stolenfeather

Yeah,.. That's exactly what happened Todd! First there was just starts and the next,.. wait a minute,.. what't that? :)

I star hop with my 10" and am slowly learning to navigate my way across the sky. I'm sorry for being "touchy". My smaller scope is found at my more southern address where it comes in handy when camping. So far, Stellarium has been my greatest help and I thank you for your suggestions! Isabelle

Keep on bringing that "newbie" with you. When a cloudless night appears, you;ll have him / her awestruck! Isabelle

I star hop and finding Pegasus is a whole lot easier than finding Andromeda. There was no need for being condescending. Isabelle

This is the constellation of Pegasus so,.. it's not deep within it but in it's outskirts.

Now,.. fishing during the day and looking through the scope at night won't work? I have a small portable telescope during the summer when camping and it suits me fine! Don't worry,.. you will get out there soon! Isabelle

Congratulations on the engagement! I hope everything will fall into place soon! Isabelle

Don't let this get you down. I haven't seen M52 either but the constellation Cassiopeia should be with us for some time longer! Isabelle

You;ll see, the more your passion for astronomy is strengthened, the more cloudy it will be! I hope clear skies comes your way very soon! Isabelle

Our technology is nothing to nature sometimes isn't it? I hope clear skies comes your way soon! Isabelle

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 quiet. Finally, I would lose myself in the stars! There are times when stargazing when everything goes wrong. This was NOT one of those times! The night was absolutely still, there was no moon present and everything seen through the eyepiece was crystal clear! High above was the constellation Cygnus. Although it strained my neck, looking straight above in order to better orient the scope, I was extremely pleased with what I saw. First there was the open cluster M29 that seemed to pulsate with light and finally, after trying many times before, I saw the North American Nebula. Every time I have used my program Stellarium in the past month, it has shown me the location of a certain Vesta. This object, found in the constellation Capricornus would be my first seen asteroid. The night was going so well so why not? I found this object hard to locate when suddenly, I came across a familiar looking "fuzzy" star! This was no asteroid but M30! I was so lost! I didn't mind the mistake since this little object was worth further investigation. I had never come across it before and this is probably because I found it so faint! What wasn't helping was that this particular constellation was low to the horizon. It was around this point that I gave up on Vesta. My sense of direction was completely off and even if I saw it, I'm sure that most of it would be concealed due to it's location in the sky. There was one more destination I wanted to see and it lay deep within the Great Square of Pegasus. I wanted to experience the Andromeda galaxy once more. When I located it, my eyes actually watered with excitement. I had seen this little beauty many times before but this was last year when I had not mastered (or even tried) the art of collimation. I had seen this majesty of a galaxy with a very misaligned scope. Not this time! The image was crystal clear and seemed to jump out of the sky! When M32, an elliptical galaxy sprang into view I couldn't restrain myself and actually looked around to see if there was anyone around to share this with. My new neighbour, as if on cue, called out to me, "Isabelle, are you out there?" Of course it is hard to see me since I am blanketed with darkness when outside with my telescope. "Come quick, I need to show you something!" I said. It was her first time looking through a telescope and what she saw was Andromeda! Since the constellation Pisces lingered below, I decided to find Uranus as well. I have to admit that unlike many who have stated that they saw colour when looking at this particular planet, I never have. I wanted to show my neighbour the planet Jupiter but it was found on the other side of the house so, like I had done with my students about a week ago, we carried the telescope through the house to the front door, The view it shared was one of extreme clarity and the bands were clearly defined. When my neighbour left, I decided to stay indoors for a couple of minutes to warm up and work on my "Ultimate Messier Object Log" (program found online) which can be printed and filed, as seen below: Yeah, It doesn't get better than this! Isabelle

Great wrap-up, notes and pictures! You;re right! Who doesn't want to see a comet! Isabelle

I marvel at the discipline involved for these ancient astronomers who spear headed the passion for the stars we see today. We are forever in their debt. Isabelle

I'm sure you loved it! Did you see all four moons? Isabelle

I love your project. I was thinking of trying my hand at sketching myself! Isabelle

Thanks James! Being out by the stars always brings out my "human" perspective of things since we are so small in comparison to what surrounds us. As for the youngsters, they truly bring a wonderful energy to the night! Isabelle

I wish it was the neighbour's cat. I wish it had been. Ugh! Oh well,.... I should have done what others have said, made believe I was looking at him with the telescope! I'm sure he wouldn't do that ever again! That local club sounds heavenly! Isabelle

Thanks James! This whole week has been a raining mess so my next report will have to wait! I hope you;re having more luck! Isabelle

Now that`s what I call a night stargazing! Tell you what, the next time that you set about on a night like this,.. I would like to sit around and watch. You have some great equipment there and your picture of Jupiter puts mine to shame! Isabelle

Thank you very much for the clarification James! Super wide mode,... I`ve never encountered that problem. :)

Thanks for coming by James. You sure the moon isn't Europa? It usually hugs Jupiter close in it's orbit. You're up early! I do most of my stargazing in the evening and am waiting impatiently for Venus to make a presence as the "evening star" once more! I'm looking forward to your post! Clear skies! Isabelle

It's very hard to see right now because of the full moon. M 101, or the Pinwheel Galaxy is not the easiest galaxy to find out there because it is faint to start out with. I believe it will be visible later on this month but will become dimmer as time progresses. I tried to look at it last night but the glow of the moon washed out all of my efforts I wish you the best of luck!

A Barlow has really helped me see the surface of the moon in much detail since it multiplies the magnification by 2. Isabelle

Thanks for coming by Todd and I'm sorry that the weather didn't cooperate with you the last time you were out. Have you tried looking for the supernova yet? Those early nights will be a dream when they begin. My students now have a well established rule of thumb. If there are stars at night,.. head for Isabelle's house! I guess I won't have any time alone with the scope until it starts becoming cold out there once more! Isabelle Isabelle

You know,.. One can see anything in anything. Isabelle