Choosing a Telescope

I just came across this well written article about telescopes that delves into the details on why a 6 inch Dobsonian is a perfect scope.

Help! I Can't See Detail On The Planets! - phpdevster - Medium

Coming up: Jupiter, Lunar Eclipse, and 50th anniversary of Apollo on the moon

Lots of astronomy in the coming days!

Jupiter is still the brightest "star" in the night sky. If you look to the southeast as soon as it gets dark, it is hard to miss. If you do need some help, the waxing gibbous Moon will be just above Jupiter on Saturday night to help guide you.

As an added bonus, try to find "The Lord of the Rings" planet, namely Saturn. It is not quite as bright as Jupiter, but brighter than any other star nearby. By about 11:00 pm it is about a hand span to the left of Jupiter when they are both in the south.

For a little help, Note that the Moon will help again as it makes it way around the sky. On Monday the 15th the Moon will be to the right  of Saturn, while on Tuesday it will to just to the left.

The moon will be full  on Tuesday night, but with a special surprise as it will slip into the earth's shadow and be partially eclipsed.

Lunar eclipse Tuesday night

Partial phase begins: 11:00 pm 

Max partial eclipse:   12:30 am

Eclipse end:               2:00 am

Tuesday is also the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 launch that culminated in Neil Armstrong's taking a small step on the Moon on July 20, 1969. There are lots of articles and documentaries running now about the historic moon landing. 

-AstroTom

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Come see Jupiter and its moons

As you must have noticed Jupiter is now its closest and brightest for the year. It is perfectly placed for telescope observations.

You are all invited to come take a peek through my telescope tomorrow night, Thursday from 8:00 - 9:00 pm.

I'll be at the roundabout in Dekel Gimel across from the park, at the beginning of the security road  by the Bailey's house.

(Waze location: https://www.waze.com/he/livemap/directions?latlng=31.664668851184828%2C35.15913605690003

Keep looking up!

-AstroTom

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Full Moon rising now together with Jupiter

Check it out.

After hiding in the morning sky for months the king of planets is back in the evening sky. Jupiter is now at its brightest for the year and will be visible for the whole night.

Jupiter is the brightest "star" visible in the sky now. It rises in the southeast with sunset and sets in the southwest at sunrise. It can be found just behind Scorpio, but if you are not sure where that is, just look for the Moon tonight or tomorrow.

The pair are now (about 9:00pm) low in the southeast sky. If you can't see them yet, wait an hour or 2 till they climb above the hills and trees. They will be highest about midnight when they will be found due south.

-AstroTom

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Total Lunar eclipse (almost) early Monday morning

Hi All,

There will be a total lunar eclipse early this Monday morning. Here in Israel it will be tricky to see since it happens together with the sunrise so the sky will be lit up and the eclipsed moon hard to see. But if you are up for a beautiful challenge get up early. So far the weather forecast shows mostly clear skies for Monday.  

The partial phase of the eclipse will begin at 5:33am The Moon will be very low in the western sky. You will need to find a high location with an unobstructed view of the horizon. At this phase the sky will still be pretty dark as the Earth's shadow begins to touch the Moon.

By 6:00 am, as dawn begins  the moon will be about 50% covered. The shadow will continue to grow over the face of the moon till it sets at 6:40 at 97% eclipsed. At the same time the Sun will be rising in the other half of the sky. It will be interesting to note how long you can still see the eclipsed Moon as the sky lights up.

For more details and a nice animation see https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/in/israel/jerusalem

-AstroTom

http://astrowife.blogspot.com
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