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(super)MOONSTRUCK!

One would think that after last night with the famous "supermoon" , that many posts covering the event prevail but no. To tell you the truth, I must admit feeling quite bothered about the "hype" the news conjured up with their flashy headlines and promises of wonder. In the end, there was little to see without some sort of measurable reference that the moon was "bigger". The media did it again, promised something they knew little about, raised excitement and only delivered an illusi
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4

A little bit of beauty goes a long way!

Saturday, March 31st, 2012 and into the wee hours of the first day of April. It had been nearly a month since my last serious stargazing session although I had caught many glimpses as the weeks strolled by. Each time, I was either swamped with school-related work, had no time to properly record what was observed or was away from my telescope altogether. There were times that I ached to be outside and other moments when my passion for the stars completely overwhelmed my senses. Howeve
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10

Tongue-tied but trying!

I couldn't believe it, I had waited till 10:00 pm and I still didn't have the inky black skies needed to see most of the stars except the brighter ones in each constellations. Deep-sky objects were clearly NOT going to be on the table for this particular night! I will have to take a strong coffee before doing any serious stargazing from now on as spring approaches summer! Since the planets outshone everything else, I decided to concentrate on them. Like usual, my first gaze fell on V
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3

Collimation DONE!

June 1st, 2011 I have dreaded this day since the first time I have looked through my sky-watcher. That would be the day when I would have to "tinker" with all that makes it "tick". Today, I grabbed the Dobsonian by both horns and attempted collimation using the HoTech SCA Lazer Collimator. I bought this little gadget with the hope that it would make the task at hand less intimidating. It wasn't complicated at first since I followed a YouTube video and the somewhat simplistic directions
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9

Have you ever danced with the galaxies?

April 21st, 2012 The peak of the Lyrids settled in on this night which boasted a dozen or more meteors per hour. Did I see any meteors? Yes, I saw a couple but I have to admit that I wasn't really looking. According to me the "real show" was a little bit further,... I made my way outside after fixing my TELRAD which had become unattached at one side since the glue wore off with time. I realigned my viewfinder using bright Venus. When I stopped fumbling in the dark and actually
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3

PLINK!

February 29th, 2012 Stargazing during the week when there is school the next day is always very tricky since time is a factor. Each minute I remain outside means less time to prepare for classes to be taught for the next day but sometimes,... passion wins over. Last night was one of those nights! Besides it's not every night where one can stargaze on February 29th! Ready for the LEAP? Since I knew I had little time and had not made any previous research to what I was going to obser
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7

It's just the girls!

October 7th, 2011 I was comfortable watching a movie with Steven when the doorbell rang. After a few seconds, I could hear a series of knocks. I made my way to the door and three of my science students were standing there. "Did you see the moon and the stars tonight Isabelle? We want to see it! Is your telescope out?" :rolleyes: The fact that it wasn't and that I preferred returning to the comforts of the couch to see the rest of the movie is proof that my husband had finall
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9

It doesn't get better than this!

Saturday, September 24th / 2011 (9:00 - 11:00pm) Actually this star session started in the late afternoon when I went through my second collimation (aligning my primary and secondary mirrors so the image being seen comes out crystal clear). This time, it was much easier and I was able to finish it in 20 minutes. I was extremely surprised when I stepped outside since the night greeted me with a very comfortable 10 ºC or if you prefer, 50 ºF. There was no wind and everything was q
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9

I confess

March 30th, 2011 Last night was my 51st time acclimating and using my telescope. I must confess something, I have been a bad astronomer. You see, telescopes have no magic to them. However, like many illusionists, they work with mirrors. Once in awhile (about every two months or so) or according to need, the user makes sure that these mirrors are indeed aligned properly. In true astronomical terms, this is called collimation. I confess, all this time,... I have never done it. If
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9

COLD, Sweat and FIRE!

June 18, 2011 Since nights are incredibly short, this stargazing evening went far into the early morning of the 19th. I am more of an early riser than a night owl which makes viewing the night sky quite difficult at this time of year. Stargaze in the morning? This would mean setting my telescope up at 3:00 am. I do love astronomy but I've been told that sleeping was a good thing,... I set up my telescope around 11:30. It was at this time that the ISS was streaking across the sky. I
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5

I should have remained indoors. :(

August 28th, 2011 I hope this post doesn't often anyone for it is not my intention. I'm writing out of sheer disgust and frustration. I was finally back in the north where stargazing was at it's best. My 10" Sky-Watcher had been waiting for me during the month of July but what had welcomed me home were not skies of bliss but heavens completely littered with clouds! I watched as one night blended with another and still I had no chance. School had started which limited my sta
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6

The dessert today will be a supernova drenched in northern lights.

September 9th, 2011 The stargazing forum had been abuzz for the last couple of days about a supernova that had been recently discovered in the Pinwheel Galaxy (M 101). Boasting an easy find, I decided to give it a whir after a succulent supper of lobster tails, rice and broccoli (I'll eat broccoli with just about everything). The supper was perfect and adding a glass of wine from the Loire Valley made it sublime! I left the table for a well deserved dessert,... a
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8

Have you ever danced with the galaxies?

