Observing Log for Mike Durkin
1/24/2015 about 8:00-10:30PM
Locust Valley, NY
Transparency: 3-9/10, Seeing 3/5
Temperature: about 30-35 degrees
Equipment: Hutch modified Canon Rebel T3i
DSLR photometry of γ Cas, κ Cas, ρ Cas, and ε Aur.
Around 10:00, the sky started to cloud over.
1/19/2015 about 12:00 midniight-3:00AM
Locust Valley, NY
Transparency: 8/10, Seeing 2/5
Temperature: about 35-45 degrees
Equipment: Hutch modified Canon Rebel T3i and 10x50 binoculars
DSLR photometry of X Per and ε Aur.
Visual measurements of α Ori, η Gem, IS Gem, UU Aur and U Hya.
1/17/2015 about 7:15
Oyster Bay, NY
Transparency: 6-8/10, Seeing ?/5
Temperature: about 20-30 degrees
Equipment: none
Saw a slow moving meteor, and to me it had an orange color when it exploded at the end.
1/17/2015 about 2:00-3:00AM
Locust Valley, NY
Transparency: 9/10, Seeing 3/5
Temperature: about 15-25 degrees
Equipment: Hutech modified Canon Rebel T3i
DSLR photometry of α Com. Focus or focal length shifted slightly during exposure but not enough to cause saturation.
Just befre I went to sleep however, I found out that no measurements of α Com are going to be required
for the AAVSO because of a mistake.
1/10/2015 about 10:30PM-11:30PM
Locust Valley, NY
Transparency: 8/10, Seeing 3/5
Temperature: about 10-20 degrees
Equipment: Hutech modified Canon Rebel T3i
Imaged comet Lovejoy C/2014 Q2
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Image of Comet Lovejoy C/2014 Q2 Camera: Hutech modfied Canon Rebel T3i Lens: 75-300mm @227mm Location: Locust Valley, NY Exposure: 135x10 seconds. Tracking done with Astrotrac TT320X-AG Calibrated with dark and flat frames. Processed with Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop, GradientXTerminator and Astronomy Tools plugin |
1/10/2015 about 5:00-5:30 PM
Walt Whitman Mall, Huntington Station, NY
Transparency: 10/10, Seeing 3/5
Temperature: about 15-25 degrees
Equipment: none/naked eye
Saw Venus and Mercury just as I came out of the mall. There were pretty close to each other, maybe about
a degree of deparation, and very close to the horizon, roughly 10 degrees. One of the rare times
that I have seen Mercury naked eye.
1/10/2015 about 3:00AM-4:00AM
Locust Valley, NY
Transparency: 9/10, Seeing 3/5
Temperature: about 15-25 degrees
Equipment: Hutech modified Canon Rebel T3i
Tried to do DSLR photometry of α Com for the first time, as part of an AAVSO alert. This star is
supposed to go into eclipse in about 2 weeks and in addition to the practice the research also want
measurements before and after.
Unfortunately after I finished and checked my measurements, I slightly overexposed or over adjusted
the focus, so the star had some pixels at or near saturation. Even so at least I may be able to get
the comparison stars and also verify the check star, but it is a bummer that I can rely on the
measurement for the main target.
1/9/2015 about 11:00PM-1:00AM
Locust Valley, NY
Transparency: 9/10, Seeing 3/5
Temperature: about 20-30 degrees
Equipment: Hutech modified Canon Rebel T3i
DSLR photometry of ρ Cas, γ Cas, κ Cas, X Per, and ε Aur.
It was a bit windy at times as well.
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