ups and downs

I had no specific plan for tonight; I was far too tired and frazzled from a difficult day at work to put a lot of effort into an observing session.  I relaxed with some low power views, lazily moving the scope while sighting through the telrad to find M37, M36, M38, M35.  M37 with its short intersecting arcs of bright stars garnished with faint glows of unresolved stars.  M35 with the large hole in its middle.  M38, rich and open.  M36 bright enough to see in the finder, but oddly sparse through the telescope.  I remembered this month marks the second year I took up astronomy, with the very 12.5 inch telescope I was using.

I moved over to M42 and clearly saw the pinkish, almost rainbow line of nebulosity to the north of the Trapezium.  The rest was greenish and heavily mottled.  I traced the two arcs which stretch out from the Trapezium and could tell, truly, it forms a bubble, but very faintly joined at the opposite end.  The whole sky was greyish with nebulosity.  I moved up to Sigma Orionis and was able to see four stars even at 71x.  I then continued up toward Zeta and then I saw the Horsehead.

Yes, believe it or not, B33 the Horsehead and IC 434, unfiltered, from my red zone back yard.  I had been paying attention to the greyish nebulosity in the area, and looking through the eyepiece while I used the slow motion spindle to move the telescope up from Sigma.  I could see a brightening in the nebulosity as it ran between two stars with a sudden cut off between those stars.  And there was the dark intrusion into that nebulosity which is B33.  It was glimpsed averted vision, and I could not hold it with direct vision.  It helped that I recognized the field and knew where to look; but it was there.  I excitedly put in my H-beta filter, but that actually hurt the view: it became to greyish and grainy, too unsettled to clearly make out the line of IC 434.  Back to unfiltered, and moving the scope up a little more to check my sanity and look for NGC 2023, the Flame, which was there as a mottled haze.  I must've been very lucky and hit a transparent pocket in what was not overall an especially clear night; though seeing was good.

Moving over to Jupiter, and switching to 277x, I instantly saw a reddish star on Jupiter's limb.  What a strange night!  It was just separated from the planet, and in fact the edge of Jupiter seemed to flatten just where the star was, as if to give it enough clearance to be seen.  I thought it could not be a moon, since it was at a higher angle (up in the southern pole region) and not in line with Jupiter's equator.  But as the minutes passed, I noticed more separation, and that the three moons which were visible were at a lower angle to the equator than what I might expect.  And in fact the star was an orange disk like shape, very similar to the moons.   So I finally decided this must be a moon, and the moons' orbits must be at some weird angle to earth to make them appear off kilter.  Sure enough, checking the position of the moons upon coming inside, I find it was Callisto, just exited from occultation behind Jupiter. 

And to my everlasting regret, I also find that just a few minutes after seeing Callisto's reemergence, but the deciding to pack it in for the night, Callisto disappeared behind Jupiter's shadow.  I could have seen this peek-a-boo for myself.  When will I learn to keep observing, and not come in too early?  Would that I could stay out all night, and not feel tired or have the daily obligations I have.