Observing tonight?

[Luka]

I am going to Eagle bluff right now. I expect to be there for quite a while. I'll do some imagining and some observing.

[Randy H]

Spent last night inputting the final calibrations on the ServoCat Drive for the Obsession. Finally took the scope out on my driveway about 11pm, and with my third try - got it to work! But it got frosty quick (not my optics -- me) and I rolled her back in the garage. Held very steady images in the eyepiece despite the wind. Will await the next clearing for more testing.

[Luka]

A few days ago I ran across this set of logs for various lists: http://10minuteastronomy.wordpress.com/logbooks-for-al-observing-clubs/ .
So while I was at Eagle Bluff Saturday, I began the deep sky binocular list.  The sky was quite good. I got there at 6:30. I first set up my imaging gear. After that, I started in the list. I had several pairs of binoculars. It was quite interesting how much the fuzz changed into stars between 7x and 21x. Some of the clusters on that list are very small and poor, others are quite rich and large.  At around 10 PM, it got quite cloudy, and even had some flurries. I was thinking to maybe wait a little, but decided to pack it in. I keep forgetting that famous targets like M42 and the Double Cluster, while quite visible from the city, look just 10 times better from Eagle bluff.  And others like M33, are usually impossible from the city do very easily stand out from dark skies.

The chair definitely helped, but next time, I might bring a lounger or maybe build a parallelogram or something.

[Luka]

Or I could go all out with something like this:

[Randy H]

Ah-ooooooo-gah!

[sregener]

And others like M33, are usually impossible from the city do very easily stand out from dark skies.

M33 isn't horribly difficult for me with my 10", but I think my skies are a little better than yours.  If your skies are dark enough, though, it's a naked-eye object.  I don't think even Eagle Bluff is that dark.  Maybe down at Flatin Farm...

[Luka]

I was talking small binoculars here, and I keep forgetting that not everyone that lives in Rochester deals with magnitude 3-4 skies.  And on that one really really clear night in December, I did just barely see it averted. I've tried several times since, and just couldn't do it.

[Dean Johnson]

I have also seen M33 in Triangulum with averted vision, both at Eagle Bluff and at the Flatin Farm. Under perfect conditions, both sites are very good for those kind of visual tests.

M31 is generally listed as the deepest sky object that can be seen with the naked eye, but Burnham's suggests that M33 is farther, and perhaps takes that category.

[sregener]

I nailed 5 Messier galaxies in Coma Berenices, which - once I finish compiling my records - should finish out the whole 110 for me.  Hopefully I kept good records...

After three days of transferring written logs into a spreadsheet, I find I'm still 3 short... 55, 83 and 100.  100 is the most frustrating to discover I'm missing because I was just in the neighborhood the other night.  I feel like I've seen 55, but it's hard to be sure.  83 Looks tough from the backyard.  I have very limited southern skies below 30 degrees.  I think I'm going to have to travel to Keller for that one...

[Luka]

Sorry to hear that Scott. M83 is pretty far south, I've seen it from Eagle Bluff, never tried from Keller. M55 is pretty far south as well. I found that from Keller, but only after the teapot was past the meridian(Keller has a hill to the southeast that blocks a little). M100 isn't difficult in location, just crowded. I printed out a very detailed chart for it and neighbors to be sure I had the right one.

[Dean Johnson]

Yep. M55 is at a southerly declination. The good news is that you can get it when you come on down for the Syttende Mai Star Party or the 3rd Annual Star BQ.

M83 is also a very southerly Messier object in Hydra. But that is easily caught from Eagle Bluff. I'm pretty sure that we saw it at our last Messier Marathon. It is a very nice object in an 8" scope, I can only imagine how beautiful it would be in larger aperature or by imaging.

M100 is easily doable, BUT, you have to star hop east of Denebola in Leo to a triangle of Messier objects. M100 is the westernmost of the three, and each of them have a noticable star in the FOV.

You could get all three in February if you wanted to stay up that long.

[sregener]

I'm not sure traveling to Eagle Bluff is in the cards right now.  And the way I'm sleeping, I'm up between 3:00-4:00 in the morning, so "staying up" looks more like "getting up."  On the plus side, if it isn't foggy, the light pollution is greatly reduced in the mornings.

[Rick Murray]

Hi all
     I've missed the last couple meetings due to a tooth extraction and a bad cold. I haven't gotten out much for observations this winter due to very cloudy and cold conditions. I am quite happy with election results. Good and capable people are in position.  Would be happy to help with any outreach program.
     I found M33 to be a quite large object, but faint even under good conditions....rather unspectaclar. M100 is an easily seen object, but I found it very helpful to have a very good star map. There are too many galaxies in that area and can get off track (under good conditions). What fun  . I must admit I've been a bit lazy this winter...a needed break.

Happy trails

Rick

[Dean Johnson]

Hello astronomy fans! I got another position of Mars observation tonight. Mars is heading back towards Castor and Pollux in Gemini and is currently very close to M44 in Cancer. In fact both Mars and M44 were in the same FOV in my 15X70 Celestron Skymaster binoculars.

I got the observation between 8 and 8:30 p.m. By 9 p.m. the skies were completely clouded over. Good timing!

[John Preston]

Very Nice Dean!