Open: Thursday, 24 September 2020, 1806 MST Temperature: 86°F

Session: 1521 Conditions: Clear

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 4X Powermate

Camera:
D850 DSLR

1810 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

I set up the D850 DSLR with a 150-600mm lens on the observatory patio. It would be used for photographing the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars.

1816 MST: viewed the Moon, 102X.

1819 MST: sunset.

Relaxed on the observatory patio bench for awhile.

1846 MST: began photographing Saturn, Jupiter, and the Moon with the D850 DSLR.

f/5, 1/60sec, ISO 400, FL 150mm


f/6, 1/320sec, ISO 400, FL 400mm

I also took some photographs at focal length 600mm to create a montage once I had photographed Mars later in the session.

1924 MST: back inside the observatory. Viewed the Moon, 102X and 406X. Viewed Jupiter, the four Galilean Moons, and the Great Red Spot, 406X. Viewed Saturn and 4 moons, 406X.

I mounted the D850 DSLR at prime focus and then prime focus + 4X Powermate for these images. The prime focus image was at 1/250sec, ISO 400, and the 4X images were at 1/160, ISO 3200.

I then photographed Jupiter and Saturn at prime focus + 4X Powermate using the D850 DSLR. These are single frame images (cropped).

Jupiter (1/160sec, ISO 3200)


Saturn (1/60sec, ISO 500)

2011 MST: back to relaxing on the patio bench and enjoying the night sky.

2016 MST: bright Mars was rising over the hill to the east.

Using 12x50 binoculars I viewed the following: M31 (Andromeda Galaxy), Double Cluster, Moon, Mars, M13 (Great Globular Cluster in Hercules), and M33 (Triangulum Galaxy).

2130 MST: back inside the observatory. Began imaging Mars at prime focus + 4X Powermate with the D850 DSLR. Seeing was not ideal but the images (cropped) show the South Polar Cap and some dark surface features.

Mars (1/320sec, ISO 2000)


Mars (stack of 1215 video frames, 1/320sec, ISO 1600)

I then photographed Mars at focal length 600mm. This is a montage of the planets and the Moon at the same scale.

Click or tap on image for larger version

2207 MST: Viewed Mars, 406X and 102X.

2211 MST: LX600 OFF.

This night was the 15th anniversary of my 8th visit to Oracle Observatory in 2005.

Close: Thursday, 24 September 2020, 2222 MST Temperature: 77°F

Session Length: 4h 16m Conditions: Clear

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