Conditions to observe Jupiter and Saturn are good these days. On Saturday, June 22, PakAstronomers arranged a public observation session to take advantage of that, but apparently that was not enough for the enthusiasts among us. So on Tuesday, June 25, Khawar Ali Sher announced out of the blue that he plans to do some observation at F-9 park and that anyone is welcome to join. Following his lead, Hammad Hamid announced that he will also be setting up his Celestron Nexstar 4SE at Chaklala Scheme 3 for those from Rawalpindi who may find F-9 to be too far away. Dr Farrukh Shahzad, who has a habit of taking his telescope to the roof regularly, also joined in and declared that he will be joining us in spirit from his rooftop while keeping an eye on Pakistan's cricket match for us. Soon they were joined by many other enthusiasts, including those who had missed out on Saturday's session due to the short response time.
The weather was slightly cloudy but during the breaks when the planets would peek through, they were a sight to behold. Visibility conditions otherwise were good even with the street lights around. Everyone had a good time connecting with the cosmos, looking at the planets, stars and celestial bodies that they wouldn't have noticed with the unaided eye.
Dr Farrukh Shahzad also recorded some nice photographs of Saturn despite the turbulence, using his Meade ETX 125 telescope and Opticstar PL 131C planetary camera.