Just got back from Hensley Lake in Madera County (elevation 650 feet). Among other things, saw Mercury (right on the horizon, so it was a rainbow of colors), Venus (1/2 phase), Earth (of course), Mars (small orange disk not far from Venus…sure doesn't look like it's going to swoop in anytime soon and look as big as the Moon…how do those rumors get started anyway 
), Jupiter (4 moons and beautiful banding with the 13 mm Ethos in my CPC-800), Saturn (also near Venus, beautiful rings and several moons and then it dropped into the low altitude murk), Uranus (small green-blue-gray disk), Neptune (an even smaller blue-gray disk), and Pluto (certain in a friends 10" SCT, needed averted vision in my 8"). So, we threw a perfect game tonight, notwithstanding Pluto's status.
Skies were steady, transparency above average. I've seen better at Hensley, but I've also seen much worse.
), Jupiter (4 moons and beautiful banding with the 13 mm Ethos in my CPC-800), Saturn (also near Venus, beautiful rings and several moons and then it dropped into the low altitude murk), Uranus (small green-blue-gray disk), Neptune (an even smaller blue-gray disk), and Pluto (certain in a friends 10" SCT, needed averted vision in my 8"). So, we threw a perfect game tonight, notwithstanding Pluto's status.Skies were steady, transparency above average. I've seen better at Hensley, but I've also seen much worse.
