Moon and Antares

by Todd Klaus

I watched it through my C-11 at 280x for the 20 minutes leading up to the occultation. I wanted to use a higher power, but the seeing was not that great and the Moon was already swimming in the eyepiece. 280x was plenty enough to 'feel' the motion of the Moon though. As the distance closed, the Moon seemed to accelerate towards the heart of the scorpion. It was like watching the Death Star move into position for the kill. The actual moment of occultation was a bit startling, the Moon seemed to suddenly leap out and swallow Antares, like a fish jumping out of the water to gobble up a low-flying insect.

Posted on sf-bay-tac May 24, 2005 10:25:26 PT
Converted by report.pm 1.2 Sep 20, 2005 13:49:42 PT