General Session - October 11, 2025

Location: Home
Date: 2025-10-11
Time: 7:45 PM - 9:30 PM ADT
Equipment: Canon 10x42 IS Binoculars + 10" Meade SCT
Eyepiece:  SvBony 30-10mm Zoom (used 20mm)
Magnification: x125
Transparency: not recorded
Seeing: not recorded

Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon)
Time:
8:05 PM ADT

The main purpose of this session was to observe the Comet. According to the log sheets I have, I used both my Canon 10x42 IS binoculars and my 10" Meade SCT with the SvBony eyepiece. In terms of the rough sketches I made, I failed to identify the stars adjacent to the Comet. All I know is that was located somewhere between Phecda and Megrez in the Big Dipper. According to a website (not cited in my notes) the comet's magnitude at this time was 5.6.

 

Mizar-Alcor Time 9:10 PM ADT Temperature: 8º C SQM: 18.63 Mizar A and Mizar B comprise Zeta1 and Zeta2 Ursae Majoris respectively and could easily be seen. They were quite bright in the eyepiece, one appearing larger than the other. Alcor also is a double but I couldn't see two at this magnification. Alcor also appeared a little smaller than Mizar A. Note: In Mi'kmaq myth of the great bear and the seven hunters, Mizar is chickadee and Alcor is his cooking pot.

Albireo Time: 9:15 PM ADT I always love looking at this double star. I initially used the 25mm eyepiece to get the starfield (x100 magnification) then used the 10mm (x250 magnification) to get a closer look. The slightly larger β Cygni A is amber in colour (apparent magnitude 3.1) whereas β Cygni B is blue-green (apparent magnitude 5.1). Both were brilliant!