02:30 – 04:28
Tonight is prep for planetary imaging and in particular Mars. From the Star patio I can see East 100° so at least to Halle in Ares from the far South of the patio. Unfortunately this means Mars will not be visible from this location until at least 5:45am when the sky will be bright from Sunrise 12mins earlier at 5:33.
The Moon this month is very high compared to previous months at around 39° along with Saturn just below.
From the poppy by the logging area I can see further East to around 68° which is currently Mirfak in Perseus but only down to M45 in Taurus at 26° altitude just below Perseus.
If I move to the base of the slide in Kylo’s area then I can see a small triangular window of the sky down to Aldebaran in Taurus at 13°. This is useful to potentially see Mars at around 4:20am or just before which will be slightly higher at 22°. From this location I can also still see the Moon and Saturn which currently sit at 135° East, 40° altitude and 138° East and 35° altitude at 3am, the time of writing.
From the back of the observatory I can see Mars at 3:14am at an altitude of 12° and 68° East! But only for a short window. Whereas directly outside the Warmroom on the grass I can see Mars and for about 2 hours I hope. I can also see the Moon and Saturn. So let’s see what I can grab from here.
Ok, so I got the Moon, Saturn and Mars.
Mars was disappearing behind the oak tree. The Moon and Mars behind the shrubs North of the observatory so they need cutting.
Lost Mars at 4:15am at 79° East and 21° altitude. In my haste I managed to take a RAW png of Mars which was a shame. I’ll try again tomorrow now I am setup.
I also need a power extender for this PSU used on the camera.