Like Ann, and I hope many others, Jackie, Jim and I were able to get out to see the conjunction. We went to Binbrook where the wind on the hill was strong and cold but well worth enduring for the lovely view. In this shot you can see the Moon and Venus high in the sky and then just above the treetops to the lower right you can see Jupiter and Mercury. Through my 15×70 binoculars Jupiter showed a nice disc, but no moons in the twilight.
Later, clouds blew in and we retreated to the warmth of a coffee shop, but returned to the hill once the clouds blew away and left a very clear and calm night. Steve joined us to watch Orion, Perseus, Taurus and all the other familiars ride across the sky and my 5″ dob showed us many clusters, doubles and lingered on the Orion Nebula for quite some time, revealing a three dimensional quality that the dark nebula takes on when the sky is good. Saturn rose below Leo and although murky at first, by late in the evening (early in the morning!) it had climbed high enough to give a steady view of its razor thin rings and lots of moons.
The only time we heard the coyotes all night was just past midnight, when a chorus arose to mark the new year (the coyotes must have gotten watches for Christmas). Here is the simple 30 second, camera on tripod shot I was taking at the time, from the dock at Binbrook.
Like Ann, I hope to see many more reports here over the upcoming year and look forward to many more nights like last night. Happy New Year to all.
Addition 6 Jan 2009 by Don Pullen
I’m a little late in getting in on the New Years conjunction, but here’s my attempt to capture this infrequent event. (Hope John doesn’t mind me tagging on to the end of his report.)
I had to work a half day on the 31st and when leaving at about 6, Jupiter and Mercury were just about to drop below the horizon from my vantage at the office. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera, so I rushed home. I tried to set up in the backyard (too late to catch Jupiter and Mercury), but despite a large tree in the way, I gave it a try. I managed to capture the crescent moon with some Earthshine.
