USER OBSERVATIONS Last updated: 31 March 2004

Subject: 3/27 Jupiter transit observing report
Date: 3/29/04, 12:21
From: "Craig M. Bobchin" (etx_astro_boy@sbcglobal.net)
I just thought I'd drop you and observing report on the 2 moon 3 shadow
transit on Jupiter this past weekend.

I took my ETX-105 out to cool about 7:30pm. By 9:00 when I went out to
check the transits I saw the scope was cooled down nicely and mighty
Jove was very clear. My EP of choice was a 10mm Radian giving me a mag
of 140 or so. That is a spectacular EP. I was able to see bands and
detail in the bands that my normal Plossls don't give me.

I watched Ganymeade start to transit with Callisto's shadow already on
the face. I was afraid I'd lose site of Gany once it starting making
it's way across the face, but it was visible to whole time. IO's shadow
was also very easy to see although I lost the planet once it started to
transit. I only wonder if I could have seen Io's disk in the 10" LX200.

Then around 12:10 or so PST I noticed the 3rd shadow starting to creep
in. I stayed at the EP and watched until Callisto's shadow was gone.

I did try a couple of other EPs including a 9mm Nagler and my Televue 8
- 24 zoom. The Nagler was nice and crisp and I was even able to go to
8mm on the zoom with out much loss of detail.

All in all a good night for seeing an uncommon event.

Craig

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