Last night I went to Fremont Peak to support the public viewing night and to give my nearly finished 10-inch f/3.8 a darker sky try-out. I built a Springsonian mount for it; similar to a dobsonian but the axis of altitude rotation is at the eyepiece, not near the primary. I can sit comfortably and view, and move the scope to targets in that hour of right ascension without having to get up from my chair. I used an adjustable observer's chair so when the public guests came to my scope I could have them all sit for a view, no matter what height they were. The configuration proved it's worth when I was able to track the Jupiter/Venus conjunction all the way to the horizon while sitting, not having to contort or scrouch to reach the eyepiece. I used low power the whole night, 35x at 2.3° TFOV (with Paracorr). I have a fantasy about becoming an old school comet sweeper, and this is a good scope for it. It's wonderful for large extended objects and for dreamily scanning the Milky Way, which is pretty much what I did for the night.
SQML at zenith ranged from 20.7 to 20.9 from midnight to 2am. There was a marine layer to help with light pollution but we seemed to lose about half a mpas2 due to light scatter from the smoke. Winds were from the WSW so smoke was blowing over the site, and sometimes we could smell it. The sky from -10° down was badly obscured. When at meridian I could see the major stars making the Capricornus "smile," but no others within it. Fomalhaut shown brightly but I could not see any stars whatsoever below it. I found the Helix in the scope but it was a formless splotch. In the morning I hiked up to the summit. The sky to the south had very thick smoke haze; here's a couple pictures.
The haze, of course, is merely an inconvenience, and will pass. Those who have lost property and the family who lost their father to the fires deserve our compassion and support.
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Friday, August 26, 2016
10-inch f3.8 first light
After working weeks and taking up vacation days, I finally got the mount for the 10-inch f3.8 to the point where I could use it under the stars last night. It's a great little scope, optically; I love the wide field view. What makes it special is the Springsonian mount, where the axis of altitude rotation is at the eyepiece; I can sit and sweep the sky comfortably. I'm really going to love "Clara's Telescope."
Mechanically, there were some challenges. I hate the University Optics cell; it's too difficult to align inside the tube while securing the threaded rods. Surely there must be an easier way to mount but I don't know it. I had to prop the ring up with some wood while getting it centered then bolt it down. After a half an hour I got it close enough. I was able to collimate but needed to crank one bolt nearly all the way -- could be a lingering problem with the UO cell or just that the mirror is glued unevenly.
I had intended to use a motorcycle jack under the rocker box to make it a standing scope, one which many people of different heights could use. But I found the jack was too wobbly with the weight. I wonder why; if I had my motorcycle up to work on it I would want it solid. So I'm using the scope as sit-down only for now until I can figure out a way of making stand-up work.
I had to use more weight on the balance arm but i was prepared for it. The mount has some lateral wobble on side walls, but if I turn the azimuth buy the lower box there is no vibration. I need to redo the ground board, a little too tippy -- I will use hockey pucks and widen the radius of the teflon pads. I also need to relocate the Rigel Quickfinder.
Marine layer was blowing in, so I could only view in sucker holes. I found Altair first to line up the quickfinder. Right away I noticed the beautiful star field around the bright star; actually everywhere I looked was a beautiful field -- this is what the wide view gives you. I found I could still scan a wide swath of sky in right ascension -- maybe an hour or more -- which is nice, I don't need to constantly pick up the chair to move it around.
While scanning around Cygnus I came upon M39 -- it was a large, obvious association of stars, made all the more striking by seeing it in wider context with more sky around it. I had the same feeling when I swept up IC 4665 in Ophiuchus. I just happened upon it, a lovely large loose cluster. M6 the Butterfly Cluster. I could fit all of The Coathanger comfortably in the field.
I can't wait to take this to a darker sky and really see what it can do.
Mechanically, there were some challenges. I hate the University Optics cell; it's too difficult to align inside the tube while securing the threaded rods. Surely there must be an easier way to mount but I don't know it. I had to prop the ring up with some wood while getting it centered then bolt it down. After a half an hour I got it close enough. I was able to collimate but needed to crank one bolt nearly all the way -- could be a lingering problem with the UO cell or just that the mirror is glued unevenly.
