Vern’s Weblog

Mars is 1.3666 AU (127 million miles or 204.4 million kilometers) distant and appears to us on Earth as a gibbous disk about 6.8 arc-sec across and 0.58 magnitude in brightness. The next opposition is on Christmas eve of this year when it will be much closer (0.59 AU), -1.6 magnitude in brightness, and 15.8 arc-sec across, or just over double its present size. Central meridian was 38° so its probably Mare Erythraeum and Sinus Meridani which appear as the vague features on the disk. The bluish north polar cap appears as well.

Images taken with Celestron Nexstar11 telescope, Televue 2.5X Powermate, and Phillips 840K webcam, image in approximate NW orientation (north up, east to left). Image aligned and stacked with Registax4. Sky was mostly clear, turbulence around 6/10, transparency very good, 2-3 mph wind, and location was Louisville, CO.
Images taken with Celestron Nexstar11 telescope, Televue 2.5X Powermate, and Phillips 840K webcam, image in approximate NW orientation (north up, east to left). Image aligned and stacked with Registax4. Sky was mostly clear, 68°F, turbulence around 6/10, transparency very good, 2-3 mph wind, and location was Louisville, CO

Jupiter was within a few hours of opposition last evening when this image was taken at 1:46 am MDT last evening. I just about missed the GRS transit due to some cloud cover and problems getting the scope set up. Its near the right limb and about to rotate out of view.

Image taken with Celestron Nexstar11 telescope and Phillips Toucam 840K at cassegrain focus. Sky was mostly clear, some thin clouds and haze to the south by the moon but clear in Jupiter’s direction. Transparency was generally very good, temperature 54° F., no wind, and turbulence 6/10.

Image of Saturn on May 19 at 11:32 pm MDT

Image acquired 11:32 MDT May 19, 2007 with a Celestron Nexstar 11 telescope and Canon Xti camera at cassegrain focus. Sky was partly cloudy, temperature around 60°F, no wind, transparency was very good (at times), and turbulence 6/10. Location was 8 miles east of Briggsdale, CO in the Pawnee National Grasslands.

Below image of Jupiter was taken around 4 am. The great red spot (GRS) is slightly west of the central meridian.

Image taken with Phillips Toucam 840K webcam and Celestron Nexstar 11 telescope at cassegrain focus. Sky was clear, transparency very good, temperature about 20°F , and turbulence was only fair (5/10).

Below is the best of several  images of Saturn from last evening shortly after 11pm MDT.

Seeing was good, about 6/10, clear, temperature 57°F, and no wind.  Celestron Nexstar 11 telescope and Phillips Toucam 840K. Aligned and stacked with Registax4.