Final Observing Report of 2012

Tonight was a good end to a great year of astronomy. I haven’t been out in a couple of weeks so I decided to wrap up the year with a short session tonight. Conditions weren’t great, transparency and seeing were average. I got a good view of Jupiter and its moons, as well as the Pleiades. I waited a little bit for Orion to rise and observed the Orion nebula and Auriga and Gemini clusters, M35, M36, M37, and M38. This year was my first full year in astronomy, and I really enjoy this hobby and look forward to more experience and clear skies in 2013.

Here's a short video I threw together documenting some of my experiences in 2012.

Widefield: Orion and Moon

Here's a wide-field shot of the Moon and Orion. This picture was taken around 9:30pm, the full moon washes everything out. Also, here's a close-up shot of the moon.

10 sec., ISO 200.

10 sec., ISO 200.

1/2000 sec., ISO 200.

2012 Space Year in Review

I recently made a video of space highlights in 2012, including Curiosity, SpaceX, etc.

Also, here are pictures of the sun and moon from today.

1/640 sec., ISO 400

1/1250 sec., ISO 200

Halo around the Moon

The world didn't end! Here's an image from tonight; a Lunar Halo. This event is caused by moonlight reflecting off ice crystals in our upper atmosphere.

10 sec., ISO 800

ISS Passover

The International Space Station passed over earlier this evening. I got some wide field images, it leaves trails. It was my first time ever seeing the ISS pass over. It started out dim in the SW, then got really bright as it passed overhead. It got dimmer as it retreated in the NE. Seeing the ISS was a great experience.

All images are 15 sec., ISO 400. Processed in Photoshop CS6.

Pictures from Tonight

Here's some pictures through my scope tonight. It was a good, clear night. I focused on imaging because the Waxing Gibbous makes it hard for DSO's.

83% Waxing Gibbous - 1/640., ISO 200

Jupiter and moons - 1/4., ISO 800

Pleiades Star Trail - 30 sec., ISO 800

Observing Report: High Powered Viewing + Moon

Tonight was a great night! I went out at 7:45 and did 30 minutes of Lunar observing. Transparency was poor but seeing was good. I saw the Apollo 11 landing sight close up at 250x with my new adjustment ring. I also saw Armstrong, Collins, and Aldrin craters. I used Turn Left at Orion for narrowing in on spots on the moon. The moon is still one of my favorite objects to observe. I then turned to Jupiter, one of the best views I’ve ever gotten out of the planet. It looked great at 250x. The Great Red Spot and four of Jupiter’s moons were clearly visible, and cloud belts were easily seen. I was going to wait another half an hour for Orion to rise above the trees, but things started dewing up and my telescope was soaking wet. Tonight was fun and I can’t wait for later this winter.

Here's tonight's picture of the moon. 1/500 sec., ISO 400.

Sun: November 12, 2012

Here's today's sun. A lot of sunspots are visible. Single shot, 1/1250 sec., ISO 200. Processed in Photoshop CS6.

Observing Report: A Bad Night Out

Tonight was a bust. Conditions weren’t great, and it was very cold and dry. I looked forward to a good night, having 12 objects on my list. I only ended up observing 3 of them. The only positive thing about tonight was the fact that I observed M76, The Little Dumbbell Nebula. Conditions weren’t good enough for M33, M74, and some other Messiers. On top of all that, I misaligned my finder scope at the end of the night. Hopefully next session will be better. On the bright side though, I am buying a high powered planetary eyepiece tomorrow. 

