A year later....

For no ones' interest but my own... November, 2009 marks the one year anniversary for the Celestial Chronicle. It was a year ago that I purchased my Orion 10” Dobsonian. Now, 12 months later, I have added the new 8” Celestron Advanced Series C8-SGT Schmidt-Cassegrain. Recent additions also include the new Orion StarShoot Pro V2.0 Deep Space Color CCD camera for advanced astro-imaging.

My first major amateur observational astronomy project was to index the entire Messier catalog (at a relaxed and enjoyable pace). Much like Charles Messier himself, I am sketching and manually indexing every DSO object found which includes a scaled pencil drawing and notation of basic location, weather and tools used during observation. I have found the process to be a very enjoyable and rewarding hobby. 68 Messier objects later, I am planning on completing this project by next Fall, 2010. Most remaining objects are too dim for Port Barrington, IL ( 10.0 magnitude or dimmer) and/or are near the horizon and difficult to locate from my observation deck. Several off site trips will be required to complete the 110 object catalog.

As I navigate the learning curve of astro-imaging, I will begin my next project which will include photographing the entire Messier catalog – a project that will take five years and plenty of toil and effort. All future images will be indexed at my new web domain: DSOcatalog.com (Deep Space Object Catalog). I look forward to also imaging the solar system including all planets and any wayward asteroids and comets that become visible.

Next year will bring observation opportunities in Kauai and Costa Rica which will allow me to view the Southern Hemisphere sky in more detail. West Kauai will provide "extreme" darkness and Costa Rica will provide never before seen constellations. In response to the perils of airline travel, I have also recently purchased new Orion 9x63 “Mini Giant” Binoculars.

I look forward to the future – future blogs and future discoveries. In the coming years, I will strive to build my own permanent observatory to help assist in this fledgling hobby that has in many ways turned into an obsession.

Still to come, more equipment reviews and observations as winter arrives here in the Midwest.

JCB

M30

Due to inclement weather, this is the first night out to observe in over a month. Having scoured the skies last Fall, I did find M30 last night: A faint but pronounced globular cluster. Used my 10" Dob and a 10mm eyepiece to easily make out the core. Found in Capricornus, I used 41 Cap as a reference star to help find this 8.5 mag. object.

11/8/09
5:45pm CST
Clear - Calm
68 degrees
10"
10mm
Port Barrington

Neptune

9/16/09
8:15pm CST
Clear - 5-10 mph winds
62 degree temp
C8
10mm

I had some difficulty finding Neptune with my 10" Dob. Star jumping only worked so well as Neptune itself looks just like a star in low magnification. On a trial run with my new C8 advanced series GOTO Telescope (review to come later), I was able to target the mysterious blue planet with ease. Located to the southeast of Jupiter - less than a couple degrees infact - in the south eastern sky right after dusk one will find Neptune, the 8th planet from the Sun.  In a 25mm eyepiece, one could make out the blue color which already sets it off from typical star spectrum colors. When using a 10mm eyepiece, the disc is attainable and thus Neptune was confirmed. A bluish green disc - probably more blue than green when you really focus on it. Confirmation can also be made by slewing out and comparing it to nearby stars within the field of view. It is then you can make out the disc like feature that seperates it from the stars in the background.

Neptune, named for the Roman God of the sea, is the forth largest planet by diameter and third largest by overall mass. Neptune has 17 times more mass than Earth and sits about 30.1 AU from the sun or about 30 times the Earth-Sun distance.

As I get beyond the learning curve of my new C8 and the new CCD camera recently purchased, I will begin posting more astro images of both the planets and DSO objects. Please visit DSOcatalog.com for more information.

Plenty of views in Sagittarius

My first visit was with M21, an open cluster in Sagittarius. I also viewed M22, a Globular Cluster at magnitude 6.5. M22 is supposedly the 3rd brightest Globular in the northern hemisphere; Hard to agree due to the interstellar dust that resides in this region. I also viewed M24, an open cluster in the same region. M24 appeared as a dense bundle of stars within the Milkyway. Finally, I viewed M28, a dim, dusty Globular also residing in Sagittarius. I was unable to see M20 (Trifid Nebula) or M8 (Lagoon Nebula) - mostly due to interstellar dust in this region and poor seeing conditions due to light pollution.

I also attempted to view Neptune tonight but failed to locate its small bluish disc. Jupiter was spectacular as usual in the Southern sky.

The Wild Duck Open Cluster

8/22/09
9:05pm to 10:24pm cst
partly cloudy to clear
mid 50s
Whitewater, WI

I viewed M26, an open cluster in Delphinus. At magnitude 9.5, it was not very exciting from my dark vantage point. M11 was the center piece of the night: at 250 million years old, M11 (also known as the Wild Duck Cluster) has about 3000 stars and is considered a open cluster. With a 25mm eyepiece, this deep sky object was impressive. M25 was another nice looking open cluster. Tough to miss at 4.90 magnitude, M25 has approx. 600 stars. M14 is a dim Globular in Ophiuchus, resolved in a 10mm eyepiece. M9 was another dim Globular resolved best in a 25mm eyepiece, located in Ophiuchus. M107 was difficult to view at 10 magnitude. Another Globular in Ophiuchus, it was dim though discernable using a 10mm eyepiece. M10 was a nice, though modest Globular in Ophiuchus. At magnitude 7.50, it was easy to view the dense core using a 10mm eyepiece. M16 is known as the Eagle Nebula. At 6.0 magnitude, it was easy to find, but difficult to draw: dusty, dim and hard to discern the actual shape. Best seen using a 10mm eyepiece. M17 was another dim, dusty looking Nebula that was easily found at 7.0 magnitude but difficult to draw. Finally, I viewed M18, a open cluster in Sagittarius. Worth noting you could see the dim "Milkyway" tonight.

M27, Planetary Nebula in July

M12 is a distant, faint globular cluster in Ophiuchus. At magnitude 8.00 this was viewed with a 10mm eyepiece. Also viewed was M23, in Sagittarius, a nicely detailed open cluster at magnitude 6.0 - best viewed with a 10mm eyepiece (object filled the entire field of view). M23 is approx. 4,500 light years from Earth. M27 is a planetary nebula found in Vulpecula. Using a 10mm eyepiece, I was able to just make out the dumbbell shape at magnitude 7.50. This nebula is about 1,250 light years away. M56 is a distant looking globular cluster in Lyra which is 40,000 light years away. I also found M71 in Sagitta, about 8,500 light years away. Difficult to view, this globular is about magnitude 8.5. Finally, I viewed M92, a globular in Hercules. Not as impressive as M13, this magnitude 7.50 object is still a worthwhile sight at 28,000 light years away.

South Barrington, IL
7/24/09
9:45-10:30pm CST
Clear - Calm
70 degrees
10"
10mm

The Great Hercules Globular Cluster

On June 25th, I viewed the impressive Hercules Globular Cluster, also known as M13. It was a balmy night in low 80s. Unfortunately, the mosquito's were terrible so it was a short night. M13 is a monster globular and at magnitude 7.0, a real eye stopper. With a 10mm eyepiece, I was able to discern actual individual stars. Found in the constellation Hercules, this cluster is comprised of about 400,000 stars and is 25 million light years away.

I also viewed M29 in Cygnus, a small open cluster. At magnitude 9.0 it was just an ordinary open cluster with about 6-7 primary alpha stars.

6/25/09
10:00pm-10:30pm CST
Partly Cloudy - Calm
79 degrees F
10"
10mm