Fantastic night for planetary viewing

saturnFantastic night for planetary viewing.

Venus is a seriously bright object.
Too bad its low on the horizon by the time it gets dark. The atmosphere is so thick the closer you get to the horizon. Blurs the image with all its instability.

Jupiter was splendid as usual.

Saturn was a catch tonight.
Clear Clear Cassini division.

The picture a right does *not* do the raw image justice. Best I could do with a Sony DCR-PC101, Adapter and a 20mm Celestron eyepiece.

saturnThe stand that originally came with my telescope cracked in some -40 degrees Celsius weather.
I fitted it with a surveyors tripod, however, there is a lot of shake.

Well hope you like the shot.

Here is a shot of my Antares 32mm Erfle.
Frosty eh?
Nice eyepiece for the price, but it uses subgrade glass. So you get what you pay for.
Quality is *not* as critical in wide field applications.
Regardless, if you have the money, get a better one. The eye relief on this one is tight.