M76 The Little Dumbbell Nebula

Observing Report: M33 Triangulum Galaxy

Tonight was an amazing night. I went out at 7:30pm. This is my first time observing since the time change; it’s getting dark around 5:30pm now, which is great. I had one simple goal for tonight: observe the Triangulum Galaxy (M33). I used my SkyandTelescope pocket atlas for the first time. I like it but I have to get used to it. Mobile sky maps are easier to read for me right now. This was also the first night I listened to music while observing. The song is The Far River by John Sierre. Hubblesite’s Tonights Sky videos use that music. It is relaxing and awe inspiring, really complementary to observing. Seeing and transparency were both above average. I could pick out magnitude 4.8 stars with my naked eye. I got sidetracked in Cassiopeia at first, finding a few NGC open clusters with the Pocket Atlas. I revisited M103, nothing special. Then I moved on to my goal, the Triangulum Galaxy. I used Sky Safari Plus as my guide. The Sky map is really good. I searched for 5 minutes with no luck. Then I slowly went through the area it was supposed to be in. I saw a very faint, large smudge! I moved it around the eyepiece to make sure I wasn’t just seeing things and sure enough, it was M33! I looked through the Tel-Rad and confirmed it’s position in the sky. I can’t believe I found it in an orange zone on the bortle scale. I spent 10 minutes gazing at it. Thinking about how their could be intelligent life there looking at our own Milky Way Galaxy. The music added a nice effect to it also. I wrapped up the night at 9:15pm, looking at Jupiter, it’s four moons in a straight line, and the Great Red Spot. The GRS transited across the center of the planet at 8:15pm, but getting earlier each day. Tonight was my last chance to see it for a couple of weeks.

I did not take this picture.

M33 Triangulum Galaxy

Observing Report + Lots of Wide-field Images

I went out for an hour tonight, and was well rewarded. At 9:00pm it is finally dark, but the moon rises close to 10 so I didn’t have much time for DSO’s. Transparency was poor, but seeing was good. I had four objects on my list tonight. I ended up getting distracted and only observing two of them, while adding another to the list. I was going to go for M75 and the Saturn Nebula, but I got sidetracked in the Summer Triangle. I planned on observing the Ring Nebula, but the Double Double, a four star system, caught my attention. It is in the constellation Lyra, near Vega. There are two stars close to each other, each with a companion with separations of 2.3 and 2.8 arc seconds. I was able to barely split these four stars at 150x, and I was excited. By the time I was ready to continue to the list, M75 and the Saturn Nebula were too low in the skyglow. The last two objects were M2 and Jupiter. I easily found and observed M2, and then moved on to Jupiter. It is still low in the East, but seeing was good and I was impressed with the view. The GRS was just coming around the limb of the planet. I was able to see Io, Callisto, and Ganymede. Europa was behind the planet. I need a high powered eyepiece. I spent the last 20 minutes taking some wide-field shots of Jupiter, the Pleiades, Cassiopeia, and the Summer Triangle. Nothing new tonight except the Double Double binary star system, but it was a fun night of observing.    

Here's some of the wide-field images from tonight. All of them were 10 second exposures, ISO 400.

Pleiades

Jupiter and Aldebaran between the tree

Summer Triangle

Cassiopeia

Airplane streaks

Observing Report: Jupiter's Back!

Tonight was a great night and brought back memories from almost a year ago. I looked out the window and saw two bright stars low on the horizon. I checked Sky Safari Plus, and sure enough, it was Jupiter and Aldebaran. When I got home I went out at 10:00pm. Conditions weren’t great; the almost full moon lit up the sky, Jupiter was still low in the sky, and seeing was poor. However, I got a look at Jupiter for the first time on over 9 months. I clearly saw Io, Ganymede, and Callisto. Europa was behind Jupiter at the time I was observing. The Pleiades were above Jupiter, and they looked good in my 21mm Baader Hyperion. I spent some time looking at the 93% Waxing Gibbous moon. I put in my moon filter which blocks some of the light, it helped a little. I need a high powered eyepiece to observe close up, as my highest power is only 150x right now. I put in my blue filter just for fun, experiencing a “blue moon.” I spent the rest of my time getting some wide field images of Jupiter, Aldebaran, and the Pleiades. I’m really looking forward to winter and I’m getting ready for Orion and the other familiar constellations appear. This is the last part of the sky I have not observed, but I’m still excited for winter; and the long, dark nights. In the meantime I ordered SkyandTelescope’s Pocket Atlas. Pictures taken by me.

