Crescents over Lowestoft

The New Moon in early evening 25-04-2020 - Composite image created from 4 video clips - 127mm Apo Refractor f=900mm and QHYL-11 video camera Credit: Kurt Thrust and Pip Stakkert (working 2 metres apart)

Venus in early evening 25-04-2020 - Composite image created from 3 video clips - 127mm Apo Refractor f=900mm and QHYL-11 video camera. Two of the three video clips were shot using a 'dark blue' Wratten photo-visual filter.  Credit: Kurt Thrust and Pip Stakkert ( still working 2 metres apart)

" A wonderful clear night here on the east coast of the United Kingdom. The Observatory has been running on a skeleton staff since the 'Covid 19 lockdown'. Only Pip and I remain at the Observatory Complex. Weather permitting, we remain vigilant and two metres apart whilst doing our best to provide the general public with interesting images of the night sky over Lowestoft. It will not be long before the planet Venus, which has graced our early evening skies in the west, becomes a morning star in the east. Venus is an 'inferior planet', that is its orbit is inside the orbit of the Earth and closer to the sun. As Venus orbits it appears to one side or the other of the Sun corresponding to either a morning or evening apparition. As the planet in it's orbit and from our perspective appears closer to the Sun and actually closer to the Earth it appears to us 'brighter' ,'bigger' and as a thinner crescent.

Venus is a cloud covered planet and of late some cloud details have been imaged by amateur astronomers using 'Ultra Violet filters' and very long imaging runs. We do not possess such a filter at the Jodrell Plank Observatory, so we used a blue filter as the nearest equivalent. We were unsure as to whether we had captured hints of cloud detail or whether this was 'noise' and wishful thinking!

We did not set out to image the Moon but when Pip and I saw it below Venus in the evening light, we were captivated by its beauty. We therefore swung the 127mm refracting telescope towards it and captured some photons.

We have been on 'Lockdown' at the Jodrell Plank Observatory for 8 weeks now and I must say that Pip Stakkert is beginning to look strangely attractive in the moonlight" ! - Kurt Thrust acting CEO and current Director of the Jodrell Plank Observatory.