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Jupiter Saturn Conjunction Equipment 12-20-2020
Contains: Solar system body or event
Acquisition Details
Date Posted: December 27, 2020
Equipment card
Description
Local time right at sunset, Starmaster hybrid truss dob aligned via cell phone compass and clinometer to altitude/azimuth positions for Polaris and Altair, then goto Saturn position. When it was finally dark enough to see the planets in the glare of the hazy sky near the horizon, imaging began. This shows the large challenge presented to image this event from this northerly latitude and no mountain top. Needless to say, I was extremely pleased with my best capture that was posted. This is a very low altitude setting for a dob, yet tracking was quite steady. It was the turbulent atmosphere that produced the major challenge. I had uploaded this image the other day, taken with my cell phone, but despite it appearing correctly oriented on my phone, it showed up sideways, then apparently was removed, thankfully. This image appears in the correct orientation. I used the Starmaster hybrid truss 14.5" f4.3 Zambuto mirror and ZWO ASI294MC Pro camera for the earlier posted image. Here you see the Siebert 36mm observatory eyepiece in the Starmaster, and the ZWO ready to go, connected to the computer, awaiting confirmation of Jupiter and Saturn in the field of view. The smaller scope on the right is my William Optics Zenithstar 61 on Ioptron Skytracker Pro mount modified with a home-built setting circle on RA, using the Ioptron counterweight kit, modiifed with a 1.5lb bar rather than the supplied 3lb weight disc.