I had intended to use a motorcycle jack under the rocker box to make it a standing scope, one which many people of different heights could use. But I found the jack was too wobbly with the weight. I wonder why; if I had my motorcycle up to work on it I would want it solid. So I'm using the scope as sit-down only for now until I can figure out a way of making stand-up work.
I had to use more weight on the balance arm but i was prepared for it. The mount has some lateral wobble on side walls, but if I turn the azimuth buy the lower box there is no vibration. I need to redo the ground board, a little too tippy -- I will use hockey pucks and widen the radius of the teflon pads. I also need to relocate the Rigel Quickfinder.
Marine layer was blowing in, so I could only view in sucker holes. I found Altair first to line up the quickfinder. Right away I noticed the beautiful star field around the bright star; actually everywhere I looked was a beautiful field -- this is what the wide view gives you. I found I could still scan a wide swath of sky in right ascension -- maybe an hour or more -- which is nice, I don't need to constantly pick up the chair to move it around.
While scanning around Cygnus I came upon M39 -- it was a large, obvious association of stars, made all the more striking by seeing it in wider context with more sky around it. I had the same feeling when I swept up IC 4665 in Ophiuchus. I just happened upon it, a lovely large loose cluster. M6 the Butterfly Cluster. I could fit all of The Coathanger comfortably in the field.
I can't wait to take this to a darker sky and really see what it can do.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
more doubles and moon
More or less a repeat session last night, Saturn, doubles, and the moon. I started a bit late, at 9:30pm. Saturn was lower and hurt by unsettled seeing. So I quickly moved up for some doubles in Hercules, at 277x mostly:
Sh 227: Bright white and much fainter bluish B, wide separation. [3.8, 10.1; 43"]
STF 2052: Hard to find given the full moon glare; can't see any stars in Sagittarius. Pretty pale yellow-orange pair of equal magnitude, about 2" separation. [7.7, 7.8; 2.0" exactly!]
Webb (Her): White A, pretty wide separation, about 2 magnitudes difference. The B gives the impression of being a very close kissing double. [6.3, 7.3; 157"]
STF 2079: Wide separation, yellowish A about 7th magnitude, B about 8th. [7.6, 8.1; 17"]
STF 2094: !! Wow! White-orange pair of equal magnitude, clean split when the seeing stills and the diffraction clears up. Third star off to the side, bluish about 3 magnitudes fainter, might be a triple? [AB 7.48, 7.87; 1.3". AC 11.7; 24.7. So I did observe the triple!]
NGC 6210: Turtle Nebula, a planetary nebula: This is close to STF 2094 and I gave it a try. I had made observations of it with my 20-inch a couple months ago. I was very surprised to see it, given red zone light pollution and a full moon with some thin fog creating glare wiping out more than half the naked eye sky. The PN was fairly bright and blinking, greenish, obround or almost rectangle in shape. No central star, but it was mottled and its edges were soft and diffuse. No filter used.
STF 2085: Bright A a "ruddy" yellow orange. B about 2 magnitudes fainter, widely separated. [7.38, 9.17; 6.3"]
STTA 149: Wide separation, white, A about 6th magnitude, B about 7th [7.24, 8.38; 97.7"]
Anonymous, about 2 degrees east of 19 Her, approximately 16h 30m +26 degrees: Using 553x, hairline split when seeing stills. Very close orange-yellow pair, A about 1 magnitude brighter. B is hidden in A's diffraction but there are for sure two disks when the seeing steadies. Absolutely wonderful sight.
I again ended the night with a low power view of the whole moon. It had not yet been hidden by the meridian tree so I had about 15 minutes of viewing before it passed behind some branches. Can't get enough of that view.
Sh 227: Bright white and much fainter bluish B, wide separation. [3.8, 10.1; 43"]
STF 2052: Hard to find given the full moon glare; can't see any stars in Sagittarius. Pretty pale yellow-orange pair of equal magnitude, about 2" separation. [7.7, 7.8; 2.0" exactly!]
