Open: Sunday, 10 October 2021, 2115 MST Temperature: 63°F

Session: 1675 Conditions: Clear

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

Camera:
D850 DSLR

2119 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed Saturn, then Jupiter, 102X.

2125 MST: dome OFF.

Prepared D850 DSLR for imaging. Mounted the D850 at prime focus, focused on Algenib, and locked the 12" primary mirror.

2135 MST: Wi-Fi ON.

Used SkySafari 6 Pro to GOTO the Einstein Cross (RA 22h 40m 30.3s, DEC +3° 21' 31").

2140 MST: StarLock ON.

Took a StarLock autoguided image, 5 minutes, ISO 12800, of the Einstein Cross. This is the full-frame image (mouseover or tap for a label).

Mouseover or tap on image for label

This is a magnified image showing the Einstein Cross (I think).

2147 MST: StarLock OFF.

Mounted the D850 DSLR with a 14mm UWA lens on a camera tripod to photograph the Gegenscheinsunlight scattered by interplanetary dust, similar to the Zodiacal Light . When Tim Hunter, co-founder of the International Dark-Sky Association, visited Cassiopeia Observatory in September 2021, he noted that he saw the Gegenschein as he was leaving. I looked and saw what he was pointing at, but I could not quite convince myself that it really was the Gegenschein.

Using the Gegenschein Position Calculator, I determined that it would be located at RA 1h 2m, DEC +6° 39'. Using SkySafari I slewed the telescope to these coordinates to be a pointer at the Gegenschein location, near the Great Square of Pegasus.

2201 MST: Wi-Fi OFF.

2208 MST: took this photograph of the sky (f/2.8, 40 seconds, ISO 3200). It captured the Gegenschein, as well as some other objects (mouseover or tap on the image for labels).

Mouseover or tap on image for labels

I then looked at the sky and easily saw the Gegenschein, confirming that I had seen what Tim had pointed out to me in September. Seeing the Gegenschein demonstrates how dark my sky is. I have now seen the Zodiacal Light and Gegenschein from Cassiopeia.

2215 MST: LX600 OFF.

2221 MST: dome ON.

2225 MST: took a Sky Quality reading.

Close: Sunday, 10 October 2021, 2228 MST Temperature: 56°F

Session Length: 1h 13m Conditions: Clear, SQM 21.05

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