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All,
Ahhhh well, looks like we missed a great evening of viewing. 🙁I had checked with Chester Woods and they had no problem with us staying past 10, and they do not padlock the gates, just close them, so getting out was not a problem. The advantage of the space behind the gates is the parking lot to the right is on a slight knoll of sorts, so makes for easy viewing and no tree line. Chester Woods also does not turn on the lights in the parking lot until later in the year, so that is not a problem. I realize there is a cost but at 25$ for a year pass, we can take in the lake during the summer month and view the skies at other times of the year. Best for us as we live on the NE side of town and the park is less than 10 minutes from our house.
I will continue to watch the forum when the weather is better, which will probably not be until next Friday or Saturday and will look for a chance to come out to Keller WMA.
Later,
JohnJohn, nice to have the additional information on Chester Woods. Did you head out there last night and have you been out there observing? It is good to have something on the east side of Rochester. It should have a better eastern horizon than Keller. If I were you, I would be heading to Chester Woods or finding another spot on the east side of Rochester somewhere. The main reason I go to Keller is because I am on the SW side of Rochester where Keller is, 8 miles from my house about 15 minutes. 🙂
If you want to head to Chester Woods in future, please post here and hopefully someone else may want to head over. I know that Luka was interested in going out there and trying it out. It probably won't be me unless I hitch a ride with someone else. I won't be heading out to Chester Woods in the summer and I'm cheap. 😮 🙂
And, keep an eye on forum and head on out to Keller when we go out there. Always welcome. Come and listen to the owls and turkeys with us. 🙂Jeff
Depending on where you are in NE, Keller still may not be a bad option. I'm in NW and it takes me 15 minutes from the 19th Street NW/Elton Hills exit on 52. Not trying to steer you away from Chester Woods. Based on my light pollution maps, Keller and Chester Woods should be about equal in dark skies.
For those of you who find the 40th Street Exit of US63 more convenient, you can take that west (becomes route 117, I believe) until it intersects with 15. It's only about a mile south from there to Keller. You are "going against the grain" for N-S roads, so you have a few stop signs, but sight lines are pretty good.
Keller is 2.1 miles south of the County 117 and County 15 intersection. That is the way I go. I go down Bamber Valley Road, County 8, down to 40th St SW (County 117) and go right/west on it. Just stay on County 117 until it gets to County 15. It is not a straight shot to County 15, but it is all 117. There is a stop sign, turn south, curves back to the west and hit 15.
So there are two places to hit 40th St, either at the exit on US 63, or else you can go down Bamber Valley Road (County 8) and then turn on 40th St.
Hello astronomy fans. Tonight looks like a good night according to the CSC. 🙂
However, I am scheduled to tend bar. (Yes, yet again another clear evening when I am scheduled to work.) :-[
To me, it looks like a great opportunity to make a first try at a Messier Marathon. Eagle Bluff is available and while they have a group there, no one is scheduled to come in after sunset, and Kathy has assured me that if the RAC wants the parking lot, the lights can be shut off just by asking. The Moon is three days past last quarter phase so it shouldn't be too bad for brightness.
I hope you folks can take advantage of tonight. If not Eagle Bluff, then local observing should be pretty good.
I would go to Eagle bluff, I think, if a group is going. Though I wouldn't stay all night. It seems like there might be clouds at 2 am or so.
I was thinking of going to Eagle Bluff tonight. I was just hopping on the forum here this afternoon, to see if the skies would be clear, lights off, etc. If others are going, I will make a trip out there.
It sounds like I'll have to show up later, 10 to 11. Those brothers of mine from Cinci are still here.
Might be 4. Still deciding on whether to go. My wife not quite sure if she wants to go and doesn't like me out driving in the country alone at night. ;D
Well Saturday night at Eagle Bluff was good. When I got there at almost 11, Jeff and his wife were there, as were Kirk and Brandon. Not too long afterwards, everyone but Kirk and I had left, however that was already quite late. I did find some interesting targets. The Cat's Eye nebula was one. Another was M57 and then M56. I was able to resolve some stars in M13. I also found M92, and M12 and M10. None were too exciting compared to M13. I also took a look at the Virgo cluster, and noticed that the galaxies showed a lot more extension. Especially M91, which I could barely see from Keller. To round out the Virgo galaxies, I found M61. I was also able to find both M51 and M101 in my binoculars, and both looked much better than in my 8inch scope at Keller. I did spend some time looking at the Ring and Cat's eye nebulae. I thought I could see a little dimmer spot in the middle of the Ring, but the Cat's eye didn't look like much. I'm sure a narrowband filter would help, and maybe more magnification. The last thing we looked at was Albireo, which had risen just over the haze before we left. We definitely heard some coyotes and various other creatures. I also saw 3 meteors. The first I only caught a piece of in my binoculars, the second went through Draco's head at 12:36(right as Kirk and I were looking up there), the third near Arcturus at maybe 2:15.
Good! Well done, Luka. I was wondering how you folks were doing at Eagle Bluff on Saturday night. I'm sorry I couldn't be there, even more so now due to the weather forecasts. It sounds like you liked the dark skies a lot and got to see some favorites "in a whole new dark". 😀
If you don't have an OIII filter yet, I'd get one. They bring out a lot of detail on some objects that you ordinarily don't see. If you can get to a convention or event where they have vendors selling mass quantities, you can save 40% or more on stuff like that. 8)
Don't worry about not resolving globular clusters in an 8" scope. That's what they make bigger ones for. Globulars really start looking cool in scopes like Duane's 12" Lightbridge, and seeing M3 in Randy's 18" will REALLY blow you away. I bet Randy will quit "sandbagging" when the weather gets warmer and then we'll really have some fun at Eagle Bluff. 😉
Until then we have to do what we can with the equiptment we have, and it sounds like you are getting the most out of yours.Good for you guys for getting out there Saturday night.
I'd like to join you guys on the next astronomy outing – all your talk on the forum has made me jealous enough to take a break from my studies! 😀 So, let me know – Eagle Bluff isn't that far from Winona.
What's this clear blue stuff overhead? Could it be that we'd really have a shot at a Messier Marathon at Eagle Bluff tonight?
The CSC doesn't look too bad, clear skies with average transparency to below average seeing. I'll take it, I've seen worse.
I'll post here again after I get back from the woods, but if it is clear tonight, I'm going and I hope I'd have some company. 🙂
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