15 sec., ISO 200.

Moon: October 23, 2012

This was my first moon picture in almost two months. I definitely have to get back into the techniques and tricks I've learned in the past. This was not my best shot, but I'm looking forward to some more lunar and solar imaging in the coming weeks.

Observing Report October 15, 2012

I got a quick 25 minute session in tonight. I wasn’t planning on going out, but conditions were good so I decided to get some more observing in. I’m still a little rusty. The conditions were excellent, but seeing was average. Not that I was observing planets, Jupiter is just starting to climb above the horizon around 9:15pm. I can’t wait for later this year; Jupiter is my favorite planet to observe. The first thing I noticed tonight was M45 Pleiades through the trees. It was a great sight, it was one of the first things I observed when I first got into astronomy a year ago. That was my first time seeing it in over 7 months. I quickly glanced at Uranus then tried for M33, the Triangulum Galaxy. After 10 minutes of searching I just wasn’t able to see it. I was in the right place, I just don’t think  the skies were dark enough and my 6 inch scope may not be enough aperture to spot it in a suburban area. The last thing I looked at was M31/M32/M110. M31 wasn’t as prominent as usual so that could be a good sign regarding M33. Tonight was the first good night in a while and I’m ready for the winter constellations!

M45 Pleiades Star Cluster

Sun October 13, 2012

I finally got to do some solar imaging today. This took longer than usual because I had to get back into the routine. 1/1250 sec, ISO 200. Single shot. Nothing to interesting here but a couple nice sun spots nonetheless.

Short Report + Telescope Update

I went out last night for about 30 minutes, and the winter constellations are starting to rise earlier and earlier. I saw the Andromeda galaxy as well as the Double cluster for the first time in more than six months. This part of the sky is the last part of the sky I have yet to observe, I got into astronomy in November of 2011. I'm really excited for the winter constellations.

I am looking to get a new telescope in the next couple months. My budget range is $400-$700. I'm going to get into planetary imaging and maybe some deep-sky astrophotography soon. I'm looking for a  small 'scope in that budget range that I can utilize. Maybe a Celestron NexStar, but I don't know. I'm also hoping to get a high powered eyepiece such as a 5mm. I have an 8 and 21 Hyperion, 150x and 57x, respectively. I still need a high powered eyepiece. I'm also hoping to get out more in the coming months.

This is also my 50th blog post!

Finally Observed all of the Planets: Observing Report

Tonight was my first night out in almost a month. I went out at about 8:00pm and had seven objects on my observing list. First, was the moon, which was a very nice crescent. I hadn’t seen it through a telescope in a while. Then I went to find Neptune, the only planet I have yet to observe! After about 10 minutes, I distinguished it from the background stars. I have seen all eight planets through my telescope! After Neptune, I went on to M2. It took me a little while because I’m not use to the September sky, but I found it. M3 was a short distance away, an easy find. M72 and M73 were on my list, but they were low in the Eastern sky and it wasn’t quite dark enough to see them. Tonight was a great night, and hopefully I’ll start getting out more. Two new Messier’s and I’ve finally observed all the planets!

M2

Picture Featured on Universe Today!

My Blue Moon picture has been featured on universetoday.com. Go check it out or go to this direct link. http://www.universetoday.com/97154/was-last-nights-moon-blue-for-you/

Here's the image again.

Blue Moon 2012

This full moon is special. It is the second one of August, called a Blue moon. It is not actually blue. This event won't happen again until July 2015. Picture is 1/1250 sec., ISO 200.

97% Waxing Gibbous Moon

Here's tonights moon. A 97% Waxing Gibbous. 1/800 sec., ISO 200. Single shot. Thanks for looking!

