Venus, More Herschel 400 objects

Venus, More Herschel 400 objects

Posted: 12 June 2023

Open: Sunday, 11 June 2023, 1904 MST
Temperature: 80°F

Session: 1886
Conditions: Clear, windy

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 5.5mm 100° eyepiece
2" VPF1 filter

Camera:
iPhone 13 Pro Max
D850 DSLR

Strong winds were blowing, but I decided to open the observatory with hope that the winds would die down after dark.

SYNCed the observatory clock to WWV time signals.

1916 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed Venus, 102X and 443X + VPF1.

Took this handheld iPhone 13 Pro Max photo of Venus, afocal 443X + VPF1, using NightCap Camera (ISO 100, 1/350sec, 3X lens).

1934 MST: Sunset. Winds calming down.

1936 MST: Relaxed on the observatory patio bench while waiting for the sky to get darker.

1958 MST: Venus and me, iPhone Camera app (Night Mode, front).

2000 MST: Back inside the observatory. Viewed Venus, 443X + VPF1 and 102X.

Then prepared the D850 DSLR for imaging.

2010 MST: Relaxed on the bench to watch the stars come out.

2033 MST: Back in the observatory. Calm now. Began preparing to image some more Herschel 400 galaxies. Mounted the D850 DSLR at prime focus, focused on Regulus, and locked the 12" primary mirror.

2040 MST: High Precision ON.

Slewed to NGC3953 (galaxy), my first Herschel 400 target for the night.

2045 MST: StarLock ON.

Imaged the following Herschel 400 galaxies, StarLock autoguided, 5 minutes, ISO 3200. The last image was 2 minutes, ISO 6400, due to poor seeing and autoguiding.

NGC3953 (galaxy)

NGC3962 (galaxy)

NGC3982 (galaxy)

NGC3992 (M109, galaxy)

NGC3998 (galaxy)

2152 MST: StarLock OFF.

Observed the following Herschel 400 galaxies, 102X: NGC4026, NGC4027, NGC4030, NGC4036, NGC4038, NGC4041, NGC4051, NGC4085, NGC4088, NGC4102, NGC4111, NGC4143, NGC4150, NGC4151, and NGC4179. Also viewed NGC4147 (globular cluster), 102X.

I have now observed 260 Herschel 400 objects and imaged 244 of them since starting this project in October 2022.

2237 MST: LX600 OFF.

2247 MST: Took a Sky Quality reading and reported the result to Globe at Night.

Close: Sunday, 11 June 2023, 2251 MST
Temperature: 61°F

Session Length: 3h 47m
Conditions: Clear, SQM 21.05

I have consolidated my Venus Filter Tests into a single report.

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