Observations of the Sun, the Moon, and Planets 2024

Observation Overview | Special Events | References

It was not until 2018 that I began to observe the moon a little more in detail and to document my "more important" observations. On this page, I collect, somewhat unsystematically, my observations of the moon, the sun, and the planets from 2024, which might be of interest to other beginners and are therefore described here.

Note: Older observations are listed on the "Astronomy" overview page. The same applies to deep sky observations (incidental DSO observations are mentioned here)..

Observation Overview

Date 2023	Objects Observed	Location	Devices Used	Eyepieces and Cameras Used	Remarks	Further Remarks
Jan 18	Jupiter, Moon	MH		Sony RX10 M4	Took photos of Jupiter and the Moon	Half Moon
Mar 22	Mercury	MH			Astrid found Mercury in the West low at the horizon	after 7 p.m.?
Mar 25	Mercury	MH	SM-127 on AZ Pronto	32 mm, 16 mm	Looked not quite round (was half)	after 7:30 p.m.?
Mar 28	Mercury	MH			Gerd found Mercury, lower this time...	after 7:30 p.m.
Apr 10	12P/Pons-Brooks, Jupiter, Crescent of the Moon (M 42/3, M 44, M 45)	MH	SM-127 on AZ Pronto, TS, LT binoculars	32 mm	Gerd found the comet in his SM-127; not visible in our binos; Astrid found comet thereafter also in our binos. Jupiter with two stripes and 4 moons; visually observed M 42/43 (also in the SM-127 -> Trapezium), M 45, and M 44 with the binoculars	after 8:30/9:15 p.m.; two days after New Moon
Apr 11	Jupiter, Crescent of the Moon	MH	C5 on AZ Pronto, TS, LT binoculars	24mm, 16 mm, f/6.3 reducer/corrector	Comet not found; observed Jupiter (4 moons, 2 side-by-side) and Crescent of the Moon in the C5	after 8:30 p.m.; three days after New Moon

All observations done in Mühlhausen/Kraichgau (MH), except for where noted otherwise; SM/F = Sumène/France, Erk = Erkerode/Germany.

Special Events

January 18, 2024: Jupiter close to the Half Moon

Photo of the Half Moon with Jupiter; according to SkySafari they are a little more than 2° distant from each other (full size)

References

Books (in German)

Lambert Spix (2013, 3. Auflage). moonscout - Mondmeere, Krater und Gebirge einfach finden und beobachten. Oculum-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938469-58-3
Lambert Spix & Frank Gasparini (2011, 1. Auflage). Der Moonhopper. Oculum-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938469-54-5
Ronald Stoyan, Hans-Georg Purucker (2013, 1. Auflage). Reiseatlas Mond. Oculum-Verlag. ISBN 978-3-938469-64-4
Robin Scagell (2016). 101 Himmelsobjekte, die man gesehen haben muss. Kosmos Verlag (out of print).