Reports - 2014
Astronomy Benalla Viewing Report - Saturday 8th February 2014
Hot viewing for Astronomers
Despite the very hot conditions throughout the day, an excellent turn up of members and visitors attended ‘Astronomy
Benalla’s’ February special Moon viewing night at Baddaginnie Reserve. Several visiting families with young children
were amazed to see the huge craters and mountains on the Moon through the eyepieces of the five telescopes used for
the display. Patrick’s Maksutov zoomed in on the Moon’s northern hemisphere to pick up the large craters of Pluto &
Archimedes just near to the Mare (Sea) Imbrium.
David’s large Dobsonian highlighted the sharp, high mountain range Apenninus, which is not far from where Apollo 15
landed. Equipment coordinator John spent most of the night showing Tracy how to master her brand new 80mm
Maksutov goto telescope. She was initially thrilled in seeing the solar system’s biggest planet Jupiter’s bands and four
Galilean moons and later graduated to picking up several fainter nebulae. She obviously had caught the astro bug, as
she was one of the last to leave.
The next major astro happening is not at night but during the day, on Sat 22nd February, when the Moon will look like it is
swallowing the ringed planet Saturn as it moves in front of it. This will happen just on 9-58 am and the planet will
reappear about an hour later. ‘Weather permitting, ‘Astronomy Benalla’ will have several telescopes at the Benalla
Market for the public to view this special occultation.
Rupe Cheetham
Pictures from the Hubble Site