Webb (Her): White A, pretty wide separation, about 2 magnitudes difference. The B gives the impression of being a very close kissing double. [6.3, 7.3; 157"]
STF 2079: Wide separation, yellowish A about 7th magnitude, B about 8th. [7.6, 8.1; 17"]
STF 2094: !! Wow! White-orange pair of equal magnitude, clean split when the seeing stills and the diffraction clears up. Third star off to the side, bluish about 3 magnitudes fainter, might be a triple? [AB 7.48, 7.87; 1.3". AC 11.7; 24.7. So I did observe the triple!]
NGC 6210: Turtle Nebula, a planetary nebula: This is close to STF 2094 and I gave it a try. I had made observations of it with my 20-inch a couple months ago. I was very surprised to see it, given red zone light pollution and a full moon with some thin fog creating glare wiping out more than half the naked eye sky. The PN was fairly bright and blinking, greenish, obround or almost rectangle in shape. No central star, but it was mottled and its edges were soft and diffuse. No filter used.
STF 2085: Bright A a "ruddy" yellow orange. B about 2 magnitudes fainter, widely separated. [7.38, 9.17; 6.3"]
STTA 149: Wide separation, white, A about 6th magnitude, B about 7th [7.24, 8.38; 97.7"]
Anonymous, about 2 degrees east of 19 Her, approximately 16h 30m +26 degrees: Using 553x, hairline split when seeing stills. Very close orange-yellow pair, A about 1 magnitude brighter. B is hidden in A's diffraction but there are for sure two disks when the seeing steadies. Absolutely wonderful sight.
I again ended the night with a low power view of the whole moon. It had not yet been hidden by the meridian tree so I had about 15 minutes of viewing before it passed behind some branches. Can't get enough of that view.
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
doubles and the moon
I had a nice session last night with the 12.5-inch, observed for two hours and had a fun, relaxing night.
I started out with Saturn at 277x with the apodizing screen. Seeing was not quite settled but there were some good steady moments. Aside from the usual Cassini Division and cloud band colors, I was struck by color darkness variations in the D / C rings, especially near the inner arcs. It could be due to the angle of the rings I was seeing through more material and that part of the ring appeared darker as a result?
Next I viewed some double stars, choosing to view as straight up as I could, just past meridian, in Hercules. The wide base of my orchard ladder meant that even though I set it close the to dobsonian base platform, my eye was too far away from the finder scope and eyepiece, and I needed to lean uncomfortably far over the side to see. I think I will need to rotate the tube to put the eyepiece out lower down. Seeing was good, Pickering 7. Of course I was lazy and didn't try to measure these pairs, it was more just enjoying the thrill of seeing a double in the eyepiece. My findings on Stelle Doppie are bracketed. Mostly at 277x:
STT 328: Very bright A & much fainter B, fairly widely separated. [4.5" sep, A 4.7 mag, B 10.3]
STF 2181: Might be a triple? Brighter yellow-red A and two stars, both rather faint, about the same separation but 120 degrees apart in PA. [Triple confirmed; A is 7.04 mag, B 10.54, C 12.55; sep 32.6" & 38.6" 110 degree difference in separation]
STT 157: Yellow A, widely separated from blue B. 2 magnitude difference. If placed on edge of field can see bright orange star. [In fact a multiple system, A has two close 0.8" separated faint stars which I didn't see. The AB pair is as described.]
STF 2220: Very bright yellow-white A, wide separation from fainter B. [This is in fact a complex multiple system with stars separated by 0.1, 0.6, 36, 321, and 335". STF 2220 proper is a A, BC triple. Pretty remarkable but no chance for me to detect the richness of the system.]
Anonymous, forms a triangle with STF 2220 & 87 Her, approximately 17h 45m +27 deg.: Faint red A and very faint B, also red. A real delight to see this, the nice surprise and wonder of a double star.
Anon, to SW, approximately 17h 40m +26 degrees: Bright A and wide 3x fainter B. Why anonymous in the CDSA? It should be easy in a smaller telescope.
