Spiral Galaxies and Globulars

3/19/09
8:45pm-9:24pm CST
Clear
5-10 mph winds
27 degree temp

I viewed M53 in Coma Berenices, an 8.5 magnitude Globular Cluster using a 10mm eyepiece. M3 through a 10mm eyepiece was probably the most impressive object found tonight: At magnitude 6.5 this Globular Cluster found in Canes Venatici . M3 was a very pronounced dusty sphere of about 500,000 stars. I also viewed M94 considered a spiral galaxy but also cataloged as an elongated galaxy. At magnitude 9.5 this object was more or less a dusty sphere – no spiral construction was determined. I Cataloged HIP62700 as a reference star near by in Canes Venatici. M94 was best seen using a 5mm eyepiece. I also viewed M106 in Ursa Major, another dusty and dim Spiral Galaxy. Best seen using a 10mm eyepiece this object has a 9.5 magnitude. Saturn was very impressive tonight in the East, North East sky – The rings are still edge on and several moons where visible. Using a 5mm eyepiece, I was able to make out cloud bands and some interesting ring detail.

Venus Re-Visited

March 2nd, 2009
6:45pm CST
Partly Cloudy - 13 degree temp
Calm Wind
10" dob
5mm Starshoot SS Camera II 1.3 mp
Moon Filter 13% T

Venus exhibiting a phase in relation to the Sun and our vantage on Earth

Waxing Crescent

March 2nd, 2009
6:45pm CST
Partly Cloudy - 13 degree temp
Calm Wind
10" dob
10mm Starshoot SS Camera II 1.3 mp

Moon Filter 13% T

The Moon - Waxing Crescent: 39% of full

Galileo's Saturn

In the spirit of the International Year of Astronomy, I present this miserable image of Saturn taken last night around 7:30pm CST under clear skies and cold 13 degree temperatures. This was my first attempt at astro imaging our 6th planet from the sun and from previous experience, I can only get improved images in the future. Saturn was sitting on the Eastern horizon and was being effected by atmospheric conditions making it difficult to focus and expose.

Never-the-less, it got me thinking about Galileo's first peeks at Saturn between 1610 and 1616 when Saturn appeared not as a planet with rings, but more like a planet with ears or handles as he wrote in his journals: "The two companions are no longer two small perfectly round globes ... but are present much larger and no longer round ... that is, two half ellipses with two little dark triangles in the middle of the figure and contiguous to the middle globe of Saturn, which is seen, as always, perfectly round".

It got me thinking: Though I was able to see a perfect image of Saturn "on edge" in my 10mm eyepiece, my photographed image was far from perfect - maybe a similar glimpse of what Galileo saw through his 20 power scope over 400 years ago - the difference being, I knew what I was looking at and he really did not until years later when better telescope technology showed clearly that Saturn has a ring system.