 MST: mounted the D850 DSLR at prime focus + 2X PowerMate. This is a stack of 193 video frames using Lynkeos taken at 1080p 120fps, 1/200sec, ISO 800:

Single exposure (1/200sec, ISO 1600, cropped), prime focus + 2X PowerMate, showing Jupiter and the four Galilean Moons:

2051 MST: removed the DSLR. Viewed Jupiter, 203X.

2053 MST: Saturn was now rising over the hill to the southeast.

2059 MST: lunar observing, 203X.

Handheld iPhone afocal 203X photo of the Straight Wall using NightCap Camera (ISO 125, 1/900sec):

I then began watching sunrise at crater Clavius. Took this handheld iPhone afocal 203X photo of the Straight Wall using NightCap Camera (ISO 106, 1/450sec):

2116 MST: began watching sunrise at Clavius, 203X. Nice view.

2120 MST: Kissing Bugs #1 and #2 terminated.

2136 MST: switched to 163X and viewed the lunar craters Clavius and Plato. Shadows at Plato were nice.

2146 MST: last look at Clavius.

SYNCed on the star Antares. Then viewed Saturn, 163X.

Viewed M70 (globular cluster), 163X. Was too low for good viewing.

Returned to Saturn.

2225 MST: mounted the iPhone on the 15mm eyepiece. This is a stack of 314 frames using Keith's Image Stacker of a 10 seconds video taken with NightCap Camera (ISO 125, 1/59sec):

2236 MST: slewed to M70 (globular cluster). It was still a little too low for good viewing.

2257 MST: heard a pack of coyotes singing near the observatory. Tried to see them with the nightscope but did not.

2305 MST: M70 was now high enough for a good view. Mounted the iPhone on the 15mm eyepiece.

2307 MST: StarLock ON.

M70 (globular cluster), iPhone afocal 163X, NightCap Camera (ISO 8448, 1/3sec, 1 minute exposure):

2110 MST: StarLock OFF.

With this image of M70 my iPhone Messier Catalog Astrophotography Album is now complete.

Viewed M70, 102X. Then viewed Saturn, 102X.

2317 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Thursday, 21 June 2018, 2328 MST Temperature: 77°F

Session Length: 4h 30m Conditions: Clear

---

Comments are welcome using Email. Twitter users can use the button below to tweet this report to their followers. Thanks.

Tweet

---

Previous report

Cassiopeia Observatory Home Page