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[Doug]

I'm brand new to this stuff -- I just got a new ETX 90 scope from Meade last week. I have been looking at this Javascript star chart on the Sky and Telescope website. It's very handy -- you type in your city, time, and date, and it displays the nighttime sky for you at that moment. I could see the Pleides were rising, and I pointed my scope out my window, which faces east, and I found them. They are really quite beautiful.

I then advanced the time on my sky chart a few hours, and saw that Saturn would be rising in the east at around 3:00 AM, followed by Venus soon after. I set my alarm for 3, got up, and there it was. Again I just pointed my scope out my window and saw a little tiny Saturn. I still only have the 26mm eyepiece that came with my scope, so I couldn't magnify beyond 48X. I'm in the process of looking for some more powerful eyepieces. But just looking at that tiny Saturn was really cool.

Then I tried to go back to bed, but couldn't, so I figured I would look at Venus too. Sure enough it was right there in the east in my window around 5 AM. It was so bright that I felt I couldn't resolve it. I suppose I need some filters too.

This is very exciting. I can't wait to get some new eyepieces and filters to get more detail out of the planets. This is all probably very passe for those of you who have seen these things countless times before, but for newbie like me, it is thrilling! Needless to say, I was pretty tired all day, but it was worth it!

[Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe]

Doug,

This will date me, but I remember targeting the objects you saw this morning as a kid in the early '70's...and remember how excited I got when I first focused Saturn in my 60mm telescope. There it was...in real time and something that "I" could do on my own...at any time I wished. Spending bitterly cold winter nights catching Orion's Nebula, (Don't do that too much now...it's a folly of youth), and straining to see Comet Kohoutek..which was a dud. I am as excited now about astronomy as I was three decades ago.

I am pleased that your interest in astronomy drives you to organize your day around it. It never becomes "passé" for me to observe familiar targets or listen to others express their observational sessions. Keep posting your observations here on the Chicago Astronomer Forum, that's what it's for.

Don't rush to buy the filters yet, but concentrate instead on higher power eyepieces first. Usually, we have at our disposal three eyepieces to work with. A wide/low powered one, (Like your 26mm), a medium 15mm+/-, and a high powered one for detail work like a 8/10mm+/-. Some of us die hards have multitudes of optical add-on's, but take your time...come out and join us when we set up. Take note of what our eyepieces look like in your scope, and you will be well armed when you order yours.

The Pleiades are always a pretty sight in the eyepiece, although when it appears...it means winter is soon coming. Sigh.

You are quite fortunate to have an eastern view, as you can catch the rising objects with your scope. When you are up again before the dawn hours, catch Orion...and below his belt of three stars, you will see a fuzzy patch. Focus in on that, and you will see M42, a Nebula with some young stars in it. Try and do it without the go-to, to develop your aiming skills.

Expecting more logs from Chicago Astronomer Doug soon.