July 20, 2006 Pleiades Occultation
For the past thirty years I had been shutout by clouds of all the Pleiades occultations I wanted to see prior to 2006. Now, after seeing one occultation through the clouds on April 1, 2006, I was able to have beautiful weather for the July 20th event on the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing! When I awoke, the occultation was in progress but I could not see this part of the event as the treeline blocked my view. I quickly opened up the roof on my new observatory shed and turned the scope onto the event just as the moon cleared the trees. It was not long before Alcyone disappeared behind the bright limb. For over an hour and a half, I took multiple pictures of the moon's passage through the cluster. Below are a few highlights.
A photograph just just before Alcyone's disappearance behind the moon's bright northern limb.Orion 120mm F5 refractor using a 1 second exposure with a Nikon D70 set at ISO 800
Merope reappears. 10" Meade SCT @ F6.3 using a 1 second exposure with a Nikon D70 set at ISO 800
Atlas is visible just before disappearing behind the moon's sunlit side. Orion 120mm F5 refractor using a 1 second exposure with a Nikon D70 set at ISO 800
Alcyone's reappearance from behind the moon. Orion 120mm F5 refractor using a 1 second exposure with a Nikon D70 set at ISO 800
This animated GIF demonstrates the moon's passage across the cluster