Viewing one of our newest planets

[Starkler]

After all the recent hoo-haa of what makes a planet a planet, I thought I might take a look this evening at Ceres having never bothered to look before.

Cdc says it is visible tonight at mag 7.7 in Piscis Australis, and reaching zenith just after midnight it is very close to opposition and best placed for us to view.

Has anyone viewed Ceres and should I be able to resolve a disc in a 10" scope?

Asteroid
1 Ceres 2006- 8-19 20h55m
Magnitude: 7.7
Phase: 5 °
Distance: 1.9948 au
Solar Distance: 2.9807 au
Solar Elongation: 164°

J2000 RA: 21h41m45.72s DE:-28°31'58.2"
Date RA: 21h42m08.84s DE:-28°30'08.7"

[janoskiss]

Good idea, Geoff. For charts/gotos approx coordinates for tonight are:
RA: 21h 42m 48s
Dec: -28deg 28m 16s

[Starkler]

Apparently it will show a disc at around 1.2 arcseconds in diameter, similar in size to Ganymede right now. If the seeing is good that is.

[janoskiss]

Did you see it, Geoff?

I looked for it last night. I think I found it with the 27mm Pano because it was in about the right spot and there are no stars brighter than mag 8.5 there. But then clouds defeated me. :mad2: I even got to use for the first time the RA-Dec grid overlay that came with my SkyAtlas 2000.0!! I was feeling so non-amateur using that thing. :P

I did definitely find Uranus though. First time I found it myself and seen it in a non-goto scope. Seeing was not very good but I got my best look so far at the pale blue planet.

[Starkler]

Nope, clouded out here :(

[astroron]

:hi: Checked out Ceres in the 16" tonight , A disc was planely seen with a 9mm eyepiece .
The seeing was not very good ,due to smoke from burnoffs but the disc was still easy to see .
Observed a few other objects before the smoke and the clouds got worse. Called a night at 22:00:astron: :thumbsup:

[Starkler]

Got to see it tonight viewing through thin cloud and with poor seeing I wasnt able to confirm seeing a disc.

[Dennis]

Hi Geoff

I managed to grab an image tonight - the blighter was so bright, it almost burned out my CCD. ;)

Cheers

Dennis