Stargazing 7.13.12 and 7.14.12

I'm embarrassed and laughing to report that I had forgotten that I meant to keep up my astronomy journal on this blog… =0D , and now I have so much to write to catch up!

At the beginning of summer I discovered that many people sketch what they see when stargazing. I didn't like the plan of sketching black on white, which is the usual practice--I didn't think I could make the transition to a negative image. But then I found that there is a technique called the Mellish technique, which uses black paper and white pastels, pencil, and ink to record what is seen. That made sense to me, and I invested in the materials to begin adding that as part of my hobby.

Those are some of my first sketches.

Moving on to last night and tonight…

Catching a good sky has been difficult this summer. Fortunately we have been getting a little rain. That's good, but makes for nights full of sleep since there's nothing to see but clouds. Finally, though, I checked the clear sky chart yesterday afternoon, and sure enough there was going to be some nice, clear dark skies. So I set my alarm for 2:50, as that seemed to be the best time to catch the targets I was hankering to look at. The moon would not have risen yet, and both M31 Andromeda Galaxy and the Ring Nebula would be in the sky.

My big mistake last night (7/13) was failing to realize how humid it was outside. As a result, it took quite some time for all lenses to warm up and defog, and I still had to limit my viewing because when I would remain at the eyepiece too long they started fogging up. The binoculars never did unfog properly. In spite of that, I got some good views. Found Andromeda, then found it with my naked eyes, then with the binoculars, clouded over as they were. That's one advantage of GoTo...you CAN learn the sky with it, it's just a reverse process, and you have to be willing to do the work.

As an aside, I'm happy to report that I can now spot several constellations that I had not learned before. These include Cygnus, Aquila, Delphinus,  Hercules, Andromeda, Lyra, Libra, Bootes and Corona Borealis.

I did no sketching that night, but here is what I posted on Facebook as a report of what I saw…

"Exciting stargazing morning! Set my alarm for 2:50...but forgot to turn it on. Nevermind...God got me up at 2:55. Before long I had the Andromeda Galaxy in my lens--tried with the binoculars, but they kept fogging up (note to self: there's a reason dew control is a big issue on all the astronomy forums). The scope wasn't so bad, though the lenses tended to fog at first until I started keeping them in my pocket. I didn't see any of the companion galaxies but I saw Andromeda. Then I bagged the Ring Nebula! I'd never seen that one before. It took quite some time to find it, because the handset quit talking to the batteries right around then, and then to decide which lens was best (the 10mm, in case anybody is wondering).

Then I turned around and discovered that while I had been exulting over the Ring Nebula, Venus and Jupiter had risen in the East. I saw Venus in crescent phase! That's how I knew it was Venus, because it was obviously in phase. Jupiter was great...all four Galilean moons were visible. Then I looked up and there was my old friend The Seven Sisters. With this stellar (ahem ;P ) list of objects viewed for the night, I decided to pack it in while I was ahead.

"The Heavens declare the glory of God!" Indeed."

I also took a good look at the moon in last quarter--one doesn't often see it that way. I can't describe the delight I experienced in seeing Venus and Jupiter. And the Ring Nebula, though it was tainted a bit because I couldn't seem to see it as clearly as sketches that I've seen. Tonight--uh, this morning, I mean-- it was a bit better--probably due to less humidity and the fact that I was careful to put the equipment in the garage before I went to bed so that it would have plenty of time to warm up.

Oh...and by the way, I've discovered one of the best ways to ensure that I actually get OUT of bed and out of the house on these nights is to go to bed fully dressed except for shoes! Lol.

My alarm rang at 1:00, and I hit the snooze once, giving me nine more minutes of sleep. When it went off again I argued with myself just a little, but finally sat up and got some socks, grabbed shoes, and started outside. I took my sketching materials this time because I wanted to get M31 and The Ring on paper.

I'm learning that this is a hobby for me to enjoy. That means I can relax and do whatever I want to: there's no rush to get to the scope and conquer the sky! So I sat in the chair and just scanned that beautiful sky with my eyes and binoculars for a bit. It helps to orient me, too, and I take the time to spot all my new constellations. This morning I saw several meteors, and several last night, too. They make me smile! Just think...that bit of interstellar detritus has been traveling for at least thousands of years--the general wisdom says possibly billions of years, of course--and it is about to make it's last, brilliant fiery journey...and then it does, and I am the one to see it, and maybe the only one!

Since Lyra was at zenith I decided to go for Andromeda first--Stargirl is a Dob; a Dobsonian telescope, mounted on a fork-arm. This logistically prevents her from looking straight up! In the end I decided to use the view through the 10 mm lens, as it had more detail. I did catch one of it's companion galaxies in the viewfinder, too! 

Lyra was still pretty high, so for fun I let the GoTo show me some named objects. I chose the Cat's Eye Nebula--I never have nabbed that one, and didn't tonight either. Boo. Then the Eagle Nebula--didn't see that one, either. This frustrated me. One of the next objects on the list was the Little Dumbbell Nebula. I recently purchased Turn Left At Orion: Hundreds of NightSky Objects to See in a Home Telescope--and How to Find Them Fourth Edition. In scanning it after it arrived, I had noted that the Little Dumbbell really should be quite visible in my scope. So when the GoTo stopped slewing and I saw nothing in the lens, I did not give up. I very carefully quartered the area, and after a moment of just looking, I spotted a teeninsy little fuzzy. Using offset viewing, I could see it a little better. I popped the 10mm in, and that brought it into view slightly better. Just once as I looked off-center, I caught the actual shape of the dumbbell--who knows, maybe it was a lot of imagination and not much else! 

After patting myself heartily on the back for nabbing that elusive target and spending some time sketching it to celebrate the event, I moved on to my final target for the session.

Since the humidity was less of a problem this morning, the Ring Nebula was a slightly more rewarding target this time. It still won't resolve completely, but the hole in the middle was less blurred.

After completing my goal of sketching M31 and the Ring as well as Little Dumbbell, I drove Stargirl over to the moon, which had just risen. I have a desire to be able to sketch the moon, too, but my attempts so far have been very disccouraging--they look like kindergarten drawings. So I just enjoyed the view for a few moments, then relaxed in my chair with the binoculars. I visited my old friends the Double cluster and the Coathanger cluster, checked that I could spot Pegasus and Andromeda again and spot the fuzzy bit that is the galaxy. Saw another couple of meteors. Spotted a fuzzy bit in Cygnus that I'd like to research. Found Ursa minor--a somewhat difficult target in my sky. Decided to poke the light bucket at that intriguing bit in Cygnus, but as I attempted to aim it, clouds started moving in, and I decided to give it up for the night. I think this might have been my longest viewing session yet! 

In the house, I grabbed my laptop and started recording this entry at around 4 a.m. I finished up at 5: 30 ish and realized that the CME from Friday was supposed to hit about now. Many years ago--9? 10?--I was privileged to actually view an aurora from my bedroom window (yes, even at this low latitude!), I decided to open the blinds and the windows, and lay down on my bed where I could keep an eye on the North horizon. I didn't see anything, but it was a lovely way to fall asleep after a beautiful night of stargazing.