STF 2194 was a pretty orange and blue pair, 3 magnitude difference, nicely separated [What I saw was the AB pair, 16.3" separation 6.51 vs 9.28 magnitude. The AC pair is 170.6" sep and a similar magnitude]
STF 2232 is a nice white and blue pair, widely separated and 2 magnitudes difference. [Agrees well, 6.3" separation and 6.71 vs 8.85 mag]
STF 2280 is a near equal bright white pair, clearly separated [I saw the AB pair, 14.4" separation & 5.81 & 5.84 magnitude. The AC pair is 79.9" separation and 11.80 for the C.]
Es 471: (discovered by Rev. T. E. H. Espin, who according to The Binary Stars by Aitkin "in 1901 began publishing lists of new double stars discovered with his seventeen and one-fourth inch reflector. The first list contained pairs casually discovered in the course of other work; later, Mr. Espin undertook the systematic observation of all the stars in the Bonn Durchmusterung north of +30 degrees, recording, and, as far as possible measuring, all pairs under 10" not already known as double. At this writing [1918] his discoveries have reached the total of 1,356." What I wrote in my notes was an uncertain observation: Very close white or faint wide separation B, bluish. I seem to have observed the AC pair which matches my second description with 7.21 A mag and 10.20 B mag. But this is in fact another complex multiple system: Espin found the AB and AC pair, the B and C having nearly the same separation but the B 14.20 magnitude, and spinning around the A at different PAs. There are earlier observations of three more stars, the C, D, & E, which all share a barycenter with A. These were discovered by Guy Soulie (SLE), a French astronomer who published lists between 1966-2007. Now, doesn't such a storied and interesting object deserve a more careful look than I gave it?
h1303: Fairly bright A, wide separation to a faint B. [6.22 mag A, 11.75 B, 39.8 sep]
STT 338: !! Nice! Used 553x. Just split, a pair of bright orange stars. Is there a third with wide separation? [Actually a quadruple system. I observed the AB pair, 0.8" separation 7.21 & 7.38 -- so the seeing was quite good. I probably saw the AC pair, 13.1 mag and 32.6" separation. The AD pair is 11.6 mag and 96.3" separation. This was the double of the night!]
STF 2215, Bright white A and very faint wide B. [This is a miss. Actual separation is 0.5" and they have similar magnitudes]
STF 2245: Very pretty orange and blue. Alberio like, but fainter and closer together; and the stars are about equal magnitude. [2.7" sep 7.43 A, 7.55 B]
STF 2190: Bright yellow A and fainter blue B. Wide separation. All by itself in Hercules' leg. [AB 10.4" 6.13 / 9.48. AC discovered by WAL (Wallenquist) 76.4" sep, 12.71 sep]
STF 2160: Bright white A, fainter and reddish B, wide separation. [3.7", not so wide; 6.4 and 9.28 mag]
STF 2140 = Rasalgethi, Bright orange A & pale green much fainter B. Very nice!
By this time the nearly full moon had cleared the "meridian tree," as I am calling it: a large tall pine tree in our neighbor's yard which is just to the east of meridian from where the 12.5-inch telescope is mounted. I can guestimate meridian passage for any object using the tree. I wanted to use low power on the moon (71x 1.1 degree TFOV), to just take it all in. Low power moon with larger aperture is just stunning. So many features, and the enormity of some of the craters and their ejecta trails become clear. I gazed for a good half hour before it was time to go to bed. I could have looked at it all night.
I started out with Saturn at 277x with the apodizing screen. Seeing was not quite settled but there were some good steady moments. Aside from the usual Cassini Division and cloud band colors, I was struck by color darkness variations in the D / C rings, especially near the inner arcs. It could be due to the angle of the rings I was seeing through more material and that part of the ring appeared darker as a result?
