Cloudy skies returned on Saturday, 14 December 2024, and continued until Wednesday, 18 December.

Before sunrise on Tuesday, 17 December, I managed to photograph a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The 2nd stage burn (white trail) and the 1st stage re-entry burn (red glow just above the horizon) are visible. Jupiter is the bright object at the far right in this cropped iPhone 15 Pro Max photo (Night Mode, 3 seconds, 1X lens).

Click or tap on image for larger version

Open: Wednesday, 18 December 2024, 1809 MST Temperature: 70°F

Session: 2051 Conditions: Clear, breezy

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 30mm eyepiece
Focal reducer

Camera:
iPhone 15 Pro Max
D850 DSLR

Prepared the D850 DSLR for imaging.

1818 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision ON.

Viewed Venus, then Saturn, 102X.

Viewed IC5146 (Cocoon Nebula), 102X and 81X.

Attached the LiDAR Cover on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and mounted the iPhone on the 2" 30mm eyepiece using the 3-axis adapter.

1835 MST: StarLock ON.

Cocoon Nebula (IC5146), StarLock autoguided iPhone afocal 81X image taken with the Camera app (Night Mode, 30 seconds, 1X lens).

Mounted the D850 DSLR at prime focus + focal reducer, focused on the star Deneb, locked the 12" primary mirror, and slewed to IC5146.

StarLock autoguided image, prime focus + focal reducer, 2 minutes, ISO 3200.

Next, I began imaging more Barnard Objects (dark nebula) at prime focus + focal reducer. However, pointing errors were evident in all but one of the images. I will do more tests on the next session. This image is StarLock autoguided, 30 seconds, ISO 6400.

2000 MST: StarLock OFF.

Viewed Jupiter, 102X. The four Galilean Moons were visible.

Viewed M42 (Great Orion Nebula), 102X.

2007 MST: LX600 OFF.

2015 MST: Took a Sky Quality reading.

Close: Wednesday, 18 December 2024, 2018 MST Temperature: 61°F

Session Length: 2h 09m Conditions: Clear, breezy, SQM 20.76

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