Jupiter's Great Red Spot

Skies were pretty good last night. The clear sky clock was listing it at 6-6-5 (clear, transparent, steady) on a 1-6 scale. While I wasn't able to push quite as hard as I'd have hoped for... I was hoping to get some decent views at 400x... I settled in at 250x. This allowed me to see quite a bit of detail on the planets surface. Tops on the list was Jupiter's Great Red Spot. It came and went with the seeing, but... when it was in view... it allowed for some of the best views of the GRS in recent memory. I'm hoping to catch the GRS on a night with a transit of some sort... with images in the 400x range. This would be pretty sweet. Hopefully, I'll be posting on just such a success shortly.

eta Aquarids Peak This Weekend

The annual eta Aquarid Meteor Shower peaks between midnight and first light on Saturday morning. The radiant of the event is in the constellation Aquarius which will be above the eastern horizon shortly before sunrise. The eta Aquarid Meteors Shower are triggered by Earth cruising through the remnants of the famous Halley’s Comet. While not very numerous, the shower is expected to produce a few memorable "earthgrazers", meteors which streak brightly over an extended distance. These are most typically seen hugging the horizon (hence the name earthgrazers). Get out there and check it out!