Cloudy skies returned on Tuesday, 19 May 2026. That evening I went outside to try to watch a launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, but the clouds prevented seeing it. However, the clouds did make a pretty view of the Moon between the planets Jupiter (left) and Venus (right).

The sky cleared late afternoon on Wednesday, 20 May.

Open: Wednesday, 20 May 2026, 1823 MST Temperature: 77°F

Session: 2136 Conditions: Mostly clear, breezy

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 2X Powermate

Camera:
D850 DSLR
iPhone 15 Pro Max

SYNCed observatory clock.

1833 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed Venus, 102X. A nice gibbous phase was visible. Viewed Jupiter, 102X. Then viewed the Moon, 102X.

1841 MST: Relaxed on the observatory patio bench.

1922 MST: Sunset. Back inside the observatory.

Viewed the Moon, 102X.

Prepared the D850 DSLR for imaging. Mounted the camera at prime focus of the 12" telescope.

The Moon (1/250sec, ISO 400).

Added the 2" 2X Powermate and took these images (1/250sec, ISO 1600).

1942 MST: Removed the camera and viewed the Moon, 203X. The view was nice, with some Earthshine visible.

Viewed Jupiter and the four Galilean Moons, 203X and 102X.

1949 MST: High Precision ON.

Slewed to NGC5248 (galaxy). It was not yet visible in the twilight sky.

1952 MST: Relaxed on the bench while waiting for the sky to become darker and to monitor clouds.

2005 MST: Took this iPhone 15 Pro Max photo using the Camera app (Night Mode, 3 seconds, 1X lens) showing the Moon with Earthshine, Jupiter, Venus, and the observatory.

2030 MST: Back in the observatory. Sky conditions were not improving, especially in the southeastern sky.

Viewed NGC5248 (galaxy), 102X.

Viewed M13 (the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules), 102X. Nice.

2035 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Wednesday, 20 May 2026, 2048 MST Temperature: 68°F

Session Length: 2h 25m Conditions: Partly cloudy

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