Open: Saturday, 5 August 2023, 1812 MST Temperature: 97°F

Session: 1914 Conditions: Clear, breezy

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
1.25" 9.7mm eyepiece
Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector

Camera:
iPhone 13 Pro Max
D850 DSLR

1817 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed Venus, 102X and 251X + Atmospheric Dispersion Corrector (ADC).

Took this handheld afocal 251X + ADC image of the thin crescent phase of Venus using the iPhone 13 Pro Max and NightCap Camera (ISO 34, 1/8000sec, 1X lens.

1829 MST: Relaxed on the observatory patio bench.

1855 MST: Venus now too low in the western sky to observe with the telescope.

1922 MST: Sunset. Calm now. Back inside the observatory. Prepared the D850 DSLR for Herschel 400 objects imaging.

1929 MST: Viewed Mercury, 251X + ADC. Mounted the iPhone on the 9.7mm eyepiece using my new Accuview 3-Axis Smartphone Adapter. Tried to image Mercury, afocal 251X, but seeing was not good. Only one frame of a slo-mo video (240fps) had an acceptable image of the half-illuminated planet.

1942 MST: Back to the bench to watch the stars come out.

2025 MST: Back inside the observatory to observe some Herschel 400 objects.

2026 MST: High Precision ON.

Viewed the following Herschel 400 objects, 102X: NGC6517 (globular cluster), NGC6520 (open cluster), NGC6522 (globular cluster), NGC6528 (globular cluster), NGC6540 (open cluster), NGC6543 (Cat's Eye Nebula, planetary nebula), NGC6544 (globular cluster), NGC6553 (globular cluster), NGC6568 (open cluster), NGC6569 (globular cluster), and NGC6583 (open cluster).

Mounted the D850 DSLR at prime focus, focused on the star Arcturus, locked the 12" telescope primary mirror. Slewed to NGC6401 (globular cluster) to begin Herschel 400 imaging. All images were StarLock autoguided, 1 minute, ISO 3200, expect for NGC6517, which was 20 seconds, ISO 6400, and not guided. The Dome was OFF for the last two images.

NGC6401 (globular cluster)


NGC6440 (globular cluster)


NGC6445 (planetary nebula)


NGC6451 (open cluster)


NGC6514 (M20, Trifid Nebula)


NGC6520 (open cluster)


NGC6522 (globular cluster)


NGC6528 (globular cluster)


NGC6543 (Cat's Eye Nebula, planetary nebula)


NGC6544 (globular cluster)


NGC6553 (globular cluster)


NGC6568 (open cluster)


NGC6569 (globular cluster)


NGC6583 (open cluster)


NGC6517 (globular cluster)


NGC6526 (globular cluster)

2238 MST: StarLock OFF. The sky was brightening from the rising waning Moon.

Current Herschel 400 Project summary:

2244 MST: Dome ON.

Viewed Saturn 102X.

2252 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Saturday, 5 August 2023, 2305 MST Temperature: 80°F

Session Length: 4h 53m Conditions: Clear

---

I have posted my review of the Accuview 3-Axis Smartphone Adapter.

---

Comments are welcome using Email. Please read the Email Etiquette guidance.

---

Previous report

Cassiopeia Observatory Home Page