Next I viewed some double stars, choosing to view as straight up as I could, just past meridian, in Hercules. The wide base of my orchard ladder meant that even though I set it close the to dobsonian base platform, my eye was too far away from the finder scope and eyepiece, and I needed to lean uncomfortably far over the side to see. I think I will need to rotate the tube to put the eyepiece out lower down. Seeing was good, Pickering 7. Of course I was lazy and didn't try to measure these pairs, it was more just enjoying the thrill of seeing a double in the eyepiece. My findings on Stelle Doppie are bracketed. Mostly at 277x:
STT 328: Very bright A & much fainter B, fairly widely separated. [4.5" sep, A 4.7 mag, B 10.3]
STF 2181: Might be a triple? Brighter yellow-red A and two stars, both rather faint, about the same separation but 120 degrees apart in PA. [Triple confirmed; A is 7.04 mag, B 10.54, C 12.55; sep 32.6" & 38.6" 110 degree difference in separation]
STT 157: Yellow A, widely separated from blue B. 2 magnitude difference. If placed on edge of field can see bright orange star. [In fact a multiple system, A has two close 0.8" separated faint stars which I didn't see. The AB pair is as described.]
STF 2220: Very bright yellow-white A, wide separation from fainter B. [This is in fact a complex multiple system with stars separated by 0.1, 0.6, 36, 321, and 335". STF 2220 proper is a A, BC triple. Pretty remarkable but no chance for me to detect the richness of the system.]
Anonymous, forms a triangle with STF 2220 & 87 Her, approximately 17h 45m +27 deg.: Faint red A and very faint B, also red. A real delight to see this, the nice surprise and wonder of a double star.
Anon, to SW, approximately 17h 40m +26 degrees: Bright A and wide 3x fainter B. Why anonymous in the CDSA? It should be easy in a smaller telescope.
STF 2194 was a pretty orange and blue pair, 3 magnitude difference, nicely separated [What I saw was the AB pair, 16.3" separation 6.51 vs 9.28 magnitude. The AC pair is 170.6" sep and a similar magnitude]
STF 2232 is a nice white and blue pair, widely separated and 2 magnitudes difference. [Agrees well, 6.3" separation and 6.71 vs 8.85 mag]
STF 2280 is a near equal bright white pair, clearly separated [I saw the AB pair, 14.4" separation & 5.81 & 5.84 magnitude. The AC pair is 79.9" separation and 11.80 for the C.]
Es 471: (discovered by Rev. T. E. H. Espin, who according to The Binary Stars by Aitkin "in 1901 began publishing lists of new double stars discovered with his seventeen and one-fourth inch reflector. The first list contained pairs casually discovered in the course of other work; later, Mr. Espin undertook the systematic observation of all the stars in the Bonn Durchmusterung north of +30 degrees, recording, and, as far as possible measuring, all pairs under 10" not already known as double. At this writing [1918] his discoveries have reached the total of 1,356." What I wrote in my notes was an uncertain observation: Very close white or faint wide separation B, bluish. I seem to have observed the AC pair which matches my second description with 7.21 A mag and 10.20 B mag. But this is in fact another complex multiple system: Espin found the AB and AC pair, the B and C having nearly the same separation but the B 14.20 magnitude, and spinning around the A at different PAs. There are earlier observations of three more stars, the C, D, & E, which all share a barycenter with A. These were discovered by Guy Soulie (SLE), a French astronomer who published lists between 1966-2007. Now, doesn't such a storied and interesting object deserve a more careful look than I gave it?
h1303: Fairly bright A, wide separation to a faint B. [6.22 mag A, 11.75 B, 39.8 sep]
STT 338: !! Nice! Used 553x. Just split, a pair of bright orange stars. Is there a third with wide separation? [Actually a quadruple system. I observed the AB pair, 0.8" separation 7.21 & 7.38 -- so the seeing was quite good. I probably saw the AC pair, 13.1 mag and 32.6" separation. The AD pair is 11.6 mag and 96.3" separation. This was the double of the night!]
STF 2215, Bright white A and very faint wide B. [This is a miss. Actual separation is 0.5" and they have similar magnitudes]
STF 2245: Very pretty orange and blue. Alberio like, but fainter and closer together; and the stars are about equal magnitude. [2.7" sep 7.43 A, 7.55 B]
STF 2190: Bright yellow A and fainter blue B. Wide separation. All by itself in Hercules' leg. [AB 10.4" 6.13 / 9.48. AC discovered by WAL (Wallenquist) 76.4" sep, 12.71 sep]
STF 2160: Bright white A, fainter and reddish B, wide separation. [3.7", not so wide; 6.4 and 9.28 mag]
STF 2140 = Rasalgethi, Bright orange A & pale green much fainter B. Very nice!
