Tuesday night, 16 June 2026, was partly cloudy. This iPhone 15 Pro Max photo (Night Mode, 3 seconds, 2X lens) shows how the Moon and Venus appeared the night before the Occultation of Venus. Jupiter is just left of the Moon. Mercury is below the Moon.

Open: Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 1129 MST Temperature: 81°F

Session: 2147 Conditions: Mostly clear, windy

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
12x50 binoculars

Camera:
D850 DSLR
iPhone 15 Pro Max

1133 MST: Dome Cover OFF.

Prepared D850 DSLR camera for imaging.

1139 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

1142 MST: Viewed the crescent Moon and Venus in the same field-of-view, 102X.

Mounted the D850 at prime focus and focused on Venus. The Moon was visible in the camera live view, although faint.

Did a test video. Looked good.

1152 MST: Viewed the Moon and Venus, 12x50 binoculars. Neither were visible to the naked eye due to the bright blue sky.

Conditions were not ideal for this occultation. The wind and bright sky made it challenging. Two minutes before the occultation was to begin I started the 1080p, 60fps, 1/1600sec, ISO 400, video recording. Got this video of the Disappearance.

Click to view video

To view the full-size video in another window click here.

While waiting for Venus to reappear about an hour later I attended the DarkSky International Annual Member Meeting via Zoom. I also monitored the clouds.

Five minutes before the occultation was to end I started the 1080p, 60fps, 1/1600sec, ISO 400, video recording. Got this video of the Reappearance.

Click to view video

To view the full-size video in another window click here.

Removed the camera and viewed the Moon and Venus, 102X.

Took this handheld iPhone 15 Pro Max afocal 102X image using NightCap Camera ().

1301 MST: LX600 OFF.

1321 MST: Dome Cover ON (thunderstorms still in the forecasts).

Close: Wednesday, 17 June 2026, 1324 MST Temperature: 92°F

Session Length: 1h 55m Conditions: Partly cloudy, windy

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