First Light Report

[rabbithutch]

After having a delicious Tex-Mex dinner with friends, the wife and I headed home about half past seven. The full moon rising was framed between two trees very low, near the horizon. "Ah," sez me, "Looks like I might not have clouds this evening!"

On arriving home, I sat the new (to me) Orion 8" dob out for the hour of temperature acclimating. After reading my mail and a quick perusal of the daily newspaper, I set the dob up in the front driveway. Because it's a dob, I have no idea what my heading (mostly East, I think) or what my declination was, but bending over to the ep set my back complaining because it was far too low to be comfortable. I very quickly gathered a patio chair to sit upon.

After only a few minutes, I had centered the Moon in the Telrad (i'm sure I would have been at it for ages without the Telrad) and affixed a 26 mm Plossl. It took a few tries to get the focus right, but I had the lunar surface in view fairly quickly. 'Er indoors even came out to get a peek through my new "toy" as she calls it. After she had seen all she cared to, I set about trying each ep and each filter just to learn what effects could be had. Red, yellow, green, and blue filters each changed the apparent contrast, but I found the colors unsettling. Perhaps when I've gained more experience I will appreciate the subtleties of these filters more for lunar viewing. I settled on the polarizing filter as the best to handle the brightness. The wide angle 26.5 mm was the ep of choice with the polarizing filter, and I soon settled in ogling.

I was a bit surprised to see that I could view for as long as I could without moving the scope. My only other experience of seeing the full Moon was through a 400 mm lens on a Nikon many years ago and the obligatory cheapie refractor of childhood. Both those required almost constant correction as the field of view was so narrow. Not so with the 8" dob. I could look for quite some minutes before having to tap the tube upwards slightly and towards me. The bag of shot with the velcro on it and a generous strip down the spline of the scope did wonders for stabilizing the scope at low declination. As I raised the scope, moving the bag of shot was brilliant. The gentleman from whom I purchased the gear knew his "stuff".

Although I'm familiar with "floaters" in the eye, I was surprised to see objects flash through the field of view. I was a bit puzzled until I heard some night birds (bullbats, or as they're call locally, 'goatsuckers'). They were quite indeterminate in shape - totally out of focus - and passed across the field of view somewhat erratically and quite quickly; but I'm certain that the shadows moved at about the speed of bird flight. This happened several times with movement from and toward differing directions.

The most remarkable thing was that I saw what could only have been a space craft pass from West of WSW to East of ENE viewing the lunar surface. (I have no idea if those references make any sense, but that is how would describe the direction if I were looking at a map on Earth.) It was a dark object silhouetted against the bright lunar surface. It was not lit by the sun. It had distinct angular form appearing almost boxlike but not quite cubic and there were some bits sticking out like wings or solar panels. The trajectory was constant on the same bearing and could not have been birds or floaters in my eye. It was quite small and only in view momentarily. By the time my brain registered that it was an object and not my imagination, it had zipped past.

Could this have been some satellite? It occurred only once sometime after 2215 hours US Central Standard Time (Friday, 18 February 2011) and before 2230 hours. I lacked the presence of mind to note the time until some minutes had passed. Because this is a first light report with this equipment, and because I am such a neophyte, I am reluctant to try to identify what I saw any more than I have. I would really appreciate any 'light' anyone could shed on the matter.

I continued viewing until just before 2300 hours. My back was complaining and I was beginning to be quite chilled, the temperature read 62 degrees Fahrenheit when I came in; but, then, I'm wearing shorts, t-shirt and sandals.

Cheers,

bob, uncle to dozens

[Bigdaddyjeff]

Morning Bob

Sounds like you saw more than you bargained for with your 'new toy'

Being a noob myself i'd have to say if you have the stellarium software you may be able to trace the paths of certain objects in the sky around the time you were viewing and from where you were viewing?? I'm certain the more knowlegdable and experienced SGL members would be able to tell you exactly too but that would be my suggestion.

Great post though:icon_salut:

Gaz

[Glen]

Great post Bob! looks like you had a good time. Often i observe oddities when viewing the moon

but these can be put down to known things like birds, planes, sats etc. best thing i have found on the net

is Heavensat to solve the riddle of 'was it a satellite?'

I've been going over the data for you and can safely say that there wasn't a satellite transit from

22.00 pm -22.40 UT-6 31.6N 97.10W Alt 736feet. You did have a few grazers within a degree or two though.

just to add the moon on the 19th is right in the middle of all the

geosynchronous satellites so a prime time to spot them:D

Hope this clears a few things up.

All the best

Glen Edit:i should add that this is from tle data freely available online that covers a little under 5000 sats, obviously there are many more 'up there' classed as classified.

[Nexus 6]

very enjoyable read bob, my 62 deg you lucky man! shorts t-shirt and sandals indeed

[rabbithutch]

very enjoyable read bob, my 62 deg you lucky man! shorts t-shirt and sandals indeed

I just wanted my friends in northern climes to know that warmer temps are on their way!

[Nexus 6]

I just wanted my friends in northern climes to know that warmer temps are on their way!

Sooner the better, hope some clear skies are also heading this way

[brantuk]

Nice to read your firt report Bob - sounds like a smashing evening you had - and congrats on getting the scope at last

[Bigdaddyjeff]

I'd just take the clear skies for now....an ambient temperature would just be an extreme bonus!!!!

[rabbithutch]

Thanks for all the kind words. I'll get pictures of the kit sometime.