Winds of Change!

There’s an exciting astronomical conjunction tonight! Jupiter and Saturn (that you may have noticed have been approaching each other in the sky steadily over the course of the year) will be at their closest approach! It has already been a lovely sight in the evening sky over the last many days. Since I’d been doing a bit of observation and photography of each planet in July (click on the two below for some blurry (but exciting to me) offerings…see more photos I shared on social media – I don’t think I posted them directly here), I’ve been wondering what sort of views I might be able to photograph at this closest approach.

Well, there was a bit of a disaster a month ago that I neglected to tell you about. A day or few after the US election, there was a major freak windstorm, just for a short while. I remember joking that it was the winds of change coming through. But then I heard an almighty crash from above that shook the house. I went to the roof and the entire telescope and tripod had (despite being weighted down) blown over and had crashed to the ground! There was considerable damage. See photo montage above – click for larger view.

So I currently have no means to look at the conjunction close up! I’ve been testing the optics (miraculously the mirrors seem intact, but the main tube is quite dented, with the finder scope almost broken off) and it seems ok, but the legs have been torn/broken off the tripod, so I cannot support and point the instrument.

There may be hope though! Out of desperation I ordered a tripod two days ago that looks like it has legs that I can cannibalise to use on to the old assembly, and they are set to arrive soon, so we will see if I am lucky. Maybe I will be able to photograph the conjunction after all – if it is not too low in the sky to be seen from my vantage point.

-cvj