Clouds began arriving as sunset approached on Tuesday, 21 January 2025. The sky cleared on Thursday, 23 January.

Open: Thursday, 23 January 2025, 1818 MST Temperature: 56°F

Session: 2065 Conditions: Clear

Equipment:
12" f/8 LX600 w/StarLock
2" 24mm UWA eyepiece
2" 5.5mm 100° eyepiece

Camera:
iPhone 15 Pro Max

1828 MST: LX600 ON, StarLock OFF, High Precision OFF.

Viewed Saturn, 102X.

Viewed Venus, 102X and 443X.

Attached the LiDAR Cover on the iPhone 15 Pro Max and mounted the iPhone on the 2" 5.5mm eyepiece using the 3-axis adapter.

Took these afocal 443X images of Venus using the iPhone.

NightCap Camera app (ISO 55, 1/570sec, 1X lens)


Final Cut Camera app (ISO 400, 1/1000sec, 1X lens, 240fps, 10 seconds, stack of 2564 frames)

Viewed Jupiter and the four Galilean Moons, 102X and 443X. The disks of all four moons were distinctly visible at 443X.

Took these afocal 443X images of Jupiter using the iPhone. The disks of the moons Ganymede (left) and Io (right) are visible in the top image.

NightCap Camera app (ISO 55, 1/13sec, 1X lens)


Final Cut Camera app (ISO 400, 1/1000sec, 1X lens, 240fps, 10 seconds, stack of 2530 frames)

It was getting breezy.

Viewed Mars, 102X and 443X. The North Polar Cap and Syrtis Major were visible. Seeing was not good however.

Took these afocal 443X images of Mars using the iPhone.

NightCap Camera app (ISO 200, 1/60sec, 1X lens)


Final Cut Camera app (ISO 2000, 1/500sec, 1X lens, 240fps, 10 seconds, stack of 2533 frames)

The North Polar Cap and Syrtis Major are visible in both images.

Viewed M42 (the Great Orion Nebula), 102X.

Viewed NGC2392 (Eskimo Nebula), 102X.

1925 MST: LX600 OFF.

1931 MST: Took this handheld iPhone photo of the sky using the Camera app (Night Mode, 10 seconds, 1X lens). Mars in the constellation of Gemini is at the left, Jupiter in Taurus is at the top, Orion is right of center, the star Sirius is at the bottom right, and the Winter Milky Way is visible running vertically through the center of the photograph.

1942 MST: Took a Sky Quality reading and reported the result to Globe at Night.

Close: Thursday, 23 January 2025, 1945 MST Temperature: 44°F

Session Length: 1h 27m Conditions: Clear, breezy, SQM 20.73

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