Venus

I was rewarded today with a view to die for of Venus.

I am observing from approximately 37 degrees South in the late afternoon with my 5.1 inch apochromat.

I could make out terminator variations in brightness. Subtle cloud bands curving upwards and away from the terminator. It was rock steady at 166 X and I even tried 250 X at one stage. I used a variety of coloured filters but preferred the unfiltered image best.

It is well worth a peak. Especially when the planet is high up in the sky as it is to Southern observers at present in the afternoon.

Give it a whirl. It is just above a first quarter type phase.

Kevin Barker

Kevin

I thought you might enjoy this story.
A couple of days ago I read your "Venus" observations on ASTROMART and I thought "I'd like to observe that - but my Zeiss AS 80/1200 lens (newly acquired) is not yet a 'scope - it's just a lens cell.

Anyway, today while walking down Jackson Street, Petone (I'm sure you know this famous local NZ landmark) I saw a 2 metre long cardboard tube lying in the gutter. Walking past it I thought "That would make a nice telescope tube if only it weren't lying dirty in the gutter". As I went past I realised that it wasn't "dirty" - it looked "newish". Walking back I realised that it wasn't dirty at all and had probably only lain there a few hours at most - clean as a whistle. Glancing nonchalantly sideways to make sure that no-one was looking, I surreptitiously picked it up and continued down the footpath with it tucked firmly under my arm. To cut a long story short, it is now at home and guess what - it is less than 0.25 mm larger in diameter than the cell of the AS 80/1200 lens cell! ! ! ! ! Just about the thickness of a layer of paint. PERFECT.

So hopefully I will soon have a WORKING Zeiss AS 80/1200 just in time for viewing Venus. The focuser arrives next week (hopefully).

So thanks for the Venus thread.

Anthony (at 41 south)