Spring is in the air...

Last night (3/17/2010) was absolutely beautiful. At dusk, it was clear, crisp and calm. Temperatures ranged in the mid to lower 50s. The winter constellations of Orion and Taurus are slowing slewing to the west as spring constellations begin to rise from the east like Virgo and Coma.

Mars is still sitting high in the sky and unmistakable at sunset. I took extra time in viewing the 4th planet from the sun. After close inspection for about five minutes (letting my eyes further adjust to the darkness) I began to see what appeared to be slight dark patterns. They would come and go as the planet moved in and out of focus due to atmospheric conditions. I felt a little like Percival Lowel, a famous Astronomer about 110 years ago who thought he saw canals on the red planet and thus was convinced there as life on Mars. Still, I was disappointed that even with a 10” aperture there is not much detail to observe. I also experimented with a #25 red planetary filter and though it isolated Mars nicely, it was inconclusive that more detail was discernable.

Venus is now visible in the western sky at sunset. Our 2nd planet from the sun should begin to rise in March. On previous observations, Venus was in varying degrees of phase much like our moon. I have noted in the past that both Mercury and Venus have phases due to its relation to the sun and earth. This time Venus was at full exposure but there was something very interesting to observe: Whether it was because of its low position near the horizon and atmospheric conditions were involved; a very discernable orange shadow was visible – much like a crescent, it was quite a contrast as compared to the usual bright yellow color that is Venus. So in essence, the planet exhibited it normal yellow, featureless color but on one edge there was almost a burnt orange crescent color that blended into the majority of yellow – possibly a shadow? The start of a phase?

I also viewed M78 in Orion, a diffused nebula at 8.0 mag. This object has proved elusive in the past. I was able to make out two bright points within the object and some evidence of gas which appeared to be surrounding proto stars? I also enjoyed M93 in Puppis. M93 is a dazzling open cluster at magnitude 6.5.

Copernicus

"So far as hypotheses are concerned, let no one expect anything certain from astronomy, which cannot furnish it, lest he accept as the truth ideas conceived for another purpose, and depart from this study a greater fool than when he entered it." - Copernicus

Rough winter for viewing

It has been a difficult winter in the midwest. This explains why I have posted so few blogs through the winter months of January and February. We have had snow on the ground since Christmas and when it was clear, viewing was marred by a bright moon or severe cold.

Astro-Imaging has also proven to be a challenging task, especially in the cold of the winter. I am new to the prospect of taking deep space images and I have not been granted the luxury of sitting outside for long periods of time to figure out my image train and the incredible complexities of polar alignment, focal length and imaging with my new SCT 8" scope. Infact, it has been a frustrating venture especially when you begin to add up the amount of money spent to take my love for astronomy to the next level. It takes time and patience, both I will have more of when the air warms and Spring brings promise of longer session outside under the stars. Eventually, everything will click and progress should come with more ease and success.

Still to come, my first images using my new image train, new reviews and hopefully the conclusion of my Messier object catalog project.

Mars sits high in the evening sky

Spring has greeted the midwest with warmer weather and the planet Mars in the eastern sky near zenith. After sunset the orange/red planet is easily spotted as it tracks to the south west before midnight. Mars is in retrograde motion and resumes an eastward motion through April as it nears conjuction with M44 next month.
Using a 10" Dob with a 5mm eyepiece, the red planet is impressive in size but unimpressive in its detail. Though viewing conditions have been terrible, I was unable to make out any dark or light patterns or the pre-noted polar ice caps. Nevertheless, Mars is unmistakable and beautiful even without detail. Darker skies will no doubt reveal more secrets.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after Mars, the Roman god of war. It is also referred to as the "Red Planet" because of its reddish appearance, due to iron oxide prevalent on its surface. Mars is a terrestrial planet with a thin atmosphere, having surface features reminiscent both of the impact craters of the Moon and the volcanoes, valleys, deserts and polar ice caps of Earth. Unlike the Earth, Mars is now a geologically inactive planet with no known tectonic activity. It is the site of Olympus Mons, the highest known mountain in the Solar System, and of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon - wikipedia

The Andromeda Galaxy Re-Visited

Viewing Session: December 9th, 2009
Location: Kekaha, HI
Time: 7:36PM HWT
Weather: Clear - Calm
76 temp
12" Dob
25mm eyepiece

This was a night to remember: A dark moonless night on a rural beach in Kauai. My focus was the Andromeda Galaxy in all her glory. I have already cataloged M31 in October, 2008. For an amateur observer, M31 is an easy object to target and enjoy. More evasive is its neighbors M32 and M110. Using a 12” Dob with a 25mm eyepiece, M32 was small but noticeable within the haze of M31. Almost a pinpoint of light, M32 a dwarf elliptical galaxy and seen at 9.2 magnitude. Normally difficult to find in light polluted skies, M32 was easily targeted in Kauai. Also found was M110 another dwarf elliptical galaxy and also a satellite of Andromeda. M110 has a similar magnitude like M32 but sits off on the periphery of M31 and has been elusive up until this dark night.  M110 is visually much larger than M32 but not as brilliant – thus why the two objects have similar magnitudes. Aloha Kauai and Mahalo until next time.

Kauai

The Island of Kauai boasts some of the darkest nights in America. Couple that with warm weather, few bugs and many clear views and this is the place for observational astronomy. My viewing area was in Kekaha on the west side of the Garden Island. There at Kekaha Beach Park most of the horizon is all ocean and unobstructed for thousands of miles, thus; some of the most amazing stellar vistas. With the moon waning the night sky was spectacular! It was almost as if the constellations of Orion, Taurus and Cassiopeia were in 3-D; jumping off the fabric of the sable heavens above.

I was fortunate enough to get in contact Roz Reiner, a Kauai resident and astronomy educator. Also known as "Rocket Roz", she is the webmaster for Astro Events -Stargazing Kauai http://rozhome.com/astroevents/?view. Roz hosts guided sky tours and offers an impressive variety of observational astronomy and Hawaiian celestial knowledge. If you are in Kauai and want to do some star gazing, contact Roz for a great viewing session. Thanks Roz!

Jupiter was impressive and we stole a look at Mercury as the sun set over the ocean. The Milky Way was like a swath of glowing light that looked like a painted stripe across the sky. Unlike my suburb viewing location here in Port Barrington the sky in Kauai is so dark that that open clusters in Cassiopeia could be seen with the naked eye. This included the Andromeda Galaxy and M42 in Orion which were even more impressive with binoculars. Orbiting satellites could be seen whizzing across the heavens and errant meteors were commonplace.

Barrington Moon

My wife Annamarie took this picture with our new Canon PowerShot SX10IS. The image was photographed at dusk in South Barrington on November 30th, 2009. It is always a bonus when the better half takes an interest in Astronomy.