By this time the nearly full moon had cleared the "meridian tree," as I am calling it: a large tall pine tree in our neighbor's yard which is just to the east of meridian from where the 12.5-inch telescope is mounted. I can guestimate meridian passage for any object using the tree. I wanted to use low power on the moon (71x 1.1 degree TFOV), to just take it all in. Low power moon with larger aperture is just stunning. So many features, and the enormity of some of the craters and their ejecta trails become clear. I gazed for a good half hour before it was time to go to bed. I could have looked at it all night.
mare ridge
Just catching up with a lunar observation made this weekend, 8/13 PST, which I didn't have time to record.
I was looking at the moon, as I am wont to do, and while observing the Mare Frigoris region noticed the thinnest of black lines running through the middle of the plain. It started at the point between craters Plato and Archytas, in the middle of the Mare, then proceeded west. I assumed it was a rille. It was very thin and rather depended on the seeing, which was good. I think I was using 553x but I'm not sure; it could have been 277x (I failed to note down the eyepiece I was using and I can't remember it now). After a few minutes the feature seemed to lengthen and its western tip took a turn to the south toward a peninsula of mountains southeast of crater Birmingham. Studying the area in Rukl today, I don't find any rilles here, just what appear to be wrinkle ridges.
The Kaguya Lunar Atlas, plate 31, has a partial picture of the area, and show what they identify as mare ridges. The portion of the "western tip" I saw curving to the "peninsula" is partially shown in the photograph. That ridge continues west beyond the peninsula, but I did not see that. Mare ridges usually mark buried rims of circular basin and usually have circular patterns; Mare Frigoris' mare rims are unusual in that they have a random pattern. The angle of light must have been just shallow enough for the ridge to cast a small shadow for me to see.
I also spent a fair amount of time trying to see the rille running the length of Vallis Alpes but could not.
Monday, August 15, 2016
perseids
Friday night I took the family camping to Henry Coe State Park to watch the Perseid meteor shower. Three other families joined us, so there were 19 people in all. It was nice for the kids to have friends to play with through the night. We had a group campsite at Manzanita Point. We met for pizza in Morgan Hill before driving up as a group, arriving at 6pm. Harry was running late, but fortunately he was able to get the message to us to start out before him. The adults and older kids hiked the 2 miles to the site, while I and another father drove the equipment and the smaller kids.
Setting up took another hour and the mosquitos were aggressive; we were close to a pond which was the only moisture in the whole area. The vault toilet smelled pretty bad and the kids resisted going in it. Otherwise, it was a decent site. All the horizons were blocked by trees but we had clear views overhead. Since the moon was to set around 1:30am we all decided to go to bed and sleep until then. This was a wise decision, since the kids and likely the adults would not have stayed awake so long and missed the shower altogether.
At 1am I woke and came out; the moon was low and it was possible to see a grainy Milky Way. Marine layer was over San Jose so it was pretty dark; but there was still wildfire smoke in the sky, scattering the light a little. More people started waking up and even all the kids got up -- which surprised me. We all found chairs or blankets to lie on and look up. There were a few faint meteors, and even some bright fireballs leaving smoke trails behind. I'd say there was one every one minute or so. But I didn't keep a close count, I was just enjoying the view and making sure the kids were ok. It was nice to hear the others, who don't do astronomy, oohing and ahhing at the meteors. As I lay with Clara and Carol on a blanket, Clara asked why the Milky Way was "broken." She was looking at the rift in Cygnus, which was overhead. What a great observation! I told her about dust blocking the stars beyond it.
Everyone went back into their tents after an hour or so. I stayed out in the lounge chair and wrapped myself up, intending to stay awake as long as I could. I had my 7x35 binoculars and had nice views of the Double Cluster, M31, and M33 -- which was just barely naked eye -- and finally the Pleiades, which was the best view I recall having. It's nice to see large open clusters in context with the surrounding sky. After another hour it seemed the pace of the meteors was dropping off, and I was nodding off too, so back into the tent I went.
