Open: Wednesday, 27 May 2020, 1910 MST Temperature: 95°F

Session: 1486 Conditions: Clear

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 30mm eyepiece
2" 14mm 100° eyepiece
2" 9mm 100° eyepiece
2" 5.5mm 100° eyepiece
1.25" 15mm eyepiece

Camera:
iPhone 11 Pro Max

1914 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

1926 MST: sunset.

1928 MST: viewed the planet Mercury, 102X and 443X. Half-phase nicely visible.

1934 MST: viewed the Moon, 102X and 81X.

Then relaxed on the observatory patio bench while waiting for the sky to get a little darker.

2002 MST: back inside the observatory. Terminated three Kissing Bugs.

Mounted the iPhone 11 Pro Max on the 30mm eyepiece for this afocal 81X image taken with NightCap Camera (ISO 32, 1/1500sec, 1X lens).

I then did lunar observing using the Explore Scientific 100° field-of-view (FOV) eyepieces I have received for a review to be initially published in Astronomy Technology Today magazine. I also used the Explore Scientific 9mm 100° FOV eyepiece that I purchased in 2012.

This handheld iPhone photo of the northern region of the Moon was taken through the 9mm 100° eyepiece, afocal 271X, NightCap Camera (ISO 100, 1/120sec, 1X lens).

This handheld iPhone photo the craters Theophilus, Cyrillus, and Catharina was taken through the 5.5mm 100° eyepiece, afocal 443X, NightCap Camera (ISO 200, 1/60sec, 1X lens).

After completing my lunar observations, I viewed M104 (Sombrero Galaxy). I mounted the iPhone on the 1.25" 15mm eyepiece for this StarLock autoguided, afocal 163X image of M104 taken with NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 12500, 1sec, 1 minute exposure, 1X lens).

M13 (the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules), StarLock autoguided, afocal 163X, NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 8000, 1sec, 1 minute exposure, 1X lens).

2056 MST: Kissing Bug #4 terminated.

Viewed M13, 102X.

2100 MST: LX600 OFF.

Kissing Bug #5 terminated, not by me but by a dome wheel as I rotated the dome.

Close: Wednesday, 27 May 2020, 2110 MST Temperature: 79°F

Session Length: 2h 00m Conditions: Clear

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