Stella-salti

winter is almost done

2006-03-09T09:42:00.000-08:00

I can hardly believe that winter is almost done. Sadly, I got in very little observing time. Between fatigue and the cold nights - I wimped out. I hope to get one good night of winter skies in, but seeing the Leo Trio on APOD got me stoked for Spring observing.

A parallogram mount and trip is on it's way for my 15 x 70s.

I am a sexy geek.

hopeful anticipation

2006-01-04T12:53:00.000-08:00

Came across this neat bit of software on the BRT forums. It's called Aladin. From the Aladin web site:

"Aladin is an interactive software sky atlas allowing the user to visualize digitized images of any part of the sky, to superimpose entries from astronomical catalogs or personal user data files, and to interactively access related data and information from the SIMBAD, NED, VizieR, or other archives for all known objects in the field (see available data). Aladin is particularly useful for multi-spectral cross-identifications of astronomical sources, observation preparation and quality control of new data sets.

The Aladin sky atlas is available in three modes: a simple previewer, a Java applet interface and a Java Standalone application."

I had a little fun with it at lunch time today using the Palomar plates:

Astronomy enthusiasts everywhere have entered a bleak stretch of time. The clouds have rolled in courtesy of all the new gadgets and toys that Santa left underneath the tree this past holiday season. So, we're left with a lot of waiting and subsequent cursing at the local weather forecasters. At least once, the notion of driving across three states to try out new gear has crossed our minds. For a fleeting second, it didn't seem like a bad idea either.

It's during this time distractions are discovered on the 'net (BRT, Slooh, etc), we pick up our books, and our charts, we gaze wistfully at our new gear, and the itch gets more and more unbearable until finally, the cloud breaks

...and the moon is full ;-)

Happy new year!

First Few Bradford Telescope Images

2006-01-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

Thought I'd share my first hand at imaging with the Bradford University remote telescope image. Click on the image to enlarge.

M44

M63

M81 and 82

great odin's raven!

2005-10-31T15:27:00.000-08:00

Apparently, good o'l Pluto and Charon aren't wandering our solo system alone. A team of research seems to feel they have located two additional moons. Read the full story here.

hrmph

2005-10-31T00:45:00.000-08:00

(this image will change, it is dynamically updated...oh la la la, but right now, it looks ideal for observing)

The clear sky clock is looking great for tonight. There is absolutely no denying it. I’d love nothing more to get out into the backyard for a little observing. It’s hard to say if that will happen or not, at this point. It’s Halloween, as we all know. Ghastly creatures will be wandering around the neighborhood, at least, for the early part of the evening. The little ghoulies might start throwing things (namely, tootsie rolls) at the “weird guy” with the telescope in his backyard. Then there is the issue of the novel. My muse is screaming for continued love and attention. I’m in such a good writing groove; I’d hate to take an evening off at this point and lose the momentum. Maybe, after I feel I’ve logged enough time at the computer, I’ll have the steam to look at Mars. I’d hate to miss this close pass, as it’ll be 2018 before it comes around anywhere near as close again. The seeing is forecasted to be good.

I’ll keep my fingers crossed. In the end, though, it’s up to me. I’ll leave ya with today’s APOD, because it is very cool.

Bradford Robotic Telescope

2005-10-07T10:30:00.000-07:00

Over a bottle (or two) of wine last night, I reached all new levels of geekiness. I recently had to cancel my Slooh account to put myself in a position to buy an engagement ring for quite possibly the hottest female in the world. I really did enjoy the whole online telescope. Slooh really provided some great, great images. I do plan on throwing together a gallery at some point, but I haven't gotten there just yet.

I stumbled across the Bradford Robotic telescope, various optical devices (Celestron C14 and a couple of cameras), remotely operated at the Observatorio del Teide 8,000 feet up on the Island of Tenerife. Teide is also where the Slooh observatory is located and it really has some stunningly dark skies. The project is definitely more hands on and research oriented than Slooh seemed to be. Basically, you submit jobs to a job que and wait and see what ya get. I submitted several jobs last night while Jen and were hanging out in front of the TV drinking some wine and relaxing.

