You know, rare astronomical events events occur whether we can see them or not! Yeah, profound statement (well, maybe not too profound). But, regardless, such is the life of an amateur astronomer.
Had the telescope and camera gear out on the 20th (since the weather forecast for the day of the event was for overcast skies). Set up just outside Westminster MD, on the parking lot of my church. It was very cloudy, but the Lord provided a sliver of clear sky so that I (and the guests I had with me) were able to see the 'near conjunction' visually. Getting the camera set-up was problematic, and by the time I had the system up and running (software glitches), clouds covered the scene.
The view was awesome! Both Jupiter and Saturn were clearly visible, displaying their respective details - Jupiter's cloud belts and Saturn's magnificent ring system. The GT102 (with only 703mm focal length) only provided a small planet size, but no matter, both planets (and a collection of Jovian and Saturnian moons) were present in the same eyepiece field of view. It was worth it!
With Tuesday night promising some clear skies I will try again to image this wonderful event. Yes, they won't be as close as on the 21st, but still should make for a great shot if I can get both planets and the moons to show up in the same image.
We were out last night and saw it. Unfortunately, we were rushing out the door at the end of the time window, so didn't even bring binoculars. Still it was pretty cool to see. Looking forward to some Mikey photos though!
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