April 21st, 2012 The peak of the Lyrids settled in on this night which boasted a dozen or more meteors per hour. Did I see any meteors? Yes, I saw a couple but I have to admit that I wasn't really looking. According to me the "real show" was a little bit further,... I made my way outside after fixing my TELRAD which had become unattached at one side since the glue wore off with time. I realigned my viewfinder using bright Venus. When I stopped fumbling in the dark and actually glimp
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0

This is what I've been missing?

June 11th, 2011 The clocked seemed to tick forever yet still,.. the sun wouldn't disappear completely. It wasn't before midnight when most of the stars could be seen and the last light of day disappeared. I waited impatiently since it was the first time I would take my telescope out since my first collimation one week ago. No collimation after using my telescope fifty-eight times! What was I thinking? That's the problem, I wasn't thinking. I was simply nervous about tampering with
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6

It's easy to become greedy

February 24th, 2012 The mercury boasted a temperature of -21. Since the wind was inactive, this created comfortable viewing conditions outside. I wanted to post many of my own pictures with this entry but my chosen photographic subjects were not very cooperative except for the first two seen on the bottom left. Early in the evening, around 6:30 pm, a small crescent moon seemed to dance in the advancing darkness while Venus and Jupiter praised our natural satellite with their
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6

A night with my students and,.. something else!

September 6th, 2011 I wasn't thinking of staying long outside and didn't have any set goals but I simply couldn't let a cloudless night pass by without attempting to explore the skies! I set up and decided to return to the constellation Cygnus for another romp. As I was making sure everything was aligned, I heard a strange noise. It was subtle but I recognized it right away. Something or someone was playing with the tarp found around the BBQ. Could it be that a wild animal was
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4

Congratulations!

Sunday, February 13th / 2011 The sun was setting, the clouds were nowhere to be seen and the thermometer was friendlier than the week before. I told myself: This is it and invited all those interested to come to my back porch to view the stars. Three teenagers came for a look as well as one tiny astronomer who's small stature was towered by my telescope. The people were all there enthusiastic to see what wonders were hidden in the night sky (not all at the same time though). It was
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4

ISS - I See Something (June 14, 2011)

My ultimate goal in surveying the night sky is experiencing the wonderment of the natural world and how incredibly vast it is. The program Stellarium helps me find remote Messier objects such as nebulae, galaxies, clusters and also comes with a plug-in that enables the viewer to identify man-made satellites. Up till now, because of lack of interest, I haven't used it that much. However, after going to Florida, seeing the Space Shuttle Endeavour and then seeing it a couple of week
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6

It finally happened!

April 1st, 2011 After watching one of my favourite science fiction movies of all time "Alien", I decided to take out my telescope. It was around 10:00pm and since the night sky doesn't become dark till later, this was the perfect time. Orion was already very low to the horizon. It was with ultimate respect that I gave it a wave goodnight. The final curtain was falling for my dearest constellation since the center stage will soon be ready for the spring / summer night sky. I
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9

DINNER and a SHOW!

January 7th, 2011 Teaching an eight hour drive from five star restaurants and theaters, one would think that there would be nothing to do on a Friday night in northern Quebec but I beg to differ. My evening started around 5:00 pm when I brought my telescope to acclimatize itself to the cold. It was a respectable -19 ºC ( -2.2 ºF) which made the view outstanding and the comfort quite reasonable. The waxing crescent moon was quickly making it's way to the horizon and I knew I had little
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8

Foiled again!

February 3rd, 2012 There are certain people that fill us with resentment and make us shrink into a world where battery acid pulses through our veins. Of course, one understands that such a negative power is controlled entirely by you. Although you are the only one that can stop the unbelievable crippling sensation, sometimes it seems much easier to do nothing and let it fester. Yeah, one therefore creates their own suffering. "It comes from others!" you scream! "I wouldn't be like
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6

It's been a long time!

January 16th, 2012 It has been nearly 2 months since I last gazed at the stars. As each night filled with clouds passed, a small part of me ached and succumbed to darkness. December sneaked by without revealing any sky splendours yet I rejoiced about being reunited with loved ones. My return to the north was one filled with many teaching responsibilities making stargazing difficult. That January night, the skies seemed to come out and embrace me as I brought out my telescope to accli
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7

WARM FUZZIES

April 25th, 2011 It was -16°C (3.2 ºF) outside so I knew that I didn't have to worry about frostbite. I was also well aware that the weather station was predicting rain for the rest of the week and I was leaving on vacation on Friday. Yeah,.. It was to be my last time outside with my telescope for a good three weeks. I didn't even think twice about it. Even if I had classes to teach the very next morning, even if I knew that it would take some time for darkness to fall,.. I b
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4

My, what great EYES you have!

May 28th, 2011 Friday night means many different things to many different people. Since darkness takes longer to settle at this time of year, weekend evenings mean one thing for me: time to settle outside with my telescope since this is impossible during the weekdays when I have classes to teach the next day. At my latitude during this time of year, most of the constellations are not easily discerned until past 11:00. Full blackness makes its way to the north around midnight. This m
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5

Ever feel like you're being watched?

February 6th, 2011 5:00 am The forecast the night before had predicted a cloud-free morning. I was excited by the news since it would give me the opportunity of viewing Venus and Saturn before the sun made it's appearance. There was only one thing on my mind when I awoke,.. to dress and make my way outside! I knew that Saturn's rings were nicely displayed (showing much detail) and I simply couldn't wait till May to see it during normal evening hours. I quickly dressed and,... the
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