Above: 6:13 AM CST 1-8-12 (12:13 UT), 8″ reflector telescope, 25mm eyepiece, 2x Barlow (130x magnification, but I resized the photo to make it appear on the same scale as the photo below). At the time of this photo Saturn was 948,348,000 miles distant from Earth (1,471,500,000 km), with an angular diameter of 16.82 arc seconds. You can see how much more the rings have “opened up” during the last nine months, and I’m pleased that I was now able to capture a bit of Saturn’s shadow on the rings, as well as a hint of Cassini’s Division.
Below: For comparison, a rerun of my photo from 3:23 AM CDT 4-14-11 (8:23 UT), 8″ reflector telescope, 17mm eyepiece, 2x Barlow (191x magnification). At that time Saturn had just passed opposition and was a “mere” 810,570,000 miles from Earth (1,304,487,000 km), with an angular diameter of 18.97 arc seconds.
Above: Venus shining in the southwestern sky after sunset, 5:31 PM CST 1-7-12. Each night Venus is a bit brighter and higher. As of 1-8-12, T-Minus 149 days until the Venus Transit of 2012.
Above: 8:21 PM CST 1-7-12 (2:21 UT 1-8-12), 60mm refractor telescope, 17mm eyepiece.
Below: 6:01 AM CST 1-8-12 (12:01 UT), 8″ reflector telescope, 25mm eyepiece.
Above: Interesting what you might see on the back of a semi trailer. I wonder how many motorists have a clue what it’s about?
All with LG VX8360 cell phone camera, perfect for capturing small moments in the history of the Universe. Click for larger view.
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