Open: Sunday, 31 March 2019, 1827 MST Temperature: 82°F

Session: 1342 Conditions: Mostly clear

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

Camera:
D850 DSLR

After opening the observatory I checked my list of next targets for my Extragalactic Supernova Project. I decided to photograph NGC2841, NGC2976, NGC2985, NGC3079, NGC3115, and NGC3169 this night.

1846 MST: sunset. The time of sunset was approximate as the Sun was hidden by clouds along the western horizon.

1849 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed the star Sirius, 102X.

Prepared the D850 DSLR for prime focus imaging.

1915 MST: slewed to the star Regulus, SYNCed the AutoStar, and tweaked the alignment of a finderscope.

1930 MST: mounted the D850 DSLR at prime focus of the 12" telescope, focused on Regulus, and locked the telescope primary mirror.

1940 MST: heard a critter near the observatory. Used a nightscope to try to see the animal but never found it. I then viewed Orion using the nightscope; nice view.

1950 MST: High Precision ON.

Slewed to my first galaxy target, NGC2841.

1952 MST: StarLock ON.

Imaged the following three galaxies, StarLock autoguided, 5 minutes, ISO 6400, White Balance 5000K:

NGC2841


NGC2976


NGC2985

Glare from a bright star outside of the field-of-view is evident in the last image.

I had hoped to image more galaxies this session but seeing was rapidly deteriorating and StarLock autoguiding became erratic. Ended imaging.

2047 MST: StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

2055 MST: viewed the Leo Triplet of Galaxies (M65, M66, and NGC3628), 102X. Always a nice sight.

2058 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Sunday, 31 March 2019, 2107 MST Temperature: 57°F

Session Length: 2h 40m Conditions: Mostly clear

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