I'm looking forward to the jobs completed. The output is in the FITS format, which is raw. I'm excited about the opportunity to learn how to process FITS images in Photoshop.

Astronomy Picture of the day

2005-10-06T00:07:00.000-07:00

The shot for the 30th is definitely a neat one. According to the caption: " Clouds of glowing hydrogen gas mingle ominously with dark dust lanes in this close-up of IC 1396, an active star forming region some 2,000 light years away in the constellation Cepheus. In this and other similar emission nebulae, energetic ultraviolet light from a hot young star strips electrons from the surrounding hydrogen atoms. As the electrons and atoms recombine they emit longer wavelength, lower energy light in a well known characteristic pattern of bright spectral lines. At visible wavelengths, the strongest emission line in this pattern is in the red part of the spectrum and is known as "Hydrogen-alpha" or just H-alpha. Part of IPHAS, a survey of H-alpha emission in our Milky Way Galaxy, this image spans about 20 light-years and highlights bright, dense regions within IC 1396, likely sites where massive new stars are born."

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap050930.html

I haven't been out observing since, I hate to say it, but I think its been since June! I did get a couple of new books the other day that I'm looking forward to diving into. I hope to have a slightly more active observing life in the Autumn and Winter. I've got to remember to get to a sporting goods store to get a bunch of the chemical hand warmers. You want those puppies in you boots and in your pockets on a cold winter night, believe me. I didn't have them last year, and it limited the amount of observing I could do in the winter.

ooh la la

2005-09-07T02:20:00.000-07:00

This is taken directly from APOD (August 11, 2005).

Young suns still lie within dusty NGC 7129, some 3,000 light-years away toward the royal
constellationCepheus. While these stars are at a relatively tender age, only about a million years old, it is likely hat our own Sun formed in a similar stellar nursery some five billion years ago.

Most noticeable in the striking image are the lovely bluish dust clouds that reflect the youthful starlight, but the smaller, deep red crescent shapes are also markers of energetic,
young stellar objects. Known as Herbig-Haro objects, their shape and color is
characteristic of glowing hydrogen gas shocked by jets streaming away from newborn stars.

Ultimately the natal gas and dust in the region will be dispersed, the stars drifting apart as the loose cluster orbits the center of the Galaxy. NGC 7129 is about 10 light-years across.

----------------------------

Its been a while since I've had the chance get any observing in. Since June, as a matter of fact. Although, the urge to do so is getting hard to ignore. I happened to see Mercury on my run this morning, just before sunrise. I just might get out for a little bit at the house. I doubt that I'll be able to trek out to CHR, but ya never know.

Stranger things have certainly happened.

Now this is just cool

2005-08-10T11:43:00.000-07:00

ISS transitting the sun. Astromarts pic of the day. Those silly bastards!

Observing Sessions – 6.5.05, 6.7.05, 8.3.05

2005-08-04T12:00:00.000-07:00

I realize I’m extremely behind on sharing my observing sessions. Not that this site sees a great deal of traffic, but I still do enjoy to share my experience under the stars. There is a certain sweeping sense of displacement when hopping amongst the stars searching for illusive faint fuzzies. I’m doggedly trying to complete the Messier list by the end of the year, and as it stands, I’m in good stead to do so. Fifty-one objects to go. I started this list in earnest last winter. So, to complete it in a year will be a pretty great personal accomplishment.

As I seek out new objects with each night of observing, I still must make time to visit some old friends. There is comfort is seeing those familiar asterisms – signposts that lead the way to a globular cluster bloating with ancients suns and to galaxies, who’s light started a journey before we were even here on this planet.

Observing Session - 6.5.05
It was a relatively humid night, but still promising. At least, it was providing a better view than the depths of suburbia. I find it hard to complain, when I get out to a dark site, even on nights of poor transparency or seeing.

