Observing tonight?

[Mr.Gorp]

Keller anyone?  Forcast is for cleaing skies    no percepitation,  but that also means lower temperatures

Unfortunately, we have a committment for our Junior Astronimer, but are tenitively planning a trip to Keller. likely setup the telescope after dark (7pm+) pick Joe up at 8pm and go until he gets tired or cold.  Julie is itching to try out her winter duds -- new boots.

From an earlier post it sounds like Eagle Bluff has something running on Friday and Saturday. (Please correct me if I'm wrong). So a trip to Lanesboro is not going to work.

[Dean Johnson]

I'm heading for the good old Flatin Farm hayfield. The dew point is heading down to 22! Hooray!

It should be A Glorious Night For Astronomy!

Good luck to all!

[Jeff Newland]

I was thinking of Keller as well.   I believe it was Eagle Bluff had something going on both Fridays, but Saturday was good to go from sunset on. 

Dean, was that right for Eagle Bluff?

[Dean Johnson]

Fritz Deters gave me a "heads up" on the ISS crossing the face of the Sun today. It happened right here in good old S.G. I took a look at the map and saw that if I set up in Fred and Diane Kroshus' driveway, I'd see it at 12:16:44. I went out there, set up, shot the breeze with Fred for a bit and "BOOM" It went through right to the second!

We've gotta get that boy as a presenter for 2013. He is as sharp as a tack.

If any of you have a solar filter, check out the massive sunspot group on the eastern edge of the Sun. If that thing lets loose with a coronal mass ejection, we'll see Northern Lights until the cows come home!

[Captain Kirk]

I was driving home from work shortly after 7:00 a.m. today and was treated to a view of the setting moon about 30% eclipsed and looking like a fat crescent moon.  It was within a few degrees of the horizon.  I got one photo with my cell phone.  I selected a gap between a couple buildings to try and return to (with a real camera) and take better photos.  But, by the time I got home and back I couldn't find it.  By 7:30 I had driven around to several high spots in NW Rochester and was unable to relocate our satellite.
 
There was some haze developing in the West and I assumed this obscured the moon rather than it having set already.   Because Moon Phase Pro on my phone quotes a Set time of 7:35 a.m. I think that Luna was below all but the clearest horizons at reasonable approximations of my latitude and longitude by 7:30.

Kirk

[rabomgaars]

Kirk, I too was driviing around trying to find a high spot with no trees.  Got a call from Arnold when he was at the farm in Plainview
watching the eclipse.  I  took camera and headed NW out Valley High Drive.  Managed to see the upper left quadrant eclipsed but
couldn't find a place to park and take pictures.  Ended up in a farmer's driveway with enough time to take a few pictures.  I too couldn't believe how fast it went.  The moon did disappear into a cloud bank about 7:30. Was very disappointed when I got home to see my pictures.  Not much to look at.  But fun trying. B

[Dean Johnson]

I got a peek at it from my deck. I didn't take the binocs out or anything, I was pretty tired from tending bar, but I did see it changing color and going into totality.

I spent more time trying to explain what was going to happen to all the 'liquified amateur astronomers' up at the Legion. A lot of them just couldn't get the idea of the Moon going into eclipse at Moonset in the west. "What happens to the rest of it?" "The people out west and in the Pacific basin get to see that." "Really?' "Oh" "Why is that?"

I never did collect my consulting fees.

[Jeff Newland]

Looks like it is going to clear up and stay that way?  I'm thinking I might head out to Keller tonight.  Moon won't be up until after midnight and I'll be gone long before that.       Anyone else thinking of heading out?

[Jeff Newland]

We're going to head out to Keller for awhile.  Come on out if you can.

[Luka]

I'm planning on going, fairly soon here.

[Jeff Newland]

It was pretty nice out there last night.  We got out there a little after 7:00.  Luka showed up later, not sure of the time, not too much later.  Luka was imaging Jupiter much of the night.  Be interesting to see what he gets, may have something for next month's meeting?  Jerome came out sometime after 9:00.  Temperature was in the mid 20's and it didn't feel too bad.  A little wind, but a warm wind.   
I was trying out my new scope, a 12 inch solid tube dob, Apertura, same as the Zhumells.  Pretty much concentrating on Messiers and Jupiter.  I think I do like the scope.      Quite a bit of detail on the Orion nebula.  I was able to find M32 and M110 by M31 with no problem.  Also able to pull in M33.  Messiers, M1, M35, M36, M37, M38, M45, M31, M32, M110, M33, M57, M42, M81, M82, also Jupiter and Albireo. 
We left about 11:00 and Luka was packing up when we left.   AGNFA.

