Brantuk Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 If anyone's still outside right now Ceres and Vesta are right up alongside Mars as they approach the Meridian in the S by SE sky right now - all around 33 degs alt. (With the Sombrero Galaxy just beneath them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toymaster Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 If anyone's still outside right now Ceres and Vesta are right up alongside Mars as they approach the Meridian in the S by SE sky right now - all around 33 degs alt. (With the Sombrero Galaxy just beneath them) That's what I call commitment to an interest at this time of night! I'm up but due to health reasons ..... Both me and my 18 year old cat Misty, but both OKish now. Have fun... Ade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 I was just about to go to bed until I caught your message Kim. I'm away outside with the bins and an 8x50 RA finder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 @Ade - it's not so much commitment as terribly bad smoker who slept about 5hrs this afternoon/evening and woke up gagging for a smoke in the middle of the night lol. But it was a nice thought thanks. @Derek - go for it matey - I look forward to hearing what you saw with the binocs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted January 20, 2014 Share Posted January 20, 2014 Don't know if I knew what I was looking at. Looking at Mars in a 8x50 finder hand held gripped against the kitchen bench, on the left was a star like object, position angle wrt Mars, just under 270 degrees. However, Heavens Above map shows Vesta positioned more than 270 degrees? (I'm never sure with the orientation with maps. Tipping them to the right or left sometimes makes the view in the sky more representative). Just a thought, I didn't put the location into Heavens Above so probably defaulted to 0,0. Would that make much difference? (probably not; - it didn't, Vesta was still greater than 270 degrees PA wrt Mars - IF a verticle line directly down thro Mars represented south for reference to PA). Clouding up now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted January 20, 2014 Author Share Posted January 20, 2014 Do you have Stellarium Derek? That's what I use and it gives a very good image of what's up when you put your location in. I switch on the meridian and the ecliptic and angle the meridian to bottom of screen (representing south) so the view is exactly as I see it outside the front door. (Heavens- above does rely on accurate location info). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orion Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 Kim I don't have stellarium. I have skeye on the mobile. But at the moment, I don't have a private pc or laptop. I certainly will get stellarium and buy a laptop to put it on. It sounds great the way you describe. One issue I've had before just using paper maps in books such as Norton,is,the inverted image in a newt. It's been so long since I did any observations with the newt, I can't remember if the image is also reversed as well as upside down. To view Mars, the little finder was a right angled one, so image same as in bins. Without a scale in view (like an etched reticule, graticule), what would be also helpful is something to show the field of view for a given FL/eyepiece comb'n. In the case of Mars and vesta, I wanted to know how many Mars diameters, vesta was from it etc. Planets are helpful in that respect because we know the angular size. But in a field of stars, it can be difficult for me to know what's what without a yard stick in the field (I'm showing I don't have goto here). Will vesta be in the same area for much longer? Even though Mars will have now gone past. I'd like to get a trail of it one day against the stars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brantuk Posted January 21, 2014 Author Share Posted January 21, 2014 I'm not sure how long vesta will be there - and I'm not too hot on angular measurement Derek - but both were about a little fingers width from each other if you hold it up to the sky. I only noticed it because I have Stellarium constantly running so I can see everything moveing over the evening and know when interesting stuff comes up. The view in a newt is upside down and reversed side to side. I use a Telrad reticule for finding stuff combined with a RACI right angle correct image finder (uses cross hairs) so my view is the same as the actual sky. But the eyepiece is wrong way up and wrong way round. But then - what really is up/down, left/right in space. Is Australia really underneath us - or is it we who are upside down? lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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