M104 - My first night of the stop, better known as the Sombrero Galaxy was an easy find, thanks some bright asterism. The galaxy was low in the sky. With averted vision, the central bulge and bisecting dust lane stood out remarkably well.

M65 and 66 - There is something about galaxies that share a field of view. It’s a beautiful sight that deserves some extended time at the eyepiece. At this point, my eyes had become pretty well adapted to the dark and I spied an oblong patch of faint light….

NGC 3628 – And to my surprise, I located NGC 3628. Very faint, but still impressive in its own right.

M105, NGC 3384, NGC 3389 – A lengthy many fields of view led me to this pleasant trio. It began to look like it’d be a galactic night. I was feeling confident. Transparency seemed pretty darn good. I decided that it was high time to take on the Virgo Cluster.

M49, M58, M59, M60, M61, M84, M85, M86, M87, M88, M89, M90, M91, M98, M99, and M100 – The cluster was not tackled in this order. Rest assured but with the exception of a few hit on previous session, I pretty much hopped around the whole cluster until I was satisfied that I had’m all. This was a daunting task. There were definitely moments of complete disorientation as there are just so many galaxies visible with in the same or nearly the same FOVs. However, I did make it through unscathed and added a heaping pile of Messiers to my bag.

M4 - I decided to end the night with a few globular clusters. M4 was faint but large. A welcome sight after the some of the faint galaxies in the Virgo cluster. It just barely resolved individual stars at high power.

M80 – M80, a fuzzy dot amongst a field of stars in at low-low power. It shoed a defined core at high power, but I was not able to resolve individual stars.

M12 – It was past midnight, fog was rolling in and I was out of steam. I bagged this last globular in Oph. It resolved well at both medium and high power, showing individual stars. It was a good object to end the busy night on.

Observing Session - 6.7.05
I was on my own that night. Just me and the cows that were engaged in heavy…conversation a few fields over. As it began to get dark, it was apparent it was going to be a good night. It was cool, but there was a light breeze. I was not worried about dew. Jupiter was poking out along with a few of the brighter stars. It smelled of early summer, the sounds of nature were picking up. Disappointed for my fellow astronomers missing out a nice night, I wondered where I should start.

Jupiter - Seeing was great. Jupiter looked amazing. I had my concerns about my ‘scopes level of collimation prior to starting my session, however, was pleased to see a nice clear image. The great red spot was making its transit, much to my pleasant surprise.

M13 - I started off with a comfortable, easy-to-find target. M13 was, of course, a pretty glorious site at high power. Many stars resolving individually.

M57 – Another easy and familiar target. The Ring Nebula was actually my first DSO ever. One of my favorite, ethereal smoke rings, that’s for sure.

M56 – A faint globular. Fainter than I expected. It did certainly heighten my appreciation of M3 and M13. I had a hard time resolving individual stars at high power. I think the cows are having sex.

M51 – Another favorite. I did have a bit of trouble tracking this object down as UMa was pretty high in the sky. However, tenacity was not without its rewards as I could distinctly make out a spiral in M51.

August 3, 2005 – Back to the present
My first night out in months. I was tired and still recovering from a cold, but I couldn’t resist. I had been withdrawing for quite some time. Besides, I had yet to see the Summer Milkway. I left later than expected, after forgetting my wallet, which I realized at Starbucks attempting to purchase a pickme up. I walked in the door and promptly turned around and walked out. It was already getting dark when I arrived at CHR. There were 5 cars there! It was great to see people out. I was in the mood for a leisurely stroll amongst the stars and I did just that.

M8 - An accidental find, to start off with. I was just sweeping some star fields in the vicinity of Sag. I did go back to a guidepost star and hoped on over just to verify it was M8. With the accompanying star cluster, it is pretty hard to misidentify. But, when I go to Messier Court I want proof that I did find this object and could find it again. It was a very nice site, especially with NGC 6530. At high power, I could make out dark rifts in the lighter nebulosity. Very cool.

