James here again! Excessive cloudy skies lately got me looking over some of my old astrophotography attempts from last year when the skies were better. I found these from a year ago and I remember how amazed I was watching this event through my 10” Dobsonian telescope.

The subject was the Moon moving over to cover up the star Antares. This type of event is called an occultation and although the process is slow, you can actually see the Moon moving against the backdrop of stars. Patience and a watchful eye are the keys!

The Moon was supposed to actually cover up Antares, but I was so far south the Moon only made a close fly-by. Still you can see the actual movement of the Moon through the sky. (I’m sorry the photos are so grainy. Getting the light balance right with a cell phone camera is not ideal. I did take a video of part of it, but it takes too long to record the whole thing.)

These photos were taken by holding up my cell phone to the eyepiece. (Again. I know, right?) I have a proper bracket and I keep saying I will use it. I have used it before and will do so again, but as I am primarily a visual observer I hate to have the camera in the way of the eyepiece! My 90 ETX has 2 ports and I can set one up for photos and observe through the other so it’s easier to do. (Except my RA clock drive motor went out recently and I need to replace it. I have the parts, though!) But these pix give you an idea of what I was seeing. The whole process took about an hour to watch. (It started at 10:30pm on 8/24/23.) I believe we also watched a rocket go up on the same night. Amazing what one can see from one’s own backyard!

Well, that’s it for now. Aren’t you glad I don’t just talk about my books all the time? But I’ll be sharing some of that too, very soon. Until then, happy reading and clear, dark skies!

Novels by James Crawford –

Mariner Valley – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0141N9UXO

Seed of Aldebaran – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08SHXTRMP

AlCent Sagas Book One: Formation – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CQ5C3TQT

AlCent Sagas Book Two: Revelation – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2FRH6Q8

AlCent Sagas Book Three: Investigation – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D5SBFYMW

AlCent Sagas Book Four: Desperation – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D8767LHL

AlCent Sagas Book Five: Confrontation – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9PPTX6G

A Noble Paradise – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00QG6LZ10

Cover artist Wojtek Kapusta – https://www.artstation.com/kapucha76

Audible narrator Lyle Blaker – https://www.acx.com/narrator?p=AXZPXFQRN07M3