May 21st, 2023, 8:55 p.m. local time
I last had an opportunity to truly observe the night skies over a month ago. There was a lot of overcast in April, and particularly over the past week and then some, the skies have been hazy, when it seemed they should have been clear. I have been told this is due to Canadian wildfires (again?). For the last two nights, the skies actually remained crisp blue at Sunset.
On Saturday night, I did observe the 1%+ Moon, a very sliver of a crescent. There was still ample daylight and the Moon was already nudged towards the Western tree lines, so I did not even contemplate taking a photograph. But it did prompt me to plan for Sunday evening.
Venus was also in the West sky, but much higher. More on Venus in a subsequent article. For now, we have just the Moon, at a very young crescent. Focusing on the 6%+ of lunar surface was surprisingly easy through my Mak-Cass, even with the Moon so low in the sky, a testament to the night’s clarity and absence of clouds and smoke.
Equipment Used:
- 127mm Mak-Cass telescope
- 23mm eyepiece
- No eyepiece filter
- iPhone 14 Pro
- Smartphone telescope eyepiece adapter
- NightCap app on iPhone
- f/1.8
- 1/8 sec exposure
- ISO 57
- Focal length: 7mm
- Touchups in PaintShop Pro and AfterShot Pro