M28 – Now reacquainted with the stars, I was back on my groove. M28 was a quick find. This globular was extremely faint and barely resolved at high power.

M69 - Again, another very faint globular. It didn’t resolve at all under high power.

NGC 6652 - A tiny globular, but very bright! Seemed to resolved better at high power than M28 and M69.

M70 - Faint, but stood out better than M28 and M69.

M54 - Bright and compact. Definitely the winner of this group. I made a quick sweep to M4 after this string of globular before changing direction entirely.

M27 - The Dumbell Nebula was definitely a “wow” type object. It was also an “ow” type object as it was located nearly at the zenith. I did manage to find it before I caused any permanent damage. It was extremely bright and showed a distinct shape. I spent a good deal of time enjoying this one.

Soon the fog was rolling in, and I was surprised to learn that it was nearly midnight. It was time to pack up and head home. Although, I only hopped to seven objects, it was still a very satisfying night. Sometimes, you just need to take your time. Finding an object is a very great thing, especially finding it for the first time. However, the hop itself, across vast distances is often the best part of tracking down an object.

M57 and M27 images taken from the Astromony Picture of the day web site. All other images obtained from SEDs.

Almost Made It

2005-07-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

I almost made it out to observing last night, but I ended up staying in with the Jen. I did happen to Slooh for a couple of satisfying hours on 7.25.05. Slooh, as is my experience, is best experienced with Slooh radio and the AIM chat in full effect. Once I have access to my web site FTP, I plan on uploading some Slooh galleries. I'll be watching the CSC today, but its doubtful that I'll be making it out with such a threat of thunder storms.

Check this out:

That is a line of storms if ever I saw one.

I think tonight, if I don't get out, my scope needs some love. Its been a while since I've collimated her. (ooh!).

6.4.05-6.5.05

2005-06-04T23:45:00.000-07:00

Tonight was an adventure. I just got back a few minutes ago from the observing session. The night began at Camp High Road and featured a mass gathering of boy scouts. Several fellow astronomers had also showed up (Donna, Stan?, Lee, and Dave). Skys were not looking promising at all. So, the five of us decided that, mostly due to lousy skies at High Road, to head over to Crockett. The trip took about an hour and I had a)no idea where I was going b)no gas in the tank. But we made it (minus Dave...we lost him somewhere along the way).

Skys were good while we were setting up, but quicly clouded over. They cleared again in about 30 minutes. We had 30 minutes of good viewing. I caught Jupiter, M108, M57, and M4 just as clouds began to roll in. The rest of the night remained cloudy, however the remaining four of us had a nice time hanging around and shooting the breeze in hopes the sky would clear up. Stan? and Lee stayed behind in hopes of clear skies.

I hope things worked out for them!

Observing session: 4.13.05

2005-04-14T08:34:00.000-07:00

I made the trek out to Camp High Road last night. It was a quick drive (only about 35 minutes) and easy to find. Below is what I wrote waiting for night fall.

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7:35 pm I’m waiting for the sun to set. Jupiter is already visible. Well, the sun has already go down, but I’m waiting for daylight to fade entirely. The moon is high, lonesome, and beautiful. I found CHR with no problems. There is no on here at the moment, which is surprising. We’ll see if anyone else shows up. The field is large and affords a great view of a pretty much the entire sky. I’m overwhelmed but ready to start this observation session. There are coyotes (or foxes) in the distance with a lot to say.

8:05. Its finally getting dark and cool now. All the stars in the dipper are visible. The wild doggies continue to bark. I’m not convinced that Doobie isn’t out there with them. I hope the scope and/or eyepieces don’t get condensation on them as the air cools. We’ll see. I’m still the only one here. I’m listening to the Twilight Singers on my new iPod. Thanks Jen! Love ya, babe :) Its so beautiful and peaceful here, I cannot get over it.