In the morning we packed up and I stopped near Frog Pond for a while so the kids could chase a flock of turkeys -- Carol had seen them from the tent when she woke up. It made me happy to watch them playing, throwing rocks in the pond and having a fun time outdoors in the woods, like I remember from my own childhood.
Setting up took another hour and the mosquitos were aggressive; we were close to a pond which was the only moisture in the whole area. The vault toilet smelled pretty bad and the kids resisted going in it. Otherwise, it was a decent site. All the horizons were blocked by trees but we had clear views overhead. Since the moon was to set around 1:30am we all decided to go to bed and sleep until then. This was a wise decision, since the kids and likely the adults would not have stayed awake so long and missed the shower altogether.
At 1am I woke and came out; the moon was low and it was possible to see a grainy Milky Way. Marine layer was over San Jose so it was pretty dark; but there was still wildfire smoke in the sky, scattering the light a little. More people started waking up and even all the kids got up -- which surprised me. We all found chairs or blankets to lie on and look up. There were a few faint meteors, and even some bright fireballs leaving smoke trails behind. I'd say there was one every one minute or so. But I didn't keep a close count, I was just enjoying the view and making sure the kids were ok. It was nice to hear the others, who don't do astronomy, oohing and ahhing at the meteors. As I lay with Clara and Carol on a blanket, Clara asked why the Milky Way was "broken." She was looking at the rift in Cygnus, which was overhead. What a great observation! I told her about dust blocking the stars beyond it.
Everyone went back into their tents after an hour or so. I stayed out in the lounge chair and wrapped myself up, intending to stay awake as long as I could. I had my 7x35 binoculars and had nice views of the Double Cluster, M31, and M33 -- which was just barely naked eye -- and finally the Pleiades, which was the best view I recall having. It's nice to see large open clusters in context with the surrounding sky. After another hour it seemed the pace of the meteors was dropping off, and I was nodding off too, so back into the tent I went.
In the morning we packed up and I stopped near Frog Pond for a while so the kids could chase a flock of turkeys -- Carol had seen them from the tent when she woke up. It made me happy to watch them playing, throwing rocks in the pond and having a fun time outdoors in the woods, like I remember from my own childhood.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
a couple more stars
Observed last night with the 8-inch. I showed my nephew Andrew how to use the scope and he had a look at the moon, and was suitably impressed. I think he will want to see more.
I tracked down Ross 154 again, but I did not notice much change in brightness; if anything it was a little fainter.
R Aquilae was a pretty orange in the finder and still nicer in the eyepiece at 67x, brightest in a dense field. This variable has another big jump in magnitude shift, from 5 to 12. It's period is speeding up by a regular pace of 0.4 days per cycle. Its period was 300 days when first observed in 1856 but is now 270 days. "Something" must be going on in the star to make it so.
I should add, that while star hopping to R Aquilae I had a look at what were marked in the Pocket Sky Atlas as double stars, but without their designation (being too tight or with too large a magnitude difference to be seen in smaller scopes). There was one pair which I could squeeze in my 67x 1.3 degree field, and it was a lovely colorful "double double." One had a blue A and a 2x fainter orange B -- usually it is the other way around -- cleanly split. The other was of similar magnitudes but more blue-white. Looking at the CDSA today I see they are STF 2446 & STF 2449. STF 2446 is 9.5" separation and 6.97 vs 8.88; it has a C component 35" separated from A I did not notice. STF 2449 is 8" separated and 7.2 vs 7.72. It was a beautiful sight in the rich field.
61 Cygni was a bright & widely separated pair of orange stars. They were above my roof at the time and fuzzed out with heat currents, settling to nice buttons for only a couple seconds out of ten. Giuseppe Piazzi determined the pair's large proper motion in 1804, so it was nicknamed "Piazzi's Flying Star" -- as if it was part of a circus. It's a little over 11 light years away.
I tracked down Ross 154 again, but I did not notice much change in brightness; if anything it was a little fainter.
R Aquilae was a pretty orange in the finder and still nicer in the eyepiece at 67x, brightest in a dense field. This variable has another big jump in magnitude shift, from 5 to 12. It's period is speeding up by a regular pace of 0.4 days per cycle. Its period was 300 days when first observed in 1856 but is now 270 days. "Something" must be going on in the star to make it so.
