As forecast, clouds arrived on Saturday, 28 December 2024. The sky was clear Sunday night, 29 December, but I didn't go to the observatory.

Open: Monday, 30 December 2024, 1806 MST Temperature: 66°F

Session: 2057 Conditions: Clear

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
Focal reducer

Camera:
D850 DSLR

Prepared the D850 DSLR camera for imaging.

1821 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision ON.

Viewed Venus, 102X. Viewed Saturn, 102X. Viewed Jupiter and three of the Galilean Moons, 102X.

Mounted the D850 camera at prime focus + focal reducer, focused on the star Aldebaran, locked the 12" telescope primary mirror, and then slewed to the first Barnard Object to be imaged.

1836 MST: StarLock ON.

Imaged these Barnard Objects (dark nebulae), StarLock autoguided, 30 seconds, ISO 6400.

I have now completed my Barnard Objects Project!

Many thanks to Dr. Tim Hunter for his book The Barnard Objects: Then and Now and the use of his Barnard Objects reference images on the Grasslands Observatory website. I have posted my Barnard Objects spreadsheet for those who would like to pursue their own Barnard Objects Project.

To celebrate completing this Project, I imaged the Running Man Nebula (NGC1977). The image is StarLock autoguided, 2 minutes, ISO 3200, slightly cropped.

I used one of my earlier images of the Running Man Nebula on the front cover of my autobiography Finding my Way to the Stars.

Click image to see information about the book

2010 MST: LX600 OFF.

Close: Monday, 30 December 2024, 2023 MST Temperature: 52°F

Session Length: 2h 17m Conditions: Clear

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The Tucson Amateur Astronomy Association (TAAA) announced the winners of its 2024 Imaging Contest. My iPhone 15 Pro Max photograph of the May 2024 Aurora seen in Oracle, Arizona, won 2nd Place in the Nightscapes category. Many thanks to the TAAA judges!

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