Astroblog: Mars and Saturn Again!

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Mars and Saturn Again!

Image of Mars and Saturn (click to enlarge, those with good monitors can see Mars and Saturn close together (just) others, you have to click to see anything. I can't get the images to turn out the same way twice (sigh)) taken on 15-0606 at 6:05 pm ACST. The problem with these evening shots is they occur just at tea time, so I have to hurriedly set up the camera while setting the dinner table, setting up the scope is out of the question. Anyway, when you click this image, not only will you see Mars and Saturn closer than last night, but you will also see Procyon close to the horizon, and there peaking from behind the lefthand bushes is Mercury. Later, around 7:00 pm, by which time it was dark enough to catch the faint stars, I used binoculars to see Mars amongst the twinkling stars of the Beehive. If you are using binoculars, don't forget to let few minutes go past to get your eyes dark adapted, or you won't see the majority of the Beehive.

In the scope it didn't look so great, Mars was a distinct, if featureless red circle, but all the interesting parts of the cluster were just out of the field of view of the eyepiece (but I only had my high power eyepiece out, unfortunately). Friday night (16-06-06) promises to be better if the weather holds out. As the Stellarium charts shows, Mars will be close to some of the prettiest parts of the cluster. Friday is Pizza night, so I may have time to set the scope up properly. Although if we have the dew we had tonight, it may not work so well. By the end of my viewing session, the scope was dripping with condensations and the eyepiece was completely fogged up. Not much imaging likely to happen.

This is an image of the northwest horizon on 16 June, at 6:00 pm ACST (click to enlarge). Other sites in the southern Hemisphere should see similar views at equivalent local times.

# posted by Ian Musgrave @ 11:29 pm

Comments:

Ian, thanks for the photos and the details of what you saw (and didn't see) in the scope. I hope to have a look myself through binoculars, though the forecast does not look good.

With you it's tea time, with me -- well, I'm at the office!

# posted by