More time with the ZWO AM3 mount

Some clear and moonless evenings have allowed me to experiment further with the ZWO AM3 harmonic drive (strain wave) mount.  I am also still evaluating the 0.8x reducer/corrector with the AT72EDII f/6 refractor.  With this reducer in place the effective focal length is 346mm at f/4.8.

M1 (Crab Nebula).  E-M5iii, ISO 1600, 30 s.

M42 (Orion Nebula). E-M5iii, ISO 1600, 30 s.

(04) Vesta.  E-M5iii, ISO 1600, 30 s. 2° FOV.

 At magnitude 8.0, the asteroid (04) Vesta should be visible with binoculars, but the Santa Fe sky brightness (sqml=19.53 last night) is an impediment.  It is currently about 2.5° from the Crab Nebula in the constellation Taurus and situated high in the early evening sky.

Vesta was discovered in 1807 by German astronomer Heinrich Olbers.  It was the fourth asteroid discovered, after Ceres (1801), Pallas (1802), and Juno (1804).  Olbers was also the discoverer of Pallas and is known for Olber's Paradox, which asks "Why is the night sky dark?".

Vesta is the second largest asteroid after Ceres, which is now classified as a dwarf planet.  The movement of Vesta against the background stars is easy to record:  Here is an animation of three exposures obtained over three nights (28-29 Feb, 01 Mar):

Movement of Vesta, 28 Feb - 01 Mar  1° FOV.

In this image Vesta is moving West to East (right to left).  The third image in this sequence was obtained with a Rokinon 135mm f/2 lens and E-M5 camera.
 

 It was 38 years more until the discovery of the fifth asteroid, (05) Astraea, in 1845.  Astraea is currently at magnitude 10.2 in the northern part of Orion, about 8.5° from Vesta.

(05) Astraea, 29 Feb 2024.  E-M5iii, ISO 1600, 30s.  2° FOV.

Here is a two-night (29 Feb - 01 Mar) animation of Astraea's motion:

AT72EDII and Rokinon 135mm.  1° FOV.