Reports

A number of the HAA members got out to enjoy the partial eclipse from our location. We knew there wasn't going to be much of a show since we were only expected to get about 18% covered and the Sun would set before the eclipse completed. However that didn't discourage us from trying.

Some members ended up at Binbrook Conservation Area to view the event from that location.

Ann Tekatch got some nice shots and posted them in her own Facebook album.
Ann's album

Jim Wamsley also captured a nice sequence of images and has posted them on SkyDrive. If this link works, it should give you a slide show of his images.
Jim's SkyDrive slideshow

And then I went down to Port Dalhousie (near St Catherines) to capture the event over Lake Ontario to try for a few extra seconds of visibility. It turned out to be a busy spot since the weather was so nice. So I ended up doing some sidewalk astronomy. I had several pairs of the solar glasses which we shared amongst the many people and I showed some of the images I had captured. A lot of fun.
Don's Facebook album

Sample image

Forecasts for very clear skies drew out more than a half dozen HAA members to our favourite observing location, Binbrook Conservation Area. The CSC was indicating, while cear and above average transparency, the seeing was expected to be poor. Fortunately that part of the model was incorrect and we had very steady and crisp conditions. It was a bit windy initially, but it eventually settled down.

HAA members Gord, Vince, Les, Matthew, Don, Tony and Mike all showed up eager to get some observing in. And the skies didn't disappoint. A variety of equipment was set up with DOB's refractors and SCT's of various sizes which gave us opportunities to view objects through different scopes for comparison. There was lots of conversation and swapping of gear so we could better learn which is best of our respective needs.

A beautiful sunset greeted us as we were setting up, along with Venus waving good bye as it gets ready for its transit of the Sun and transition to a morning star.

More images can be seen in the album on our Facebook page.

Our public event in Grimsby last Saturday coincided with Earth Hour and the manager of Grimsby's Welcome Centre turned the building's lights off. This made it easier to show the night sky to the hundreds of people who showed up. Many HAA members also attended. (At least two dozen by my count!) So there were many telescopes and binoculars available to offer views of Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Saturn, the Moon, various double stars and Messier objects. I have included a few photos and hope that others add to this entry.

A view of the crowd

Kevin pointing out planets

Joe viewing Venus

Once again a number of the HAA members headed out to Binbrook to take advantage of the clear nights and collect more images of the Moon-Venus-Jupiter conjunction. On Monday night, the Moon had moved enough in its orbit that it was now near Venus rather than Jupiter as it had been the night before. Hopefully some of them will share their photos on this blog. I'm sure some will be appearing in the April edition of the EH newsletter.

My photo of the Moon and Jupiter setting below the Skyway was shown on CHCH news during the day on Monday so this inspired me to try again that night. I went to various locations around town trying to find interesting backdrops to go along with the wondrous view that the conjunction offered.

Below are links to some of the images I collected. It was fun running from location to location with nothing more than a camera. No telescopes, big tripods or other associated gear to haul around. Just the eyes and camera were all that was needed to enjoy this site (as is often the case for many night sky apparitions. All these images were taken under skies with lots of city lights, yet it was still something easy to see and enjoy.

Click on images to enlarge them.

Some of the HAA members ventured out to Binbrook Sunday night to enjoy the conjunction of the crescent Moon along with Jupiter and Venus. I wasn't able to join them, needing to run out to Burlington and then get home quickly. But that didn't stop me from taking my camera along and capturing some shots on my trip. It was very windy and quite cool, but with a camera tripod, I was able to set up quickly and take these images. You don't need fancy gear to enjoy this beautiful viewing opportunity. Just your eyes are enough. But you can also use just about any camera to record this view so you can enjoy it over and over.

Tonight (Monday 26 March) is another opportunity to see this conjunction. The forecast is calling for clear skies. Tonight the Moon will be closer to Venus with Jupiter just below. Head out just after sunset and look West - you can miss these bright objects.