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[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Three clear nights - Three consecutive observation sessions - no waiting...

28/29/30 August 2012

My first solo observation went well and can be found here:
astronomer.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=Observations&action=display&thread=3974

29 August -

I had the opportunity to work the 1st watch for a fellow co-worker - Midnight till dawn...and that means scope time!!

Checking the forecast before heading out, it has been clear....a rarity and I'll take it!

On he early morning hours of the 29th, I used the 90mm refractor and the 5" SCT again for this session - remembering to bring along the necessary accessories ...

I am enjoying using my Android Tablet to seek out interesting little star patterns within a 2/3 degree field of view in the scopes. Bouncing around the key stars of Andromeda and Hercules, catching many faint binaries.

The Moon was out again and I thought to catch a couple of pics...

I like the rim around Schickard and it's flat interior.




Gassendi and Mersinuis duo.




Oblong Schiller is always a treat while hanging about the terminator.




The chain of Segner Zucchius, Bettinus & Lircher was an interesting formation.


[img src="i46.photobucket.com/albums/f101/chicagoastronomer/Astronomical/Observation%20Sessions/2012/Aug2829/001-1.jpg"]

Using the little SCT, it needs some collimation and a deep cleaning, but still delivering decent views.

Jupiter was riding high by now and I slew towards it...

In different White Balance settings, I am catching something interesting in the Southern Equatorial band - like a three band sandwich of dark & light stripes. The limited aperture of the little SCT just can't resolve it properly. Do I dare bring the C11 beast tomorrow night to explore this.

Dunno...

The Pleaides fit nicely in the 62mm finder scope attached to the SCT...

Spent some more time leisurely slewing about, enjoying the low power views and before I knew it...it was dawn.

Will it be clear the next night...?

Yes...!


30 August -

Setting up in the back - surrounded by street lighting, I was really unsure if I should have set-up the C11. Big, heavy and an attention getter, might draw in the wrong element to share the interest - and I'm right off a inner city street. (The Chicago Astronomer can handle any punk that crosses his path with quick dispatch...)

But, glad I did.

I brought along the Binoviewers this early morning, and spent a lot of time just hovering above the lunar surface in 3D. Always an incredible experience...

Every Astronomer needs Binoviewers...no really.

Jupiter was out, but still kinda low...and the skies were not the best in seeing. A bit hazy and the whole sky looked mucky - illuminated by the lunar glare. I spent some time again matching little star patterns to my Tablet star chart, bringing in many more close binaries and asterisms.

When Jupiter rose high enough, I slewed toward it and anticipated better views on what I caught last early morning. Try in a low power eyepiece, I teased out the planet...

And there it is....

A nice Jovian sandwich of light & dark at the S.E.B.

The camera does not translate well of the views, especially with the Binoviewers, but the GRS was spinning toward me nicely...

This camera of mine, Canon Powershot S3, does not deliver crisp detailed shots through the scopes. It's a great camera and the primary pic grabber for the Chicago Astronomer, but I strive for a FLEA-type of imaging device. Hooked up to the C11, would grab outstanding captures. Someday soon hope...! I spent quite awhile enjoying Jupiter, both in mono and stereoscopic views...and caught Io slipping from behind the planet into view. The bossman came out to see my monster scope and was blown away of what he saw.... ;D

Venus now popped up from behind a building...

I didn't stay out till dawn, as I was kinda tired, my body clock off from this additional watch, but I'm glad I brought the C11 with me.

Will I do it again the next day...?

We shall see.

[Paulie pchris00]

I've also been sneaking some scope time at work this week.

First, nice detail on the lunar shots. Once Schickard was fully in the sunlight, I noticed that it mare-like floor is darker along the eastern and western rims than in the middle, with the eastern (west visually) darkest. Not sure why that might be, but I'll read up on it. Your two shots from the morning of August 30 show this well. Last night, with the Moon pretty much full, I did some filtering on the Schickard floor to look for any additional clues.

Schiller is an interesting formation. It is almost certainly two separate craters, but all evidence of their shared rim was washed away when flooded from below. I need to look around that area for other clues to support that they were once separate impact features.

Jupiter. The big boy is up before midnight now, allowing for some long observing, and for those willing and able to observe between 4-5 AM, offering some nice high, steadier views. A few weeks ago, I saw some white ovals in the Northern Equatorial Belt (the Red Spot was coming around by the SEB). It looks to me like that banding you caught is also in the NEB. I wonder if the ovals I saw earlier this month became smeared out in the furious Jovian winds, sort of like what happened with Saturn's Serpent Storm a couple years ago?

It's good to get solo scope time, to look around and explore at your own leisure. To get quality time alone with the C11 and bino-viewers is even better.

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Four, count 'em, four Over night Observation sessions

31 August 2012

This last early morning session was iffy for me. An extremely bright Moon was dominating not only the sky...but my surrounding observation area....filling in what the obnoxious street lamps missed.

I did not use the Binoviewers this time, as now, the surface features were washed out and even with a variable Polarizer filter, just too bright.

What to do....what to do....

Well, I see that Neptune is hanging about the area...and in a conjunction too! Let's see if I can punch through the glare and find it. It took a lot of time, as the fainter stars now were washed out by the intense lunar light...but triangulating with the Moon, Hercules and Ares - I swept the general area with the C11 and the 56mm 2" eyepiece.

Could this be it....?

Neptune, has a distinct bluish color and has a disk, even in smaller scopes. This is looking good...and it's in the proper area. Popping in a 26mm, I take a closer look...

And we got it.

Pretty really.

I tried to locate Uranus, but had no luck. Either I kept passing it or the Moon was too bright....or both.

Next time.

Jupiter was up...but seeing was not good this session....

Then I thought I would take a shot at M45 - The Orion Nebula...

I was fighting nearby trees for a decent angle, but all I could achieve was a in-between the branches peek...

Still, decent for a Bright Moon filled session.

I snagged the Trapisium as well...

I spent the rest of the session slewing about, looking for hidden gems, but the intense Moonlight thwarted any such notions. Before I knew it...it was early dawn..and time to puit the gear away.

This was a nice 4 night solo session...I wish I could do more of these.

[Paulie pchris00]

Any night with Neptune is a good night. Nice find with Luna so bright.

[patrickm]

I always love spotting the blue jewel of Neptune. I star hopped a friend to it in my 15x70 binos while in Montana. It was in a very fortunate location, but the joy she expressed when she found it in binos will stick with me for a good long while.