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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Full Moon rise Observation session
Friday the 4th of September

This month, the Full Moon will be the "Corn Moon" and I shall take time to observe the full Moonrise over Lake Michigan Friday, the 4th of September.

Scheduled to rise at 7:05 pm, the weather will be nice and clear.

I will either be by the south lawn of the Adler Planetarium or (if parking is banned along the drive), by the Northerly Island parking lot...

There are no concerts going on at the Charter One Pavilion and access to the area should pose no problem.

I will set up at about 6:30pm with telescopes and camera equipment. For an added treat, Jupiter will be close by for a nice observation target.

For those interested in joining in on the observation, you may call me at the Astro number to find out where I (we) are: 773-299-8171 on Friday...

...and follow along on www.twitter.com/astronomerjoe for updates.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Update:

The weather will be beautiful and warm...it will be an excellent evening for astronomers and fans alike!

We will have a 10" SCT on-site as well from the Chicago Astronomical Society.

Quite Cool!

Many pics later.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

September Full Moon Rise Observation Session with the
Chicago Astronomers

I anticipated this Full Moon rise, as the weather was great and I had plenty of time to enjoy it. I arrived at the south lawn of the Adler Planetarium early to set up, taking my time. Usually, it is a rushed affair, with traffic and other obstacles to conquer...it was nice. The regular full force crew of the Chicago Astronomers have a life...and were on their ways to exotic and interesting places for the Labor Day holiday, but a full moon rise waits for no one.

But, before getting into astronomical mode, some optical testing. I haven't had the opportunity to play around with the camera/telescope combo before, and with this free time, I decided to experiment with capturing distant sailboats.

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Avoiding the closer ones to the shore, I concentrated on boats way out to the horizon and near the edge of the Earth. Galileo was right!

I could barely see this sailboat naked eye, but using a simple 17mm eyepiece on the 4.5" reflector brought it in quite close at about 30X power. And using the optical zoom on the Canon S3 Powershot enlarged the image nicely.

I then focused on the Water Intake Crib - 3.20 miles away...

I was pleasantly surprised at the detail using a simple 17mm eyepiece and the Little island was loaded with seagulls....

Zooming into the lighthouse, the amount of detail was good.

Putting on some classical/space tunes, I prepared for the 7:05pm rise of the lunar limb...but there was about a 10° layer of haze and muck hugging the eastern horizon. We wouldn't be treated to a clear rise this evening.

First to arrive was Mark, a staff astronomer at the Adler who specializes in asteroids, (quite cool), and pleased to have him join. He was the one who first spotted the crimson orb over the muck..and I started to take shots...

Hazy at the start, the Moon cleared up nicely as the evening progressed and as more Chicago Astronomer fans made their way to the session...

Shown: Robert, myself, Mark and "Pinkie"

The Moon always makes a great sheen on Lake Michigan waters...and Jupiter soon joined in on the view...

My pal Robert made the trip from the southern suburbs to join in and see what these Chicago Astronomer sessions are all about and great to have him present. Here, he peeks at the Moon and Jupiter with three satellites visible...

I attempted to pick out the M57 nebula, but with the strong Moon glow, it was impossible. It was a nice easy and pleasant evening with friends, talking astronomy and sharing laughs.

My good friend Shree arrived with his wife and sister, (and he was intelligently explaining all things astronomical and working the telescope with skill - way to go Shree...! ), along with a nice family who were very interested in observing celestial objects.


Onward to the October "Harvest" Full Moonrise...

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Day After Full Moon Rise Observation Session...!

Fellow Chicago Astronomer John was predisposed yesterday to join up for yesterday's Full Moon rise session...so I am going out again this evening - to catch the "Day After" Full Moon rise.

Moon rise is at 7:27 pm this evening.

Primarily to do some testing with optics and camera techniques, but John will bring along his 10" Water Tank reflector.

I intend to set up at the same place as last evening, but you never know about the parking situation. If need be, we will move to the Northerly Island locale. See map above.

(But first, we are going to bring our guitars and mess around a little before dusk and smile at the girls.)

As an added bonus - The ISS/Shuttle will make a passover, but not quite a good one. At 8:36 pm, they will appear in the south and only reach 12 ° in elevation - staying in the south. It will be a visual challenge to catch it...but the ISS flyover on the 8th will be magnificent...!

All are free to join in and take leisurely study of the Moon and Jupiter. At least now, some details will be seen at the Moon's edge.