I should add, that while star hopping to R Aquilae I had a look at what were marked in the Pocket Sky Atlas as double stars, but without their designation (being too tight or with too large a magnitude difference to be seen in smaller scopes). There was one pair which I could squeeze in my 67x 1.3 degree field, and it was a lovely colorful "double double." One had a blue A and a 2x fainter orange B -- usually it is the other way around -- cleanly split. The other was of similar magnitudes but more blue-white. Looking at the CDSA today I see they are STF 2446 & STF 2449. STF 2446 is 9.5" separation and 6.97 vs 8.88; it has a C component 35" separated from A I did not notice. STF 2449 is 8" separated and 7.2 vs 7.72. It was a beautiful sight in the rich field.
61 Cygni was a bright & widely separated pair of orange stars. They were above my roof at the time and fuzzed out with heat currents, settling to nice buttons for only a couple seconds out of ten. Giuseppe Piazzi determined the pair's large proper motion in 1804, so it was nicknamed "Piazzi's Flying Star" -- as if it was part of a circus. It's a little over 11 light years away.
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
sporadic observing
My observing has been a little light the last couple of weeks. Some nights I chose to work on the 10-inch mounting, which is slowly making progress. Other nights I was fooled by the marine layer -- I would see it on my drive home from work and it would seem to be blowing in, so I would not bother to set up. But after dark I'd look out the window and see clear sky. Other nights I would set-up the 12-inch but just enjoy some simple gazing at Mars, Saturn, or some random doubles -- not much to relate.
Last night I worked on the mount until dark and then observed for about an hour and a half with the 8-inch. Seeing was very good. The first quarter moon looked great, very contrasty and interesting, at 184x to start then 368x. Mars was noticeably gibbous and getting smaller. Saturn was really nice, with Cassini Division very steady and even the Encke Minima seen. The shadow Saturn casts on the rings seems to be getting larger. I could see some red/orange in the equatorial and polar regions, mixed with the sickly green.
The find of last night was Ross 154 (aka V1216 Sag), a young < 1 billion year old hydrogen burning flare star in Sagittarius. There were not enough stars to accurately star hop using the 50mm finder given the light pollution and haze near the horizon, so I positioned the reflex sight to the approximate location based on AAVSO finder charts. Located after some sweeping with a low power eyepiece, it had about the same magnitude as distinctive triangle of stars about half a degree to the SW. Reddish color. It fluctuates by 3-4 magnitudes every two days; a very remarkable object and worth monitoring throughout the season. It is a red dwarf, 17% sol mass and 24% sol radius, about 9 ly away and moving towards the sun, closest approach at 6.29 ly 157k years from now. I will try to get out again tonight to see if it has changed in relation to those marker stars. Oddly, I can't find any observations on AAVSO, I would think this is a commonly monitored star.
Last night I worked on the mount until dark and then observed for about an hour and a half with the 8-inch. Seeing was very good. The first quarter moon looked great, very contrasty and interesting, at 184x to start then 368x. Mars was noticeably gibbous and getting smaller. Saturn was really nice, with Cassini Division very steady and even the Encke Minima seen. The shadow Saturn casts on the rings seems to be getting larger. I could see some red/orange in the equatorial and polar regions, mixed with the sickly green.
The find of last night was Ross 154 (aka V1216 Sag), a young < 1 billion year old hydrogen burning flare star in Sagittarius. There were not enough stars to accurately star hop using the 50mm finder given the light pollution and haze near the horizon, so I positioned the reflex sight to the approximate location based on AAVSO finder charts. Located after some sweeping with a low power eyepiece, it had about the same magnitude as distinctive triangle of stars about half a degree to the SW. Reddish color. It fluctuates by 3-4 magnitudes every two days; a very remarkable object and worth monitoring throughout the season. It is a red dwarf, 17% sol mass and 24% sol radius, about 9 ly away and moving towards the sun, closest approach at 6.29 ly 157k years from now. I will try to get out again tonight to see if it has changed in relation to those marker stars. Oddly, I can't find any observations on AAVSO, I would think this is a commonly monitored star.
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