So a couple of questions about membership renewal.
1) Currently the website shows 2019 renewal option, with a discounted price of $16. Is this the correct option for renewing for 2021?
2) Should I also renew the Junior Astronomer package for my son? Is there something new in that package vs the 2019-20 kit he already has?
Thanks! Hopefully with a Covid vaccine soon to be available, we will be able to more actively participate in 2021!
Hi David, We are still working out the details for 2021 membership. Please stay tuned for more info. There will be events scheduled for the springtime to get us going again very soon. I too am looking forward to a post-covid world where we can gather without worries.
I too got some pics of the conjunction last nite. Here is one that highlights all the planets and moons together with no processing. Shows how really close the alignment is !!
2020 Great Lakes Star GazeSeptember 19, 2020
Description from Wikipedia:
IC 5146 (also Caldwell 19, Sh 2-125, and the Cocoon Nebula) is a reflection[2]/emission[3] nebula and Caldwell object in the constellation Cygnus. The NGC description refers to IC 5146 as a cluster of 9.5 mag stars involved in a bright and dark nebula. The cluster is also known as Collinder 470.[4] It shines at magnitude +10.0[5]/+9.3[3]/+7.2.[6] Its celestial coordinates are RA 21h 53.5m, dec +47° 16′. It is located near the naked-eye star Pi Cygni, the open cluster NGC 7209 in Lacerta, and the bright open cluster M39.[2][5] The cluster is about 4,000 ly away, and the central star that lights it formed about 100,000 years ago;[7] the nebula is about 12 arcmins across, which is equivalent to a span of 15 light years.[6]
When viewing IC 5146, dark nebula Barnard 168 (B168) is an inseparable part of the experience, forming a dark lane that surrounds the cluster and projects westward forming the appearance of a trail behind the Cocoon.
Data:
SGPro, PHD2, FocusLock
10" f/8 RC Telescope
Losmandy G11 mount
ZWO asi071mc PRO camera @ 0C, gain 300
48 x 10 minute subs
24 darks
50 flats
Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker (DSS)
Processed in PixInsight
