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canopus56
sage
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 298
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My planning notes for solar system observing for the next ten days. Local op only events are marked "Intermountain". All times are Mountain Daylight. Hope the notes are useful to others. - Kurt
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Planetary plays 8-13 to 8-23
8/13 08:81 pm MDT. At sunset, Venus (-3.9) and Saturn (1.1) within one eyepiece view at az 275 alt 8.25. Mecury (-0.6) is about 3 degs PA 109 of Saturn. The Venus Saturn pairing will be at the limits of the telescopic visibility of planets at twilight. May not be observable. Begins a sequence where Mercury sweeps up to the northwest and has conjunctions with Saturn and Venus continuing through 8/22.
8/13 10:34 pm MDT - 8/14 2:25am. Jupiter - Io single planet and shadow transit sequence. (2008 RASC Guide).
8/13 11:00 pm MDT - continuing to 8/18 at 11:00pm each night. C/2008 J1 (Boattini) is within 1.5 degs of del UMi and 3 degs of Polaris. Sweep 3 degs south in dec from Polaris. Moonlight washout likely but decreasing through 8/22. Last reported on ICQ/MPC Comet Brightness list on 8/9 at mag. 9.5, dia. 6' using 25x100 binos. At 11:00 pm MDT position is J200936.62+870125.1.
8/14 04:00 am MDT - continuing to 8/23 each night. C/2007 W1 (Boattini) moves along a line between del Aries towards alf Aries. On 8/14 at 4:00am is within 1 deg of nu Aries, about midway between alf and del Aries and about 7 degs from alf Aries. 8/14 04:00am MDT Pos: J023517.78+205554.2. Last reported on ICQ/MPC list on 8/9 at v7.2, dia. 15'.
8/14 ~4:30-5:00 am MDT - continuing to 8/23. Zodical light between astronomical and civil sunrise. Strong zodical light was seen at this time by this writer when during 8/12 meteor Perseid shower. The 2008 RASC Guide (p. 111) suggests good zodical light beginning on 8/28.
8/14 10:54 pm MDT. (Intermountain only). Occasional Io ECR event. Io "winks" on, exiting the shadow of Jupiter, at some distance from Jupiter's disk.
8/15 10:31 pm MDT. At sunset, Mercury (-0.6) and Saturn (1.1) within one eyepiece view at az 275 alt 6.75. The Venus Saturn pairing will be at the limits of the telescopic visibility of planets at twilight. May not be observable.
8/16 02:00 am MDT - continuing through evening of 8/16. Neptune is at opposition and at brightest (7.8) and largest (2.4") size. RA 21h41.2m Dec -14h14' - 2.0 degs dec slew above gam Cap or 2.0 degs dec and 1 deg ra slew from delta Cap. (Aug ST.; Chart Sep. ST at 63). A slitless diffraction grating, like the Rainbow Optics grating, is a useful tool to distinguish background stars from a planet like Neptune. The stars project spectra; Neptune does not.
8/16 10:55 pm MDT. Jupiter - GRS transit.
8/17 12:09 am MDT (Intermountain only). Occasional Europa ECR event. Europa "winks" on, exiting the shadow of Jupiter, at some distance from Jupiter's disk.
8/18 08:31 pm MDT - continuing through 8/22 at 8:31 pm each night. At sunset, Venus (-3.9) and Mercury (-0.6) within one eyepiece view at az 273 alt 6.27. The Venus Mecury pairing will be at the limits of the telescopic visibility of planets at twilight. May not be observable.
8/18 11:00 pm MDT. C/2008 J1 (Boattini) crosses line between Polaris and del UMi. Sweep alt/az between Polaris and del UMi. Moonlight washout likely but decreasing through 8/22. Last reported on ICQ/MPC list at v9.5, dia. 6.5' using 25x100 binos.
8/19 12:33 am MDT Jupiter - GRS transit.
8/19 12:58 am MDT - 8/20 4:38 am MDT. Ganyemede - single planet and shadow transit sequence. (2008 RASC Guide).
8/19 04:00 am MDT - continuing to 8/23 each night. C/2007 W1 (Boattini) moves along a line between del Aries towards alf Aries. On 8/19 at 4:00am is 5 degs from alf Aries along the alf-del Aries line. 8/19 04:00am MDT Pos: 022844.71+215658.0. Last reported on ICQ/MPC list on 8/9 at v7.2, dia. 15'.
8/21 12:27 am MDT - 8/22 3:40 am. Jupiter - Io single planet and shadow transit sequence. (2008 RASC Guide).
