On Tuesday, 26 May 2020, the contractor who will be doing my replacement POD Zenith Table came to take final measurements. This PZT will be made from metal, not wood. Hopefully the work can start sometime in June.

Open: Tuesday, 26 May 2020, 1807 MST Temperature: 99°F

Session: 1485 Conditions: Clear, breezy

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 30mm eyepiece
2" 14mm 100° eyepiece
2" 5.5mm 100° eyepiece

Camera:
iPhone 11 Pro Max
D850 DSLR

1815 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

I wanted to view the planet Venus but it was too near the Sun.

1818 MST: viewed the Moon, 102X and 81X.

1823 MST: I then relaxed on the observatory patio bench.

1926 MST: sunset. Calm now.

I prepared the D850 DSLR for later prime focus imaging.

1945 MST: returned to the 12" telescope.

Mounted the iPhone 11 Pro Max on the 30mm eyepiece for this afocal 81X image taken with NightCap Camera (ISO 32, 1/125sec, 1X lens).

I then did some lunar observing using the new eyepieces from Explore Scientific for my upcoming Astronomy Technology Today review.

2002 MST: terminated four Kissing Bugs that were inside the observatory.

I then returned to the patio bench to watch the stars come out.

2035 MST: back in the observatory.

Mounted the D850 DSLR at prime focus of the 12" telescope, focused on the star Arcturus using the Meade Bahtinov Mask, and locked the primary mirror using the ScopeStuff LX600 Mirror Lock.

2046 MST: StarLock ON.

Took these StarLock autoguided images, 1 minute, ISO 4000, White Balance 5560K.

Great Globular Cluster in Hercules


Omega Centauri Globular Cluster

With Omega Centauri being very low in the southern sky from Cassiopeia Observatory, this image is pretty good.

To show just how low in the sky Omega Centauri is, I mounted the D850 DSLR with 70-300mm lens piggyback on the LX600 using the ScopeStuff Camera Mount. This is a StarLock autoguided image, 30 seconds, ISO 4000, White Balance 5560K, focal length 300mm.

Click or tap on image for larger version

Trees are faintly visible at the bottom of the image.

2115 MST: StarLock OFF.

Viewed Omega Centauri, 102X.

2126 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Tuesday, 26 May 2020, 2137 MST Temperature: 73°F

Session Length: 3h 30m Conditions: Clear

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26 May 2020 was the 15th anniversary of my 4th visit to what was then called "Oracle Observatory. It was not a productive visit, as mentioned in my report.

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