Monday, 17 June 2024, was very windy. Did not open the observatory that night. Tuesday, 18 June, was less windy.

Open: Tuesday, 18 June 2024, 1826 MST Temperature: 87°F

Session: 1988 Conditions: Clear, breezy

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 30mm eyepiece
2" 9mm 100° eyepiece

Camera:
iPhone 15 Pro Max

1831 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed the waxing gibbous Moon, 102X and 81X.

Mounted the iPhone 15 Pro Max on the 2" 30mm eyepiece using the Accuview 3-Axis Smartphone Adapter.

Took this iPhone afocal 81X image of the Moon in the bright blue sky using the Camera app (1X lens).

1841 MST: Relaxed on the observatory patio bench.

1938 MST: Sunset. Calm now. Went back inside the observatory.

Took this iPhone afocal 81X image of the Moon, Camera app (1X lens).

I then did some lunar observing, 271X. Nice views, especially in the southern region of the Moon.

Mounted the iPhone on the 9mm eyepiece and took this afocal 271X image of the southern region using the Camera app (1X lens). Tycho is the crater near the center.

Centered the Crater Tycho and took this iPhone afocal 271X image using the Camera app (2X digital zoom).

Then did some more lunar observing, 271X and 102X.

1953 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Tuesday, 18 June 2024, 2006 MST Temperature: 81°F

Session Length: 1h 40m Conditions: Clear

2040 MST: SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. I took these handheld iPhone 15 Pro Max photographs (slightly cropped) from Oracle, Arizona, showing various portions of the launch. The first photo shows the first stage contrail (far right, orange), the second stage contrail and exhaust plume, and the first stage boostback burn (near center, below the second stage plume). The second photo shows the exhaust from the boostback burn. The third photo shows the first stage re-entry burn (red dot just above the horizon). The last photo shows the second stage continuing to fire (far left). The photos were taken using the Camera app (Night Mode, 3 seconds.) The first two photos used the 2X digital lens settings; the last two photos were taken with the 1X lens.

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