8/21 10:01 pm MDT Jupiter GRS Transit
8/22 08:31pm MDT At sunset, Venus (-3.9) and Mercury (-0.6) within one eyepiece view at az 270 alt 6.40. The Venus Mecury pairing will be at the limits of the telescopic visibility of planets at twilight. May not be observable.
8/23 11:42 pm MDT Jupiter GRS Transit
8/24 10:08 pm MDT Jupiter - End of Io single planet and shadow transit sequence. Io shadow leaves Jupiter's disk. (2008 RASC Guide).
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P.S. - Also of interest with respect to limiting magnitude of planets during daylight and at twilight: Weaver, H. F.. 1947. The Visibility of Stars Without Optical Aid. PASP 59(350):232. 1947PASP...59..232W (see pages 240-241 commenting on the visibility of Venus and Mercury during daylight).
http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1947PASP...59..232W
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Ziggy943
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 08/11/06
Posts: 827
Loc: SLC, UT
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Hi Kurt,
I attached an Excel spreadsheet and hope it works. I like to plot out a timeline for the events. This is just for the 29th. It's what I mentioned last night.
For a very short period, 9:17 to 9:33, Jupiter will have only one Moon off planet and that will be Europa. Both Ganymede and Callisto will be in occultation and Io will be in front and difficult to see (subject to telescope and seeing conditions).
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Siegfried
4" Mak
160mm F8 TEC (born 1-18-2007, 27 lbs, 45.5" long), on AP900
150mm F17.5 (D&G lens) (first light 6-7-2008)
9" F/14.8 Alvan Clark (1915), on Byers 812
14.25 F/5.5 Newt in a roll off observatory
Others, that have come and gone
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canopus56
sage
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 298
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Thanks for the head-up on the other 8-29 Jovian events. Looks lihe photogenic night for Jupiter in the Intermountain and Pacific time zones with the additional Io shadow transit in progress with the Ganymede EcR at 10:37pm MDT. - Kurt
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canopus56
sage
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 298
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Siegfried, P.S. - Nice way to graph Jovian events by time. - Kurt
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Ziggy943
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 08/11/06
Posts: 827
Loc: SLC, UT
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I drove up from Salt Lake City and met my brother in Idaho Falls. Together we then drove out to the Craters of the Moon star party sponsored by the Idaho Falls and Mountain Home Astronomical Societies. This is a wonderful event. If you could script the perfect conditions for a star party, you would script Friday night at Craters. As dark as Bryce Canyon, shirt sleeve temperature, few bugs, and excellent seeing from dusk until we broke down after midnight. And I do mean excellent seeing.
We watched the multiple events of Jupiter's satellites that Kurt posted and I had charted above. We saw Io going in front of Jupiter, Callisto going behind, Io's shadow going on, Ganymede coming out and later going slowly into Jupiter's shadow, and Io coming off planet. All this in incredible detail.
We did not stay for the shadow to come off planet or for Callisto to come out from behind Jupiter or Ganymede to emerge from the shadow. Jupiter justified the trip. For me it was the night of the year … so far.
This is a public star party. A science teacher from Bonneville High brought out a bus-load of students. All in all I would estimate about 100 guests.
Shortly before breaking we did look at a few other highlights. We took a look at Andromeda, E-Lyrae, Iota and Eta Cass. The doubles and multiple stars were excellent. E Lyrae was high, just past meridian. All 4 at 256x were just beautiful.
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Siegfried
4" Mak
160mm F8 TEC (born 1-18-2007, 27 lbs, 45.5" long), on AP900
150mm F17.5 (D&G lens) (first light 6-7-2008)
9" F/14.8 Alvan Clark (1915), on Byers 812
14.25 F/5.5 Newt in a roll off observatory
Others, that have come and gone
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canopus56
sage
Reged: 05/01/05
Posts: 298
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Good report Siegfried. Thanks for the heads up. I've always wanted to get up to Craters of the Moon and photograph some of the lunar analogue features in the park. - Kurt
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Ziggy943
scholastic sledgehammer
Reged: 08/11/06
Posts: 827
Loc: SLC, UT
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You would enjoy it. I am planning on doing it again next year. If my son and family join us there I would likely take the Clark again.
--------------------
Siegfried
4" Mak
160mm F8 TEC (born 1-18-2007, 27 lbs, 45.5" long), on AP900
150mm F17.5 (D&G lens) (first light 6-7-2008)
9" F/14.8 Alvan Clark (1915), on Byers 812
14.25 F/5.5 Newt in a roll off observatory
Others, that have come and gone
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