[Dean Johnson]

Good for you guys to get out there, alas, I was tending bar both Sat. and Sun. nights (and both clear!).

Tonight it is cloudy in S.G. I am watching Mon. Nite Football. They are having transformer troubles. Is there a CME going on?

Jeff, I am glad you like your scope and hope that you are keeping a journal of your Messier's. There's a certificate and pin out there for you somewhere!

[darkskyjim]

It was pretty nice out there last night.  We got out there a little after 7:00.  Luka showed up later, not sure of the time, not too much later.  Luka was imaging Jupiter much of the night.  Be interesting to see what he gets, may have something for next month's meeting?  Jerome came out sometime after 9:00.  Temperature was in the mid 20's and it didn't feel too bad.  A little wind, but a warm wind.   
I was trying out my new scope, a 12 inch solid tube dob, Apertura, same as the Zhumells.  Pretty much concentrating on Messiers and Jupiter.  I think I do like the scope.      Quite a bit of detail on the Orion nebula.  I was able to find M32 and M110 by M31 with no problem.  Also able to pull in M33.  Messiers, M1, M35, M36, M37, M38, M45, M31, M32, M110, M33, M57, M42, M81, M82, also Jupiter and Albireo. 
We left about 11:00 and Luka was packing up when we left.   AGNFA.

cool. enjoy the new scope Jeff! if this warm weather continues we may get
quite a few more observing opportunities ;-)  sorry, i missed everyone at the
holiday party...
jim

[sregener]

After two months of not going outside with my scope for a variety of reasons, I made no excuses this morning and dragged myself out to observe, starting at 4:30AM.

I started with Saturn, which was still fairly low in the SE.  It refused to accept magnification, blurring constantly, and could barely make out the rings against the planet at 100X.  Cassini's Division remained invisible.  3 moons, though.

Glanced up in the sky, and here come the mottled clouds, just 10 minutes into observing!  I debated packing it in, but then I thought, maybe they'll leave as quick as they came.  Do something easy to pass the time.  So over to Alcor/Mizar in Ursa Major.  Very pretty, nice split at 40X.  Wait... is that the back edge of the cloud mass in the west?  It was!

So... it's Spring in Winter, with Leo's tail due south.  From memory, I zipped over to M65/66.  Both were bright in the eyepiece, and... No, it can't be!  NGC 3628 was visible with averted vision.  Understand that I have looked at the "triplet" many times over the years, and I have never spotted so much as a hint of 3628 from my deck.  Simply too faint.  But there it was.  Jumped up to 100X, and it took direct vision, but barely.  Back at 40X, it was unmistakably a galaxy.  Ah.  Either this is that rare "perfect" night or my freshly coated mirror is gathering more photons, or both.

I pulled out my Hershel 400 list and flipped to the Leo section and starting picking off galaxies.  An hour later, I'd nabbed 8 new ones, quite a night for me.  I've gotten more, but only at Flatin Farm or the like.  Not from here.  Not from the middle of Rochester.

I had to pack up so I could help with waking kids, but it was an amazing night.  Keep looking up!

[Dean Johnson]

Hello everybody! I got out for a few hours on my deck last night to try out my new Christmas present that finally arrived yesterday-- a brand new 2" Vixen 50mm eyepiece. It's a honey with a nice wide FOV.

I couldn't split Polaris with it, but that is understandable since I was aiming at it thru dozens of branches of my silver maple. I had better luck with the Orion Nebula and I can see two thirds of the whole complex and it resoves the Trapezium no problem. The Double Cluster in Perseus easily fits in the FOV with room to spare. Jupiter showed the N&SEB's, all the Galilean moons and plenty of surrounding territory. I could only see the nucleus of M31 dimly because of the Moon and my 3 much hated streetlights and M44 not at all...too much light pollution. The Moon sits in the FOV with lots of room to spare and the Pleadies only needs one turn of the knob to see all of it. It actually looks like the Pleadies, where before w/my 26mm Meade, it was just bright stars.

I can't wait until waning gibbous Moon phase when I'll have a bit of darkness each night. It's time to head back to the country to see what it is really capable of.

January nights are still cold, but it could be a heck of a lot worse. This has been a pretty mild winter so far. AGNFA.