8:15 I wish Zach was here. He’d be excited Watching the sky fade into night is filling me with a great sense of atmosphere. Any anxiety I felt earlier has completely faded - its time to set my sights on M51.
---------

It was nearly 10:00. I was in the complete observing zone. I was hunting down M101 after spending a lot of time with M51. Suddenly, I heard a blood curdling shriek from somewhere nearby in the woods akin to a woman being visciously murdered. I was no longer alone, or so I felt. My rational side told me it was just a fox, they make some bizarrely humanesqe sounds. However, the irrational side of my mind, fueled by my overactive imagination, quickly took over. I don’t think I’ve ever packed my gear up so quickly.

As brief an observing session as it was, it was still extremely worthwhile. I see why people drive out to these great spots to set up their scopes and spend a few hours under the stars. The view was really unprecedented. Next time, I’ll just make sure I’m not alone in the dark.

Observing Location: Camp Highroad
Observing Date: 2/1/5
Observing time: 7:30 pm to 10:00 pm
Seeing: Average
Transparency: Average to Above average
Temperature: ~ 45'F

Observing Report 2.5 to 2.6.05

2005-02-07T09:43:00.000-08:00

Tonight proved to be a full and gratifying night of observing.

I spent the latter part of the afternoon printing out star charts and planning my session. I cannot stress the necessity for a well planned observing session. You truly get more out of a starry night if you have some type of attack plan. As the sun began to sink toard the horizon, I precede to pack the car full of warm clothing and observing gear. About 40 minutes prior to sunset, I hit the road and headed for Savage Farm, a NOVAC observing site only about 25 minutes from my home. I reached Savage without incident and found it very easily. Well, more specifically, I found the entrance to the site. However, the access (a rutted, country-type byway), was covered in snow and ice, much to my dismay. My car has all-wheel drive, so I decided to go for it. After about 30 feet of slipping, shifting, and sliding, I decided I was no longer going for it. Tail between my legs, I headed backed toward the homestead and the Jen.

Five hours of quality time later, I was on the back deck with a makeshift light shield comprised of towels and microphone stands. This contraption managed to block out much of the offending glare of nearby lights. I was quite pleased with my ingenuity. I was to employ a new technique (to me) in star hopping this night. I used a piece of copper wire, made into a circle to represent my eye piece field of view. As it turned out, this method was far better than having the eyepiece FOV printed directly on the chart. I successfully located each objected I had planned on viewing.

It was a peaceful night. I could’ve stayed out until the sun came up. It generally takes me a little less than an hour for distracting thoughts to leave my brain. Eventually, the background noise fades, only to be replaced with a remarkable sense of calm and clarity. It is difficult to describe the feeling you get when you are looking back in time at an object so much larger than your human self. An object made of the same dust that your physical being is made of.

Observing Location: Ashburn, VA
Observing Date: 2/5 to 2/6/05
Observing time: 11:00 pm to 3:00 am
Seeing: Above average (4/5)
Transparency: Above average (4/5)
Temperature: ~ 30'F

M108

This galaxy was surprisingly faint, with an absolute magnitude of 10 and a surface brightness of around 13. I received an abrupt education in the difference between surface brightness and abs. Magnitude. I was convinced I was in the right area, because the star pattern in the eyepiece was identical to that in the field of view isolated on the star chart. “It should be here, why don’t I see anything!” Finally, subtle movement of the scope and averted vision prevailed as the faint galaxy came into view.

M97

This small planetary nebula was easier to find than its neighbor. Although its absolute magnitude was lower (11), its surface brightness was brighter (12) than M108. I take great pleasure in observing nebulae.

M109

Another faint and fuzzy target that was a challenge to see with a abs. mag. of 10 and a surface brightness of nearly 14! Averted vision and subtle movement of the scope once again were my friends.

