The biggest hurdle for me yesterday was dealing with mostly cloudy skies.
I Do Not Fear Missing the Solar Eclipse
Will I be disappointed if the weather does not cooperate? Absolutely. Fortunately, there are a few mitigating perspectives.
The Backwards Moon
Farmers and early risers will disagree, but I think of the Moon’s waning phases as backwards.
Starlight Bending and Solar Eclipses
Those in the path of totality will have a special treat as the sky should go dark to the point stars appear.
Meteor Hunting, 2017 Edition
Though the sky was mostly clear lest a few stray clouds, the Moon’s brightness was the only unfortunate circumstance compared to last year’s.
Moon Rising Above the Clouds
This was taken with my smartphone, proving again that these devices have some marginal value beyond looking at pictures of Cheerios.
Seeing the Moon Among the Clouds
About 90 minutes before sunset the Moon’s crescent stood out in front of a paling blue sky through wisping clouds overhead.
Saturn in July 2017
I had great difficulty locating Saturn that night and it was almost 20 minutes before I locked on.
Jupiter Animations 2017
On May 31st I took a good sample set of Jupiter images to attempt an animated GIF.
First Saturn of 2017
It will be a challenge to get the ISO and exposures right, since Saturn is fainter than Jupiter.