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iPhone Mercury, Moon

Posted: 7 May 2022

Friday, 6 May 2022, I attended an OWN Oracle meeting with business leaders, business owners, and a Pinal County Supervisor. The Supervisor talked about my Satellite TV Reform efforts with the County. I elaborated on my work since 2013. The attendees applauded me. I then discussed my work on the IDA International Dark Sky Park designation in 2014 and how that increased tourism in the community. More applause. Lastly, I discussed the "David H. Levy Arizona Dark Sky Star Party" coming up this September. When I said it was now planned to be an annual event, there was even more applause!

Open: Friday, 6 May 2022, 1816 MST
Temperature: 82°F
Session: 1762
Conditions: Mostly clear, breezy

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
1.25" 15mm eyepiece
1.25" Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector

Camera:
iPhone 13 Pro Max

1822-1901 MST: Relaxed on the observatory patio bench.

photo

1904 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed the Moon, 102X and 163X + Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (ADC).

1912 MST: Sunset. Calm now.

Slewed to Mercury and began watching for the planet to appear in the bright twilight sky.

photo

1924 MST: Observed Mercury, 163X + ADC. The view was not very good due to the planet's low altitude and some clouds along the western horizon.

Attached the LiDAR Cover to the iPhone 13 Pro Max and mounted the iPhone on the 15mm eyepiece with the Levenhuk adapter.

I used the iOS Camera app to take a 10 second slo-mo (240fps) video, afocal 163X + ADC. This is a stack of 1704 video frames.

photo

Slewed to the Moon and took this handheld afocal 102X image using the iPhone iOS app NightCap Camera (ISO 34, 1/1000sec, 1X lens).

photo

Switched to the 15mm eyepiece for this afocal 163X image using the Camera app (Raw, 1X lens).

photo

Did some lunar observing 163X and 102X.

1953 MST: Slewed to M60 (galaxy) to check on Supernova 2022hrs in NGC4647 (galaxy). M60 was faintly visible in the twilight sky, 102X. NGC4647 and SN2022hrs were not yet visible.

1959 MST: SN2022hrs was now faintly visible using averted vision, 102X.

2001 MST: SN2022hrs now visible without using averted vision.

2003 MST: Took this iPhone Camera app (Night Mode, 1X lens) photo of the western sky showing the Moon next to Pollux and Castor (top middle) with Orion setting (bottom middle) and the bright star Sirius at the left.

photo

2009 MST: NGC4647 (galaxy) was faintly visible using averted vision, 102X.

2011 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Friday, 6 May 2022, 2018 MST
Temperature: 72°F
Session Length: 2h 02m
Conditions: Mostly clear


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