Austin

AstroChallenge contributor

Points: 5562

Observations: 74

Kudos: 48

NameAustin Riba
LocationSanta Barbara, California
TimezoneAmerica/Los_Angeles
Latitude34.4058592738
Longitude-119.696321208
Altitude10m

Beginner astronomer, constant neck-ache, Admin of Astrochallenge.com

Clear
Jupiter

Orion 10'' SkyQuest dobsonian
100 points

Quick observation of Jupiter from Joshua Tree National Park, California. The moon was at 85% so the glare stopped us from observing much else. Not to mention the dust was terrible, so I felt better with the dust cap on the telescope.

Bands were clearly visible, as were the moons. No transits. Too much glare to resolve the red spot, though it was earth visible.

M67

Orion 10'' SkyQuest dobsonian
40 points

I observed M67 shortly after Praesepe and Jupiter, they made a pretty tight triangle. This particular open cluster isn't super impressive. I estimated about 50 bright stars and many more dimmer ones. The entire cluster fit into the FOV of my 25mm eyepeice, so it's not that large either. Worth a stop if you're in the area, though.

Beehive Cluster (Praesepe)

Orion Scenix 10x50 Binoculars
100 points

Praesepe a large scattering of diamond like stars in the middle of a pretty unimpressive Zodiac constellation: Cancer. On this particular night it was located about 2deg away from Jupiter, which made it very easy to locate even with a 35% moon and terrible seeing.

With my Q70 wide FOV eyepeice, it still doesn't fit into the FOV of my scope. This is an object that is better viewed in binoculars! One of my favorite objects in the sky, and not because I was born in July.

Sun

Orion 10'' SkyQuest dobsonian
100 points

The scope doesn't get a whole lot of vitamin D, so I took it out for a quick solar observation today.

There were 4 sunspot groups visible and many smaller evenly distributed freckles marking the surface. The heat of the direct sunlight made the entire image shimmer, which only added to the effect. A small amount of granulation was visible near the edges of the sun.

Moon

Naked eye
100 points

Nice 15%-ish crescent moon. I really like this phase of the moon: earth shine is prominent enough to be seen with the naked eye. Plus, the moon sets early enough to not interfere with other observations.

I made this observation through a break in the sky-soup. Here's to clear skies tonight.

InstrumentObservations
Naked eye 7
Orion 10'' SkyQuest dobsonian 53
Orion Scenix 10x50 Binoculars 2
Mead LX200 (Cabrillo Observatory) 4
LCOGT 1Meter Scope - Sinistro 8