Location: Tomball
Temperature: upper 40’s
Clouds: none
Seeing: average (3/5)
Transparency: good (4/5)
Instrument: 8″ SCT
First night to observe from Zeke’s place. The sky is slightly darker than home and the area has wider overhead field of view than home.
Observed Saturn in 25mm, several moons visible. Titan, Rhea, and Iapetus were clear. Dione sometimes faded out with bad seeing. Tethys was occasionally visible but quite faint just above and to the left of the rings. Both Dione and Tethys were easier in the 15mm, which developed a smudge.
Also visited a few double stars. Iota cancri was splendid contrast of red and blue.
We observed m42 and discussed the process of star formation within nebulae.
Zeke wanted to see Mars. The “dark” patch of Syrtis Major was visible — an area of just slightly diminished brightness compared with the rest of the planet.
