Fall is in the Air

Saturday night quite possible may have been the last warm summer night I get this year. It is now mostly dark by 9:30 and the night air is feeling a little more fresh. I even had to scrape frost off my car windows one morning last week. It has even been cold enough that there have been rumors of some overnight snow. It is all good though. As nice as the evenings are in July, even at midnight it is not completely dark. Saturday was a rare combination of completely darkness, cloudless skies and warm overnight temperatures. We had spent the hiking in Jasper National Park so I was a little tired (we spent a total of 8 hours driving and 3 hours hiking), but I did not want to waste the night. I thought that finally I might be able to see a deep sky object in my telescope.

Once again my little telescope let me down. I tried to find M103 in Cassiopeia and M81 and M82 in Ursa Major. No luck. I tried to get a look at Mars but is was very low on the horizon and quickly moved behind some trees. I decided to move onto some naked eye viewing. I was looking around the summer triangle (Deneb, Vega and Altair) when I saw a relatively slow moving meteor make it way NNW. It had a decent size trail was was visible for about 1.5-2 seconds. That alone made it worth the effort to go outside.

Just before I went inside a lone Canada Goose did a flyby. It was odd enough for a goose to be flying around a midnight but what made this even more out of the ordinary is that it circled over head a couple of times before heading on its way. Perhaps he was out for one more night of goose merriment before heading south, had a little too much quack grass and had some trouble getting back to the pond.

One that note I decided to pack up and go to bed. Before I called it a night I scattered some Astronomy magazines around the house left open to some “random” telescopes advertisements. Christmas is only three months away after all.

More of the Moon

Before the long weekend started I decided to go try out some of the advice Ed gave me about taking shots of the moon. I think it worked pretty decently but there is still room for improvement. I just need to get a little more familiar with my camera I think. As for the long weekend, it was hazy during the day and overcast at night. No good viewing to speak of. I did get a chance to look at the daytime moon with my 4 year old son. With the haze it was not much to look at but it was a good way to get us outside. He was more interested than I thought he would be. Although he did have more fun playing with the eyepieces than he did looking at the moon.

The down time gave me the chance to try and convince my wife that my current telescope is entirely inadequate and that I should buy new one. Much to my shock she agreed. Now I can start the process of saving my pennies and kicking tires.

Eclipse

I thought this was impossible but I was proven wrong. At about 8:30PM last night the clouds seem to magically disappear from the sky. A few hours later when I went the bed the skies were still completely clear. I set my alarm and hoped for the best. At 3:00AM I woke up to the beginning of the eclipse. I quickly gathered my observing tools and headed outside. It was pretty cold out. Not much more the +5 Celsius. Even so I was just happy to be able to see the eclipse. It was a perfect night for viewing. The Moon was high in the sky to the southwest. I was easily able to watch the event in the comfort of my back yard. I was amazed at how many stars appeared once my eyes became adjusted, even with all the light pollution. I had never been outside observing for that long to really notice. It was an incredible experience. I only stay out for just under 1.5 hours. My fingers were getting cold and I was starting to experience some back spasms. It was still well worth getting up early for.

I was able to take a few shots. Some of them turned out OK, some of them not so good. I’m still trying to figure out my camera but I have nothing but time for that. The first set of pictures are a couple a shots I took as we approached the total eclipse.

The next too I am not really pleased with how they turned out but it gives you an idea of the color of the Moon during the eclipse.

Small Window to the Moon

The weather has been terrible lately. On Saturday the clouds parted enough to give me a small chance to look at the moon. I decided to take the opportunity to attempt a couple of pictures using the afocal method of photography. I was completely unsuccessful. All my shots where out of focus and I was unable to find the correct settings before the clouds came back and blocked out the sky. If any one has any helpful tips I would love to here them.

The clouds and rain are still here. It looks like our summer is over and fall has firmly entrenched itself. I am hoping this all clears up long enough for me to see the upcoming lunar eclipse.

Exploring Ursa Major

Ursa Major is by far the most prominent target from my backyard. I decided to have another look at the Mizar-Alcor double star. I had a little more success with higher magnifications this time and got a couple of nice views. This prompted me to attempt to take some pictures using A-focal photography. I had not success at all but I will keep trying.

Another obstacle that I had working against me was my neighbor. Last night he decided to open all his curtains and turn on all his lights. Then he went to his back yard and turned on all his exterior lights. Al Gore is going to be visiting him soon I think.

Despite all of this a pressed on and pointed by telescope at Dubhe. It was rather unremarkable but I was able to see another faint star in the field of view. My main goal for viewing this star was to use it as a launching point to try and find M81 and M82. Unfortunately I was unsuccessful at finding them. I think I was doomed to fail because of Mr. Brightlights and the fact that I did not have my binoculars to help me aim (My 4 year old has hidden them somewhere in our house).

I was able to get this picture of the Big Dipper and some trees. This weekend’s forecast is for clouds and rain so I may have to wait patiently to get out again.

The Perseids After All

Well, maybe just a Perseid. By completely random chance I was able to spot a meteor last night. I had just stepped out onto my deck to see what the sky conditions were like when I saw a meteor streak by. It was quite a large one too. It shot its way across the Big Dipper leaving a long trail behind it. After the disappointingly overcast weekend I was very happy to catch a brief glimpse of what was left of this year’s Perseids.

No Perseids for You

I had really hoped to see the Perseids this weekend but the weather had other plans for me. At about 9:30PM on the 11th this rolled in :

It is actually quiet beautiful. It is not what I wanted to see. Monday morning is here and the clouds are have not left. I believe I have missed my chance. I am pretty sure I will find a couple of other things to look at until next year.

A Quick Look at Jupiter

View Date : August 10, 2007

Time : 11:00PM – 12:00PM

I went out with the hopes of catching some of the Perseid Meteor Show but I did not see anything happening. I think I was a bit early. I decided to point my telescope in the direction of Jupiter. I did not get the view of it I had hoped. I am still trying to get completely comfortable with my telescope. I was encouraged by the fact that I was able to make out two points of like near the giant planet. I can only assume they were moons but which ones I am not sure yet. I’ll have to do a little research. I was not able to look for very long as the was a lot of moisture in the air and my view started to fog up.

Northern Lights

View Date : August 6, 2007

Time : 11:00PM – 12:00AM

I almost did not go out on this night. I was pretty tired and probably could have used the sleep. Against my better judgment I went out for a quick peek as the sky was temptingly cloudless. I did not bother to bring my telescope with me but the time a spent viewing was well worth it.

My first goal was to identify another constellation. It was Cassiopeia’s turn and it did not take me long. Its “W” shape was clearly visible to the North East. I tried taking a couple of free hand shots and the results turned out to be not so bad. It’s not spectacular but my work is getting better.

Just after I took this picture I tried to get one more shot. I thought I might be able to sit in the folding lawn chair on my deck to help steady myself. In the dark I did not see the pool of water that had collected on the chair from the recent rain. In an instant my shorts were cold and wet. I decided to call it quits and go dry off but I saw something to the North that I don’t often get to see (or take time to notice). The green glow of the Northern Lights had just started and caught my attention. I completely forgot about my soaking wet bottom and watched the show dance and flicker before me. I was able to have enough sense about me to take a couple of pictures that really capture what I saw. Enjoy.