Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Sept 30, 2004 16:14:41 GMT -6
I always enjoy the rising of the full moon and catching the very first glint above the horizon. September was no exception.
I arrived about 6:00 pm and noticed that the winds were incredible fierce and gusty. I thought that it would not be possible for a decent session this evening. Fellow Chicago Astronomer Steve arrived, and after assessing the situation,we decided to be bold and give it a go.
We lugged our equipment to the south lawn of the Adler Planetarium and set up by the galaxy stone formation, or as other people call it "Little Stonehenge".
I set up my 4.5" scope in a jiffy, but with Steve's precise Celestron 8" Nexstar, it takes a bit longer.
The winds were softer now as the Planetarium acted as a wind break, but every once in a while a gust would catch us. My empty telscope case kept falling over, so the last time it did, I decided to leave it where it lay. The clouds were now rolling all around us, and brilliantly illuminated by the setting sun. Quite a pretty sight. To the west, the skies seemed to clear up, but where we needed a clearing, to the east, there was none to be found. I have on my telescope case a weather radio, and turned it on, but heard no respite from the current conditions.
This very nice man from Indiana took pics of us at my request. But the clouds were relentless and the 6:55 pm rise was approaching fast. Nancy (Starrysungazer), joined us now, and with some others who gathered that were curious on what we were doing, we all scanned the eastern horizon for any indication of the rising moon.
It was now passed moon rise time, and no moon to be seen. Could I have been off in the rise time, did I accurately take into consideration the daylight saving nonsense? We then started to notice that, although the moon was not visible, the heavy cluster of clouds were being illuminated from the other side, and outlines in silver moon glow.
We anticipated and looked for breaks in the clouds, and let out cheers when it finally broke thru for short periods of time. So bright it was, that it gave the surrounding areas a eerie glow...the lake, the grounds we were on and of course, the ever changing clouds.
When the opportunities were presented to us, we would grab quick peeks thru our scopes and took in the full moon in all it's glory. I kept my scope trained on the moon, while Steve attempted to locate other celestial targets with his go-to capability. But every time he punched in an object, it would train itself right smack in a cluster of dark clouds, time and time again. There will be no targeting this evening.
We watched the moon some more, and the naked eye view, in my opinion, was the best, where one could take in all of the moonlit surroundings and feel the brisk autumn wind. It was quite a surreal sight.
We packed up, trotted back to our vehicles and went on our ways.
It was a hell of a good night for a moon watch and a good time! I'll be there for the Lunar eclipse in late October.
I arrived about 6:00 pm and noticed that the winds were incredible fierce and gusty. I thought that it would not be possible for a decent session this evening. Fellow Chicago Astronomer Steve arrived, and after assessing the situation,we decided to be bold and give it a go.
We lugged our equipment to the south lawn of the Adler Planetarium and set up by the galaxy stone formation, or as other people call it "Little Stonehenge".
I set up my 4.5" scope in a jiffy, but with Steve's precise Celestron 8" Nexstar, it takes a bit longer.
The winds were softer now as the Planetarium acted as a wind break, but every once in a while a gust would catch us. My empty telscope case kept falling over, so the last time it did, I decided to leave it where it lay. The clouds were now rolling all around us, and brilliantly illuminated by the setting sun. Quite a pretty sight. To the west, the skies seemed to clear up, but where we needed a clearing, to the east, there was none to be found. I have on my telescope case a weather radio, and turned it on, but heard no respite from the current conditions.
This very nice man from Indiana took pics of us at my request. But the clouds were relentless and the 6:55 pm rise was approaching fast. Nancy (Starrysungazer), joined us now, and with some others who gathered that were curious on what we were doing, we all scanned the eastern horizon for any indication of the rising moon.
It was now passed moon rise time, and no moon to be seen. Could I have been off in the rise time, did I accurately take into consideration the daylight saving nonsense? We then started to notice that, although the moon was not visible, the heavy cluster of clouds were being illuminated from the other side, and outlines in silver moon glow.
We anticipated and looked for breaks in the clouds, and let out cheers when it finally broke thru for short periods of time. So bright it was, that it gave the surrounding areas a eerie glow...the lake, the grounds we were on and of course, the ever changing clouds.
When the opportunities were presented to us, we would grab quick peeks thru our scopes and took in the full moon in all it's glory. I kept my scope trained on the moon, while Steve attempted to locate other celestial targets with his go-to capability. But every time he punched in an object, it would train itself right smack in a cluster of dark clouds, time and time again. There will be no targeting this evening.
We watched the moon some more, and the naked eye view, in my opinion, was the best, where one could take in all of the moonlit surroundings and feel the brisk autumn wind. It was quite a surreal sight.
We packed up, trotted back to our vehicles and went on our ways.
It was a hell of a good night for a moon watch and a good time! I'll be there for the Lunar eclipse in late October.