With the gloomy skies over several days, the clear skies beckoned to set up a scope. But the skies were not great for astronomy, with high turbulence and ground level haze and heavy dew.

Still...a clear sky is a clear sky...

I set up the C11 outside of the Astro garage and targeted Jupiter, already riding high by 11:00pm...



I was getting heavy turbulence of the Jovian disk and thought the session would be a wash out. But every once in awhile, it would steady and I got this...



Not bad...not great, but ok.

Checking Stellarium, I saw the staggering of the satellites and that Io was about to come around from the back. It's C.A.S.C Barbara's favorite Jovian satellite, so I waited. (Stellarium was off by 45 minutes... )...



Using both a Tungsten and Florescent white balance, I captured the volcanic satellite as it peeked over the limb.

By this time, a neighborhood friend rode by on his bike at around midnight and I shared views of the Moon with him...



He spent a long time studying the lunar surface, as I answered questions about impacts and other lunar factoids.

I might as well take some lunar shots...



We are all too familiar with the "sunrise" phases leading up to the full Moon, but fewer observe the "sunset" phases, being that it is so early in the mornings. I spent a lot of quiet time myself loving the Moon this solo session. Many artifacts that are now lit from the other direction fascinated me - and having observed the Moon for decades, it never gets old.

The atmospheric conditions were still pretty sloppy, but popping in a 26mm 2" and a Barlow, I caressed the lunar surface - feeling her surface like a lover would...



Here is Plato with the jagged mountain range along the rim, casting beautiful shadows along the crater floor. I also dig the Montes Teneriffe chain along the basin with their own shadow play.




The Ptolemauus/Alphonus/Arzachel triplet crater chain always a winner and the top of the center peak just catching the last of the sunlight in Alphonsus.

And while still in the area...

Check out the light splash of light squeezing in between mountains in Ptolemaeus...






Rupus Recta, (The Straight Wall), was nicely illuminated from the other angle, making it a bright wall, instead of the dark line we usually observe.




Copernicus multi-ridged wall.




And Kepler, stealing the attention with his star-like ejecta pattern.




...and the Sinus Iridium basin.

The camera was off-axis a bit, and introduced some chromatic aberration and transparency was limited...ergo, just so-so shots.

I am glad I had the leisurely time to spend with a old friend and allowing me to touch the surface with my third eye.

Ain't astronomy fun?