Ever chase a star with high beams on?

[stolenfeather]

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

[acey]

Yes, we all get nights like those. Aperture certainly wasn't too small for the Messier targets you were aiming for, which are visible in binoculars if the sky is dark enough. But if the finder is awkward to use then it can make things very difficult, and it sounds like that was the real problem.

Car headlights are certainly a pain. At my dark site passing traffic is very infrequent, and whenever I hear a car approaching I look the other way or close my eyes so I won't get dazzled. I also always set up some distance from the road so that I don't get noticed. You could try setting up a windbreak as a light shield, or maybe just try to find a different spot where you're less likely to attract attention. One flash from a set of headlights is enough to undo half an hour of dark-adaptation so it's definitely worth avoiding.

[stolenfeather]

I agree with you fully Acey but since I'm only here couple of months a year then I will slowly start gathering ammunition for my nest outing which will be Christmas. A totally different area to skywatch is definitely essential! Soon I will be back in the isolated north where my Sky-Watcher awaits me! As for my little Orion partner in crime during the summer months,.. I will definitely have to rethink a couple of things before heading out again.

Isabelle

[swamp thing]

Hi Isabelle

I think the rose bushes tearing you to pieces would be enough to put anyone off.

Regards Steve

[stolenfeather]

Yeah Steve,.. Those rose bushes by the road have not been tended to for many years and now seem out for vengeance!

Isabelle

[Astro Imp]

Hi Isabelle,

Nice to hear from you again.

How about pruning those roses?

Hope you can have more success with your next night.

All the best.

[stolenfeather]

The roses are not on my mother's property and it seems that all the buds are gone leaving only the fun "blood inducing" left overs. I believe I will have to change my location completely. Thanks for the encouragement Alan! I'll spot my first Messier objects with my little Orion soon, I'm sure!

Isabelle

[Shibby]

I personally dip my headlights whenever I see a pedestrian, it's unpleasant to be blinded at the best of times!

As Acey says, you should be able to see most Messier objects with a 4.5" scope, so long as the F ratio is low enough.

I went to France recently and it took me an hour to find my bearings using Google Sky Map and a 4" scope! Once I got going, I managed another 3 objects in the next hour or so. So rusty after relying on GoTo!

[stolenfeather]

Thanks Lewis! I am definitely going to try it once more but not today since it looks like rain out there! Once I go outside and have found a better stargazing area, I'm staying out there until I can see my first Messier object with my Orion 4.5" !

Isabelle

[yeti monster]

Mercury has been visible at dusk of late, but is now travelling back towards the sun in inferior whatever it's called, so we are being presented with its dark side. I've had a couple of splendid views of the wee pebble over the past few evenings, but I think today may be the last chance to spot it for a while, as yesterday it was very faint.

31st July:

1st August:

[stolenfeather]

Great pictures! I wish I could get a glimpse outside and although it's not raining, the clouds have really done a magnificent job of blocking the view. Patience,.. patience,..

I nabbed Mercury once with my camera but you really did a great job Yeti!

Isabelle