stolenfeather

Hi there Captain and really sorry for your cloudy woes. It makes for great reading though! I've had experiences like that when an opening arises after many nights of cloud and it seems like you want to do everything at the same time until you realize that you haven't seen anything! But there is always one consolation,.... the night will come again and the clouds can't be there all of the time! Isabelle

I have had my telescope pointed to the skies for 5 years myself and have never seen anything either. I prefer to look for star clusters myself. :) Isabelle

I did take pictures of the northern lights but they didn't come out very well. I will try again tonight if they are present. Isabelle

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 galaxy and it's supernova! Unfortunately, I encountered a couple of inconveniences. You see, the Gibbous Moon was casting way too much light and what was not basked in our natural satellite's glory was overtaken by wisps of auroras! The entire night sky seemed all aglow! Inconveniences couldn't come with more beauty! Some students came by for a look and what astounded them was not the auroras since they are pretty much a common happening in the north but the moon. It was the first time they experienced it through a telescope and they were completely taken aback! Come now,.. why would they NOT be? My students were full of questions and listened carefully to what I was saying but deep down, I knew what they wanted to see. A couple of nights before, I had showed another bunch of young enthusiasts the planet Jupiter and that's all they could talk about the next day at school. These new faces wanted to see it too. We therefore brought the telescope to the front of the house where the Roman God had taken center stage. "Behold the mighty Jupiter!", I said as I let them look through the eyepiece. When I told them to count the stars they saw around them, they gladly said, "4!". Imagine their surprise when I said that they were not stars at all but the planet's moons! This is exactly what they saw through my telescope and that's all it took to make them gasp in wonder. I then reached for my Barlow which increased the image by two. I think I did it,... these young ones are hooked. There's only one problem though. I don't think I'll be able to look at the night sky alone ever again! Isabelle

It is to the right of the Pinwheel galaxy. It should look like a very bright star, about the same brightness of the galaxy center actually. I tried looking for it tonight but the glow of the Gibbous moon really swamped the night sky with light! Isabelle

I hope this picture helps,

I can't wait for the clocks to change as well. It will be awesome! You're right, it's always good to have company! Isabelle

I'm looking forward to it thanks. Isabelle

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 attracted by the smell of the chicken my husband had made the night before? No,.. It was the neighbour's dog which I have nicknamed "Silly Pup" which had come by to keep me company. The man never ties his dog but this does not concern me since he is great pal to have around on a starry night! After taking the above picture, I heard my name being screamed over and over again. I recognized the voices immediately, my students were coming over for a look! They couldn't see me since I was sitting on my back porch in the dark. I went to the side of the house and called them over. It was at that point that I saw them,.. the northern lights were out! Considering the solar activity in the last few days (if not weeks) and my northern location, I wasn't surprised. Unfortunately, the lights were quite faint and picture-taking was impossible. So, we were starting this little astronomy class with the presence of the mighty Aurora Borealis! Who can ask for anything more? I then showed my students a couple of constellations but they were barely listening to me. What had attracted their attention was the light that loomed above, our moon! I gave them a chance to navigate the telescope to our natural satellite and wasn't surprised that they "whooped" in pleasure at the sight! Pssst! Try a little higher! Once the moon exploration was over, one student remembered something, "You said in class last week that Jupiter was out here! We want to see it!" I explained that it was still close to the horizon and was actually found on the other side of the house. I also stated that it was best for us to wait and that I didn't like the idea of walking around with my 10" dob around the house in the dark. I couldn't see them in the dark but I could sense their eyes starting to glaze over. They just looked at me with "puppy dog eyes" (once again I could sense this with no problems in the dark) and said: Now, How can I say "no" to that? We carried the telescope to the front of the house and they marveled at the fact that they could see Jupiter's moons. Some colour could be seen and this made them extremely excited! Now, I must warn you, taking pictures of young teenagers when excited can result in this: After we were all blinded by the flash, my students helped me bring my telescope inside. It's nights like these that I pride myself for being a teacher. The young ones that left, had acquired something very special, a taste of a passion that will remain with them forever! Isabelle

I'm interested in seeing those drawings! I also had some issues with the wind last night but more so during the day! Oh my! We surely can tell that summer is coming to a close! Isabelle

It's been sometime since I spotted a comet so will surely keep my eyes out for it! Isabelle

Yeah,.. those flood lights surely rob us from our view but there is always good news. At one point the snow will fall and all the athletes will be adjourning indoors! Isabelle

September 5th, 2011 (9:30 - 10:30pm) The last time I was out with my telescope, I was pressed for time and didn't experience the night sky as much as I wanted. My earlier quest had been simple, I wanted to harness the light capturing power of my scope in order to observe Messier Objects,... any object! I had not been successful in doing this with my smaller telescope during the summer and wanted to make-up for lost time. Nothing went in my favour and I returned home defeated by the night sky. It's not what I did or what I had as equipment that left me empty handed,.. It was what I didn't do. I had not been prepared and did not take the time to fully orient myself to the sky before commencing my observation of the heavens above. This time,.. It was going to be different. I took ample time for my eyes to accustom to the lack of light, made sure everything was well aligned and let the pressures of the day escape. I wanted to start my romp amongst the stars with the Andromeda Galaxy but the roof of my own house hid it's many wonders. I would have to wait for it to climb higher in the sky. I therefore looked for an easier area to observe and saw it,... Cygnus! It had been high overhead all summer but my small telescope was little help in showing me it's hidden beauty (or maybe I was simply not patient enough). Now I had a chance! There were so many clusters and nebulae to discover, why I decided to look for M29 (which does not even figure on the picture above) is beyond me. This little cluster is difficult to distinguish from it's rich stellar background but I did it. Was I looking for a challenge? Maybe. Let's just say that NGC 6960 was a whole lot more easier to locate! To be fair and share something of my own, I captured the easiest heavenly body around, the first quarter moon! I know,.. it's not as spectacular as the others we see on this forum and I'm definitely NOT trying to duplicate any of them,... but this one is mine! Isabelle