M106

This was my longest hop of the evening. But, the journey presented me with a galaxy that appeared brighter than the two view earlier in the evening (abs mag 8.4, sb 13). I could clearly make out the core, as well as some ghostly impression of its spiral arms.

M51

A quick hop, and I had two reasonably bright, fuzzy blotches in my field of view. One was M51 (abs mag 8.4, sb 12.9), the other was its diminutive companion NGC 5195 (abs mag 9.6, sb 12.9)

Mizar Double

I next decided to check out the Mizar multiple star system - I figured I was in the neighborhood. The components of the Mizar multiple star system are Mizar A (Zeta 1 Ursa Majoris at magnitude 2.27) and Mizar B (Zeta 2 Ursa Majoris at magnitude 3.95), located 14.42 arc seconds away. The brighter of the pair seemed yellow/white in hue, the smaller more of a white/blue.

M101

This galaxy was more difficult to see than I had assumed. The galaxy has an absolute magnitude approaching 8, however, its surface brightness is a staggering 14.90. It was barely detectable through averted vision and moving of the telescope.

Jupiter

The king of the planets certainly did not disappoint tonight. Seeing was exceptional and I could distinctly make out the cloud bands in great detail, however, I could not pick up the great spot. I wonder if it was just not visible at the time I looked at the planet (which is very possible). I particularly enjoy observing the Jovian satellites and their movement (Callisto, Ganyemede, Io, and Europa are readily visible)

Observing Reports 2.1.05

2005-02-01T21:26:00.000-08:00

With the clear sky clock showing a favorable forecast, I decided to venture out into the chilly first night of February. To my chargin, the community decided to install a new street light. I feared at first it would ruin my viewing, however, I decided not to be held back. My observing was brief tonight, as I'm a bit under the weather, but I still did having a rewarding evening and bagged 2 deep fuzzies for the first time.

Observing Location: Ashburn, VA
Observing Date: 2/1/5
Observing time: 8:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Seeing: Average
Transparency: Average to Above average
Temperature: ~ 30'F

---------------------------------

M81 and M82

This was my first true star hop tonight using a chart produced from Cartes Du Ciel. I used the program's nifty eyepiece function to draw and place my finder circles directly on the chart. In about 5 hops M81 and M82 were in my field of view. There is a certain feeling of awe when beholding galaxies in the eyepiece, especially when it is for the first time. You forget about the cold and the obnoxious street lights and truly becoming hypnotized. Finding objects for the first time truly breeds a special kind of excitement and elation. The ease of use of the chart was very satisfying. I also did my first true sketch at the eye piece. Were I not under the weather, I would've spent more time hopping around Ursa Major as there are other gems in that constellation brought to my attention by the wonderful book that mom and dad got me for my birthday. I should also mention that I discovered these fuzzies with the eyepiece they got me for Christmas. So, this first find is dedicated to them!

It was without much hope that I went looking for these objects, considering Ursa Major is floating above a sea of townhouses and street lights. I'm glad I decided to give it a shot before packing things up. Its high time I order that padded scope case and head out to observe with some of my fellow NOVACians.

Clear skies!!

Sloohing, Observing, and Cloudy Skies

2005-01-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

The skies around here have been cloudy for weeks and weeks, it would seem. Even when it has been "clear" there has been so much moisture in the air because of the wacky weather, the transparency has been low, and the unsettled atmosphere has led to some pretty rough seeing. Due the clouds and less than favorable viewing conditions I've been spending a great deal of time on Slooh. Slooh is a set of remotely operated telescopes in the Canary islands and has, over the past couple of weeks, provided some really stellar views. Following are a couple of neat images I managed to obtain. More shots can be found Here

North American Nebula

Sombrero Galxy

These images can be seen full size at in my astronomy gallery (linked above).