Remembering Neil Armstrong

Sadly, Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, died today from heart surgery complications.  Here is the full story. http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/neil-armstrong-moon-mystery-man-022250193.html

I wanted to get a picture of the moon tonight in his remembrance. I don't have my DSLR with me so I had to get an afocal shot with my iPod. Here it is.

Mars, Saturn, Spica, Moon Conjunction

Mars, Saturn, Spica, and the moon formed a nice square in the western sky tonight. I was able to get a picture. 10 sec. exposure, ISO 400.

Also, here's the 23% Waxing Crescent from tonight.

14% Waxing Crescent August 20, 2012

I was finally able to get out tonight, I've been busy the past week with school. Here's a quick image, 1/50 sec., ISO 200. I'm not really a fan of taking pictures of young crescent moons, they are difficult to get pictures of and process.

New image from Night Sky Time-lapse!

I took all the photos from my night sky time-lapse and stacked them in StarStax for Mac. Here's what came out.

Perseid Meteor Shower!

Tonight was a huge success! I not only made my first night sky time-lapse video, I also observed more than three dozen meteors from the annual Perseid meteor shower. At 8:45pm I went out and set my Sony A300 DSLR on a tripod pointed East. I took 75 pictures, 15 sec. each, ISO 1600. I then loaded them on my laptop and created a time-lapse movie. I went back out at about 10:30pm to go meteor watching. I saw 37 meteors from 10:30pm to 12:00am. About half of this time I was fully focused on looking East, so I probably could have seen more. I also got an amazing look at the Milky Way near zenith. Tonight was an amazing night, I'm definitely looking forward to more meteor showers!

(Watch full screen)

Curiosity lands on Mars!

Curiosity has landed on Mars! The difficult landing maneuver was executed successfully. Here are a few images from tonight.

First images from Curiosity

Curiosity's shadow

Here's my telescope pointed at Mars about an hour before landing.

Cloud Cover Ruins the Day

I was planning to take pictures of the sun everyday this week, but I was spoiled by clouds all day. Here is a short time-lapse I made with an iOS app.

A Sun and Moon: July 29, 2012

I took some more pictures of the sun and moon today. I'm still trying to get the hang of processing the sun in Photoshop. I followed a tutorial on Stargazer's Lounge forum, I like the detail of it but I want to improve the color. The exposure is 1/1250 sec, ISO 200. I'm happy with the moon picture. I was able to add some more contrast as the phase gets closer to full. It is a little less exposed than last night's picture, especially around the limb. I originally took 10 shots, hoping to stack in Registax. I couldn't get them aligned right so I'll have to work on that. Exposure was 1/800 sec, ISO 200. Both images were single shots. I'm looking forward to taking some more pictures the next few days, especially of the sun, and make a sunspot evolution GIF animation.

And I highly encourage you to watch and support this upcoming documentary, Fight for Space.

Waxing Gibbous Moon (80%) July 28, 2012

I've been busy the past couple weeks so I haven't really had any time to bring the 'scope out. I decided to get some Lunar shots tonight because there were some clouds. I took a quick look at Saturn too. Picture was single shot, 1/800 sec., ISO 200. Processed in Photoshop.

I saw the Milky Way for the first time!

Tonight was amazing! I saw the Milky Way for the first time ever! I went out at 9:45pm with a lawn chair. I looked up for about 20 minutes for my eyes to get dark adapted. Then I challenged myself to find the faintest magnitude star I could see. After a few minutes of looking, I found a magnitude 5.3 star near Vega. Surprised, I kept looking up. Then I saw the faint glow of the spiral arm of our galaxy. It was incredible! It started at Deneb, around 40-45* high, and stretched across the southern sky above Altair. There were noticeably bright patches below Deneb, and to the right of Altair. I did my best blocking the nearby street light from entering my eyes. I stared up at it for a long time. When I was ready to call it a night because the moon was rising, I got up and saw the distinct glow of the Milky Way stretch across the sky from about 40* up. It was probably one of the clearest and best nights I have seen, and I was stunned that I could see the Milky Way from an orange zone in the suburbs.