Wesley's Tool-Box

Venus will be closest to the Earth on January 11. Since it's on an inner orbit, it'll be aligned very close to the Sun. So it'll set almost simultaneously with it, making it hard to see this week or the next.

This photo I took over the weekend is the one last good look at the planet before it shows up in the morning instead of evening. It's gotten quite big and was still relatively bright against the dusk.

Device: Canon SX50 HS
Settings: 1200mm (2x enlarged) - ISO 160 - 1/10s - f/4.5
Time: 2014-01-04 18:02 KST
Location: Suwon, Korea
55 photos stacked with RegiStax 6.1.0.8

In contrast to the flare spotted in the less light-polluted spot, Iridium 52's flare in the low altitude among one of the heaviest light pollution in the country is far less dramatic. Even the -5.2 magnitude brightness is nearly washed away in the background. See the YouTube video below for the faint flare in action.


Device: iPhone 5S
Settings: 30mm - ISO 1250 - 1/15s - f/2.2
Time: 2013-12-24 18:29 KST
Location: Seoul, Korea

While visiting Ulsan, there was a bright flare at -6.4 magnitude of the Iridium 40 satellite in the southern sky last evening. It was so bright that my iPhone 5S had no problem recording it in its burst mode (10fps at 8 megapixels). It was quite a sight to see. Here are two ways of seeing it in action:

1. Youtube Video


2. Animated GIF (click the thumbnail)


Device: iPhone 5S
Settings: 30mm - ISO 2500 - 1/15s - f/2.2
Time: 2013-12-27 18:38 KST
Location: Ulsan, Korea

As Venus comes closer, the crescent shape keeps growing bigger, and effectively negates the thinning. I guess that's why the planet still shines bright in the evening sky.

Settings: Canon SX50 HS - 1200mm (2x enlarged) - ISO 80 - 1/250s - f/6.5
Filters: None
Time: 2013-12-21 18:04 KST
Location: Suwon, Korea
32 photos stacked with RegiStax 6.1.0.8

While browsing on a shopping site, a telescope that costs only about US$45 including shipping caught my eyes. It was named simply as a "high-quality educational telescope", with the model number 90060, indicating 900mm focal length and 60mm diameter. It comes with a 5x finder scope, 20mm / 12.5mm / 4mm eyepieces, a moon filter, and two barlow lenses (1.5x erecting and 3x). Getting curious, I had to order one.

I did not expect much from such a cheap telescope, but having a ridiculously long focal length had some interesting results. One, the overall construction is taller than me. It's a pretty big thing. Another thing is that, even with a modest 20mm eyepiece, the Moon fills the entire view, since you get 45x magnification.

The Jupiter and its Galilean moons were brightly visible with the telescope. I could make out the bands on the planet, but it was actually too bright to clearly distinguish them. 4mm eyepiece was hard to use because the telescope was light and rather shaky. 12.5mm one seem to yield a good balance with the default setup. I should try to add some weight at the base.