JUPITER SATURN CONJUNCTION 21 DECEMBER 2020

Photos of the Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn from the Mineola Nature Preserve in Mineola Texas.  The one above is from a 35mm DSLR  with a 200mm Canon Lens on a Canon 40D.

 The one above is with a 8" Celectron SCT with camera attached to eyepiece. Saturn is at the top of the photo and Jupiter in the lower left. Note: There are four of Jupiter's moons in a row running from the left of the photo through Jupiter and extending to the lower left third of the photo.

PARTIAL LUNAR ECLIPSE IS VISIBLE IN EAST TEXAS

 On Monday Morning, 30 November 2020 there will be a Penumbral Lunar Eclipse that is visible in East Texas. The Moon will move into the Earth’s outer shadow about 1:32 AM CST that morning. Then at 3:44 AM the eclipse will reach it’s maximum. The eclipse will continue until 5:53 AM as the Moon departs Earth’s shadow. The Moon will be just to the west of overhead at the start of the eclipse and just above the horizon at the end. This is what it looks like below.

RARE CONJUNCTION OF JUPITER AND SATURN

 A very rare conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn will occur on the night of December 21th about 5pm on. They will be 6 arc minutes apart. With a 15mm eye piece and 8" scope, you can see both in the FOV.

 

Perseids, Planets and Milky Way at Mineola Nature Preserve.

While chasing Perseid Meteors at the Mineola Nature Preserve, during breaks I photographed other objects.

 Jupiter (RT) and Saturn near Sagittarius-to the right (note the Tea Pot asterism in the center) and a "crawling" Scorpius (to right) as opposed to the "standing" position it is in early evening.

Milky Way to left of Sagittarius (Looking at the galaxy's center where a massive Black Hole exists.

 A rising Mars (moderate magnification).

A Waning Crescent Moon.

 

 

 

 

And at last is a Perseid below Cassiopeia (M on it's side.).

COMET NEOWISE BECOMES OBLITERATED BY THE WAXING MOON / LAST LOOK AT THE NUCLEUS

As the Moon waxes in brightness, it obliterated the tail of Comet Neowise and the Comet fades into darkness. The first image in a mid-angle view of the comet below the Big Dipper asterism in the constellation URSA MAJOR. The nucleus in at the bottom of the frame and the tail toward the top away from the the Sun. The second image is at a higher focal length for a close up view.

COMET NEOWISE PHOTOGRAPH IN THE "TRIPLE PLAY"

Lisa Moss of Hawkins captured the Comet NEOWISE, recently, along with the aster-ism Big Dipper in the constellation URSA MAJOR and a meteor in the same shot. The Little Dipper with Polaris on the end, can be seen in the upper right above the meteor.

NEW NAKED EYE COMET VISIBLE NOW

Comet Neowise is a naked eye visible comet that can be seen in the NW sky at near Sundown through about the 23rd of this month. It is between LEO and URSA MAJOR (Big Dipper Asterism). See diagram below. For more information see the following source: https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/comet-neowise-dazzles-at-dusk/This is one of those unusual comets that are close and bright to see without a telescope. It is great with binoculars.

This the July 4th Penumbral Lunar Eclipse Moon. It is a little darker than a normal Full Moon because it is the outer part of the Earth's shadow. It is a little yellowish due in part to the dispersion of the Sun's light by the atmosphere, but more probably due to the Sahara Desert dust suspended in the atmosphere over Texas. We were lucky to see the Moon because of the forecasted scattered showers for the area. The photo was made at my home by Miranda Bennett of Tyler, TX. Also earlier in the month of June, she photographed the Strawberry Moon pictured below.

We at ASET enjoy what we do and really enjoy sharing with others. We are thankful for the "Thank You"s we get when sharing the night sky. It's great to hear a "Thank You". Occasionally we get an email one. BUT Earlier this year we did a telescope viewing for the elementary kids at Chapel Hill's Wise Elementary School. I would like to share their "Thank You"s with others because they were different.

Astronomical Society of East Texas Stance Per Corvid-19

The Society has suspended all meetings and activities in respect to National, State and Local safety declarations concerning the spread of Corvid-19. In the interim, we will entertain questions and communications via our email: info@asetexas.com and our facebook page:Astronomical Society of East Texas.