Saturday 1.8.05

Zach came over with his new telescope (Orion SkyQuest 6 inch) and we shared several hours of observing. The Transparency was poor to decent (2/5 to 3/5). Seeing was closer to 2/5. I observed M45, M42, M103 (for the first time) M37, M38, M31 and 32, as well as comet Macholz, which appeared as a greenish fuzz ball, the nucleus was clearly defined. I had a great deal of difficulty locating M33 (triangulum galaxy), and in the end, was unable to find it. I'll be giving it another swing next time things manage to clear up.

It was great being able share Zach's "first" telescope experience. He seemed to really enjoy it, and as he gets more familiar with the sky, I have no doubt he will gain even more enjoyment.

In big and good news, Jen has expressed further interest in exploring astromony. As I'm going to be spending the rest of my life with my new fiance, I'm excited at the prospect of sharing this passion with her (as I'm so passionate about her.)

Observing Report - 12.13.04

2004-12-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

This is the first online observing report of what will be many (hopefully). Last night was such a great night of stargazing, I felt the urge to transfer the contents of my notebook to an online home where I could further spectulate and elaborate on the entry/experience and share it with you (whoever you may be) Not to mention, you get a chance to see a little bit of a different side of me -- the very least, its a great way to procrastinate! Without further ado. Lets get into it.

Observing Location: Ashburn, VA
Observing Date: 12/13/04
Observing time: 7:30 pm to 11:00 pm
Seeing: Average
Transparency: Average to Above average
Temperature: ~ 30'F

---------------------------------

M1 - It took a little effort to find M1, as Taurus was still fairly low in the sky and transparency was not so fantastic at the beginning of the night. However, I did locate it after a little while as a "smudge" of light. This was my first viewing of M1. M1 is the remnanet of a supornova seen by Chinese astronomers in 1054 AD. For more info go here: SEDS.org

M36 was the unlikely first of 3 notable open clusters in the constellation Auriga. I say unlikely, because I was looking for M37 first. However, M37 is lower in the sky than M36. So, for a fleeting moment I mistook M36 for M37. I took a closer look in my finder scope and coold actually make out 2 smudges, the centered was M36. For more info go here: SEDS.org

M37 This open cluster proved to be brighter and larger than M36. It was mostly bluish and hue and was readily visible in the finderscope. It was rich with stars and quite breathtaking to behold. For more info go here: SEDS.org

M38 I really liked this cluster. It definitely has a unique shape, which is hard to make out from the picture at the right. It has been described as the Greek Pi. However, I prefer the "oblique cross" description. For more info go here: SEDS.org

Saturn Seeing must've been pretty good when I moved onto Saturn as I could see the Cassini divide and the cloud details at both 48x and 120x in addition to four of the planet's moons. For more info go here: SEDS.org

M31 and 32 Then it was onto M31 (Andromeda Galaxy) which I've viewed many times in my old scope, but not yet in the XT8. It was far brighter than I expected it to appear in the eyepiece with a well defined core. I was also greeted by the companion galaxy M32 which looked like a glowing snowball. For more info go here: SEDS.org

M42 Otherwise known as the great Orion Nebula. I could've stared at this for hours, and did for the good part of one. The new scope brought at far more detail than I have ever seen. It did not look real. The was still a greal deal of bightness when I went from 48X to 120X. The trapezium was clearly visible. It was incredible think that I was looking at a region where stars are being actively born. For a cool press release (from 1995) go here:M42

M35 Then it was back to Gemini to visit M35. M35 was the "first" Messier object I ever observed back when I initially picked up the hobby. It was an easy hop thanks to the kick ass finder scope. It showed up as a slight smudge. I was presented witha fine splash of stars at 48x. For more info go here:M35

M45 The Pleides is always a kick ass site. Otherwise known as the Seven Sisters, who doesn't like to look at something shiny? A nice sight, as always (even in the finderscope!). For more info go here:M45

Last night was also a special evening as the sky was punctuated by streaks of lights as the "Geminids" entered our atmosphere.

It was odd, driving to work this morning. After such a moving night of observing, it makes you even look at your own planet differently - as another (ableit unique) celestial body in a very big, and diverse universe. Whee!