Open: Saturday, 19 February 2022, 1754 MST Temperature: 79°F

Session: 1725 Conditions: Clear

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
Binoviewers 20mm eyepieces
2" 30mm eyepiece
2" 50mm eyepiece

Camera:
iPhone 13 Pro Max

1804 MST: Relaxed on the observatory patio bench.

1813 MST: Sunset.

1825 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Slewed to M42 (Orion Nebula). Viewed the Trapezium star cluster, 102X and William Optics Binoviewers 122X. The view in the Binoviewers was nice.

Returned to the bench while waiting for the sky to get darker.

1845 MST: Back inside the observatory.

1849 MST: Viewed M42, Binoviewers 122X. Some nebulosity was visible in the twilight sky.

1854 MST: iPhone photo (0.5X lens) of the 12" telescope pointed at the constellation of Orion.

1900 MST: Nice view of the Orion Nebula in the Binoviewers, 122X. Lots of nebulosity across entire field-of-view 35 minutes before the end of Astronomical Twilight.

1913 MST: Zodiacal Light was becoming visible in the western sky.

1918 MST: Viewed NGC1977 (Running Man Nebula), Binoviewers, 122X. Some nebulosity was faintly visible, but the "running man" shape was not seen.

1925 MST: Viewed IC434 (Horsehead Nebula), Binoviewers, 122X. Some nebulosity was faintly visible, but the "horse head" shape was not seen.

Viewed M67 (open cluster), 81X. Mounted the iPhone 13 Pro Max on the 2" 30mm eyepiece.

1936 MST: StarLock ON.

Took these StarLock autoguided iPhone afocal 81X images of two Messier Catalog open clusters for my iPhone Messier Catalog Astrophotography Album. Used the iOS app NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 10000, 1sec, 1 minute, 1X lens).

M67


M93

Viewed M81 (Bode's Galaxy) and M82 (Cigar Galaxy), 81X. Took these StarLock autoguided iPhone afocal 81X images of each galaxy for my iPhone Messier Catalog Astrophotography Album. Used the iOS app NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 10000 and 20000, respectively, 1sec, 1 minute, 1X lens).

M81 Bode's Galaxy


M82 Cigar Galaxy

Viewed both galaxies using the 2" 50mm eyepiece (49X). Mounted the iPhone on the 50mm eyepiece using the Levenhuk adapter. Took this StarLock autoguided iPhone afocal 81X image of both galaxies using NightCap Camera (Long Exposure, Light Boost, ISO 20000, 1sec, 1 minute, 1X lens).

M81 Bode's Galaxy and M82 Cigar Galaxy

2034 MST: StarLock OFF.

Viewed M81 and M82, 49X and 102X.

2038 MST: LX600 OFF.

2051 MST: Took a Sky Quality reading using the Unihedron SQM-L meter .

Close: Saturday, 19 February 2022, 2053 MST Temperature: 53°F

Session Length: 2h 59m Conditions: Clear, SQM 21.00

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