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[magic612]

Mercury is an evening object this week, and Saturn, Mars and Regulus all conspire to make a convenient line leading right to the area where Mercury resides in twilight. The Moon is full on the 3rd, but that doesn't mean there still aren't things to see on it's surface near the terminator, plus, for those cloudy nights when you aren't here, a place you can go to pitch in help doing real science - and, the significant motions of Mars and Venus over the course of this week: Check it out!

[Paulie pchris00]

I love alliteration!

Neutral density filters are best for observing a bright Moon, but any colored filter should work to some degree. And if for nothing but giggles, I recommend trying a light pollution filter on Luna.

Hopefully Mars's motion will be easy to track. Mercury will be tough. I almost always forget about Mercury until it's too late. Venus is worth a look, but I can't blame anybody who might not want to get out of bed at 4:30 AM to see it. If I wasn't awake through the night anyway, I wouldn't have seen it since it was a pure black dot last month.

[magic612]

Jul 2, 2012 9:03:04 GMT -6 Paulie pchris00 said:

I love alliteration!

Heh - I figured I needed a unique and memorable opening line. I think I've found it.

Jul 2, 2012 9:03:04 GMT -6 Paulie pchris00 said:

Neutral density filters are best for observing a bright Moon, but any colored filter should work to some degree. And if for nothing but giggles, I recommend trying a light pollution filter on Luna.

True that - I was running short on time though, so I squeezed in the neutral density thing and aperture stop.

Jul 2, 2012 9:03:04 GMT -6 Paulie pchris00 said:

Hopefully Mars's motion will be easy to track. Mercury will be tough. I almost always forget about Mercury until it's too late. Venus is worth a look, but I can't blame anybody who might not want to get out of bed at 4:30 AM to see it. If I wasn't awake through the night anyway, I wouldn't have seen it since it was a pure black dot last month.

As long as the sky stays clear enough, Mars should be easy to track with binoculars compared to the star. And I'm not a morning person at all, so I try to include those things for people who are.

[Paulie pchris00]

I'm not a morning person, but I love seeing the Sun come up, if I've been up all night. Otherwise, noon is way too early to be out of bed.