Two nights in May 2017

The planet Saturn in the constellation Ophiucus taken on the 26th May 2017 from the Jodrell Plank Observatory using the Meade 127mm. Apo refractor plus 3x Televue Barlow lens and the QHY5-11 colour planetary camera.

" The ringed planet Saturn will be at opposition, ie. at its nearest point to the earth in their respective orbits around the Sun, on the 15th. June 2017. Unfortunately and for the next few years, Saturn will be very low in the sky as viewed from Lowestoft. Indeed the above image was aquired when Saturn was only 15 degrees above the horizon.  As the Jodrell Plank Observatory does not benefit from a mountain top location, capturing a clear picture was logistically difficult. We tracked the planet as it appeared and disappeared from view between adjoining buildings and the branches of trees. Thankfully our Imaging Team Leader' -  Pipp Stakkert was able to assemble the threads of data to obtain a coherent and relatively sharp image.  Saturn is angled to show its northern hemisphere in 2017, and its rings are inclined at an angle of 26° to our line of sight, which is almost the maximum inclination they can have. The above image shows the outer A ring and inner B ring separated by the dark Cassini Division. A closer inspection reveals a hint of the C ring inside the B ring".
Kurt Thrust - the current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.

 

Comet C/2015 V2(Johnson) in the Constellation Bootes on the 27th May 2017. 127mm. Meade Apo Refractor - Altair Astro 0.8x Field Flattener and Focal Reducer - Canon 600d DSLR - guided exposures using the QHY5-11 camera. 5x4minute exposures at ISO 1600 stacked.

"The comet is moving at approximately 28 kilometres a second getting ever closer to the Earth  and the Sun. It is also decreasing in declination heading towards perehelion on the 12th of June 2017. The tail always points away from the Sun and does not indicate its direction of motion - as can be seen in the time lapse animated image below"  Archie Mendes - Astrophysicist Reydon University.

Comet C/2015 V2(Johnson) - showing real motion over approximately one hour.