Open: Friday, 28 September 2018, 1801 MST Temperature: 84°F

Session: 1284 Conditions: Mostly clear

Equipment Used:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
ETX-125 Observer Telescope
1.25" 26mm eyepiece

Camera:
iPhone 8 Plus

I set up my Meade ETX-125 Observer Telescope on the observatory patio for some more testing of the Meade Stella Wi-Fi Adapter and the Meade Smartphone Adapter for my upcoming reviews.

1814 MST: sunset.

1819 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed four planets, 102X: Venus, Jupiter and four moons, Saturn, and Mars.

Then began waiting for sky to get darker before using the ETX telescope.

Saw this little guy in the observatory:

1845 MST: ETX-125 Observer ON.

After the star alignment completed I viewed Saturn, 73X. Nice view.

I then discovered that I was going to have to replace the ETX batteries soon as the power was down to 24% and decreasing rapidly. But I hoped to get through my tests.

1901 MST: I began using the Stella Wi-Fi Adapter on the ETX telescope and my iPhone 8 Plus.

1905 MST: oops, ETX power level was too low to continue. ETX OFF. Replaced the batteries.

1914 MST: ETX-125 Observer ON.

Resumed my tests.

1925 MST: Stella OFF.

Began afocal 73X imaging of some Deep Sky Objects on the ETX-125 using the iPhone 8 Plus and NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 8448, 1/3sec). As the ETX was mounted Alt/Az I limited the exposure lengths to 10 seconds for each of these images.

M17 (Swan Nebula)


M22 (globular cluster)


M31 (Andromeda Galaxy)


M57 (Ring Nebula)

Amazing with the iPhone can do even on a small telescope like the ETX-125.

1949 MST: ETX-125 OFF.

1954 MST: heard and then saw the packrat outside of the observatory on top of one of the POD bays. He was a big one! Might not even be able to get into the live trap I've been setting out!

2010 MST: viewed Asteroid 4 Vesta, 102X, using the 12" telescope.

2020 MST: viewed M57 (Ring Nebula), 102X.

Began setting up to do a StarLock autoguided image M57 using the iPhone and NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 8448, 1/3sec, 1 minute).

2039 MST: eastern sky brightening from the rising waning gibbous Moon.

Viewed M15 (globular cluster), 102X.

2042 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Friday, 28 September 2018, 2055 MST Temperature: 73°F

Session Length: 2h 54m Conditions: Mostly clear

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