Observing tonight?

[Randy H]

For those that haven't seen this:
http://utprosim.com/happyholidays/

Merry Christmas everyone!

Randy

[Dean Johnson]

Merry Christmas everyone! Hopefully 2015 will be better to us than 2014.

Very glad to have gone to Okie-Tex. When it is cloudy like this, I think of that trip a lot.

[Captain Kirk]

Got to take a peek at comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy at about midnight last night!

[Captain Kirk]

Got to take a peek at comet C/2014 Q2 Lovejoy at about midnight last night!

The snow didn't live up to the hype, but I got another observation of this comet Lovejoy tonight.

[bernie engels]

Happy New Year from Michigan!

I hope you all had a great holiday season.  Santa brought me a solar filter for my 8" dob, which I got a chance to look through yesterday.   I didn't see anything but black, and then my wife told me that the instructions that came with the filter said I had to look through the scope during the day, not at night .  Cool sunspots, and clouds blowing by!  Then the cloud cover completely took over
Haven't been out at night for several weeks, as the lake affect keeps us cloudy on most nights during the early/mid winter months.  Well, just wanted to say hello and wish you all a peaceful and starry 2015!
Bernie Engels

[Rick Murray]

     I have been out of commision for the last 6 weeks with a total hip replacement. How ever, it's been so cloudy I don't think I've missed much. As I was recooping in my recliner last night, just after sunset, I noticed an especially bright star just above the horizon in the SW sky. I knew it couldn't be a star because it was so bright....Venus (the evening star)....cool!!
A few minutes later I noticed another less bright object about 2 degrees SW of Venus. Because it wasn't yet dark enough for actual stars to be seen yet I wondered what planet it was. So I went to a current star map to see that it was Mercury....way cool!! It's been years since I actually put eyes on Mercury, and not for lack of trying. I was amazed to see it so far in it's orbit away from the sun and so close to Venus that it could be so easily seen. As I am unable to set up my 12" dob I had to be content with binocular viewing. Then I moved N-NW to view Mars. Then I waited about three more hours and found comet Lov-Joy west of Orion. Not much to brag about with binoculars. Just a blue-green orb and not much of a tail.  AGNFSG

Hope to see you all at the next meeting.

Rick Murray

[johnattewell]

Why haven't we had a meeting in the last few months?     I hope everyone is okay.

John Attewell
Rochester, MN

[Jeff Newland]

Bernie, glad to hear from you.  I hope you have a great 2015 as well!   
I think we are all needing a cloud filter the way this winter started.  You can put that on your list for next Christmas.   
Now it is looking like we have to keep warm.  Getting cold on the clear nights that are starting crop up. 


Rick,  sounds like you're hip to all of the planets.   


John, I hope you can make tonight's meeting at Randy's house.  Perhaps you can get some answers and we can see how everyone is doing.   

[johnattewell]

Jeff:  Rats.  Since I didn't think there was an Astronomy Club meeting yesterday I went out to eat before I got your message.  What is the news from the meeting last night?

John Attewell

[Jeff Newland]

John,  you don't receive the notes from Randy about club meetings?  Randy sent one out late last week saying there was a meeting this week at his place. 
The November meeting was cancelled due to weather and Randy was not around for December, so it was cancelled until this month. 

[johnattewell]

I use to get them but I don't anymore.  I just went back and figured out why I don't get them.  They were sent to my Mayo email account and I left Mayo a few years ago.  Who would I contact to get my personal email on that distribution list?

[Jeff Newland]

Go to the main page.  There is a 'Forums/Mailing list' tab.  Go there and it has a link where you can add your email address to the mailing list. 

[jlmanatee]

Last night's weather was a great mid-winter treat.  Though I only got out to my light-polluted driveway, I got a chance to use my new SW 80mm grab-n-go refractor to observe the Orion nebula and my best-ever observation of Jupiter and moons.  I was able to clearly see 2 of the bands and (I think) Ganymede transiting the face.  Maybe no big deal to you older hands, but it was a new experience for me.    I missed the January meeting too, darn it.

[darkskyjim]

i got out Sunday night to Keller (and yes they plowed the parking lot) and was able to see Comet Lovejoy, M42 and a few other objects with my new 15x70 binos. still couldn't see a tail on that darn comet! biggest issue was i left the house 4 minutes before the end of the Packer/Seahawks game and missed one of the great comebacks of all time

[Dean Johnson]

I got out last Sunday night with my great nephew Jacob Myrah and we did indeed see the comet thru my 8" Celestron SCT. (Old Reliable) The comet's nucleus is big bright and showy with a definate greenish tint. I could see a bit of a tail at PA 240 or the 8 o'clock position. To me it looked wide and diffuse, but the pics of it on the internet show it to be more long and tight than what we witnessed.

Tomorrow night looks good for another glimpse. Nice to actually get out there again. I showed Jacob Polaris, the Pleadies and Jupiter besides Comet Lovejoy. He was very impressed with Jupiter. It had two moons very tight to the planet, one on either side. It was too cold for more than an hour's observing.

A very Vikingsesque performance by the Packers!