Yes, I am eagerly waiting for the fallback time! Isabelle

Looking forward to September. I just came back and it's the end of August! :( Isabelle

Take advantage of these nights for not everyone has the chance to experience the night sky at an observatory. Think it would too much to ask to see pictures of the telescopes? Isabelle

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 stargazing moments to the weekend. This Sunday, with the following school day looming, I simply couldn't take it anymore. It had been so long and the sky above finally showed windows of opportunity. The rest of the week, however, promised clouds. It had to be now BUT I had to come back in for 11:00pm. Staying up any longer would surely impair my teaching day. I therefore timed myself. Upon heading outside, I knew that this would not be easy. Baseball fever had overtaken this little northern community and guess who lives right next to the baseball field: The night around me was basked in light, as one would see when in the presence of a full moon. It was impossible to make out all the constellations but thought that I could navigate successfully in any case. My Telrad was overtaken by condensation which considerably added to my frustration. I was losing a battle that had been won by the light from the very moment I had first stepped outside. However, I wanted a taste, a glimmer of a view. Andromeda could still be seen right? All was not lost! That's when I heard it. It was coming from my neighbour's house. It was a rustling and then something else,... Utterly disgusted I packed up my telescope and asked my husband to help me bring it in. "So soon?" he said. I looked at him and remained quiet as frustration set indeeper. The condensation had not broken my will. Neither did the excess light or the fact that I had little time. The vision of my neighbour's back relieving himself at the corner of his own house did. Come on! Your bathroom can't be that far! What's wrong with you? Stargazing for me signifies a moment of release, where peace can be found in a world where chaos reigns. Way to bust my "peace bubble" buddy! Tonight, the baseball field lights are off. Furthermore, there doesn't seem to be any sign of life in the house next door. Maybe I could,.. Nah. Never mind. It's raining. Isabelle

Looks like you're getting a window of opportunity there! It's a lot more than what I'm getting! Isabelle

I follow the following site for my region: Spaceweather.com's Simple Satellite Tracker: International Space Station, spy satellites, Hubble Space Telescope

Fantastic share once more! Isabelle

Seems like you had a wonderful night out there. I'm hoping to do the same this weekend. Isabelle

I was also quite bewildered when I caught a glimpse of Andromeda. Most other galaxies are small smudges but this one was huge! Isabelle

Wow Pat! Great capture on the webcam here! I'm sorry for not being online much but am now back in civilization where the Internet is available. It looks like you haven't missed a beat! Isabelle

Yes Pat, I have noticed that the night sky was more present these days. With autumn comes Jupiter once again! I should be home in the north in about two weeks where I will regain my Star-Watcher once more! Isabelle

I know that I have made myself scarce this summer but the camping season is coming to a close and I should be back up north (armed with my computer and electricity) on an everyday basis soon. Isabelle July 29, 2011 August is right around the corner and as night fell, so did the mercury (no,... not the planet, although I have been told that it is visible before sunrise). At 9:00 pm, already a chill could be felt in the air so I grabbed my jeans and sweater. Since the mosquitoes are still making themselves present for some stargazing action, I also grabbed some OFF! I set up in the front of my mother's house since the backyard has way too many trees. Unfortunately, this left me in plain view of cars passing by. They were few so I can't complain but,.. sigh. Here's a question you might want to answer: What does a driver do when they see the view seen above on the side of the road? Don't know? They flash their high beams for a better view of what is in front of them. Since it is an object of interest, they drive slowly by and when I look up, completely blinded by the lights, they smile look down and drive away quickly. Needless to say that this was NOT the night to go out looking for elusive Messier Objects but with the moon nowhere in sight,.. I just HAD to. My viewing destination was the constellation Sagittarius where Messier Objects are abundant. In my mind, I was bound to come across something interesting. Armed with a telescope much smaller than my 10" Sky-Watcher, I found myself having a hard time adjusting to the viewfinder which was far inferior to my Telrad! The big red spot on my Orion Starblast proved to be more of annoyance than an aid with the small Messier Objects. Did I find any Messier objects? I tried for M25 and M17 with little luck. Was the aperture of the scope too small for the objects chosen? Was the awkward viewfinder the cause for my demise? Was the fact that I was negotiating my way around rose bushes when viewing a handicap to my cause? Were the cars driving slowly by looking at the side of the road "phenomenon" a disturbance? So,.. was my night successful? Well, let me put it this way: Seeing a plane pass by through the eyepiece of the telescope was a little cool and well,.. that's it. Sigh,...there will be other occasions I'm sure! Isabelle