Open: Friday, 10 September 2021, 1818 MST Temperature: 84°F

Session: 1664 Conditions: Mostly clear

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

Camera:
iPhone 11 Pro Max
D850 DSLR

Did some imaging preparations. Then relaxed on the observatory patio bench.

1836 MST: sunset (time approximate due to clouds along the western horizon).

1837 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed Mercury, then Venus, 102X.

Then viewed the crescent Moon, 102X. Took this handheld iPhone 11 Pro Max afocal 102X photo using NightCap Camera (ISO 32, 1/900sec, 1X lens).

Returned to the bench.

1904 MST: viewed Saturn and 4 moons, 102X.

1908 MST: dome OFF (onto the PZT).

Prepared the D850 DSLR for imaging.

Returned to the bench to watch the stars come out.

1951 MST: back inside the observatory.

Mounted the D850 DSLR at prime focus + focal reducer + OIII filter, focused on the star Deneb, and locked the 12" mirror. Slewed to NGC6960.

2005 MST: StarLock ON.

Did some framing test images, followed by StarLock autoguided, 5 minutes, ISO 6400, White Balance 4550K, images of NGC6960 and then NGC6992. These are stacks of six images each.

NGC6960 (Western Veil Nebula)


NGC6992 (Eastern Veil Nebula)

2045 MST: clouds appeared in the eastern sky.

2130 MST: StarLock OFF.

Clouds increased in the eastern and southern skies.

Viewed NGC6960 and NGC6992, 102X. Nice views.

Viewed Saturn and 5 moons, 102X. Then viewed Jupiter and 3 moons, 102X.

2152 MST: LX600 OFF.

2159 MST: dome ON.

Close: Friday, 10 September 2021, 2206 MST Temperature: 77°F

Session Length: 3h 48m Conditions: Partly cloudy, breezy

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