It’s been almost a fortnight since I posted any fresh material up here, but it really has been an on-going battle with the weather. Saturday night offered some respite from the stormy conditions that hit the east of Scotland by late afternoon and I was able to get out for half an hour with the Bresser 10×50s to take in a view of Messier 41 in Canis Major. The hazy visibility and the local light pollution really didn’t do this beautiful open cluster any justice, but it was still nice to get out and do some star gazing for a change. In addition to this I’ve also been doggedly trying to pursue 144P/Kushida as it glides through the constellation of Taurus, but I’ve had very little success with this elusive comet. My last observing session was over two weeks ago and since then I’ve only managed to snatch the odd hour or two during the last couple of nights, but still to no avail. Bad sky transparency and general light pollution have ensured that my runs at Kushida have become a frustrating chore rather than an exciting challenge. Still I am optimistic that I can grab a decent if not better observation of this ghostly comet as it slowly reaches perihelion in the next few days.
Even although the weather has proved to be a thorn in my side when it comes to observational astronomy, I have found myself becoming more and more interested in it as a subject. The formation of cloud systems particularly interests me, which I have began to photograph over the last week or so. On the back of this I decided to start a new project called White Light which is built upon the open source photoblogging software Pixel Post. White Light join Flickr (you can view my photostream over at http://www.flickr.com/photos/photonjunkie/) will serve as a testing ground for my photographic skills and as a to showcase for some of my more interesting ’skyscapes’ which I hope you will enjoy. While I try to harmonize my passion for astronomy with my new found cloud obsession, I really do wish that the weather would clear up just enough so I can catch a glimpse of Kushida. As someone once said: “Of all ills that one endures, hope is a cheap and universal cure.” I guess I’ll be clinging on to that cheap and universal cure then . . .
[Post edited 07.02.09]
Tags: 144P/Kushida, Bresser 10x50, Canis Major, M41, Taurus, Weather
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Since RevAaron over at Caffeinated Astronomy began following comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin), his observations and reports have inspired me to spend a little time doing some comet hunting of my own. While comet Lulin skims the dawn horizon and remains (for me) an elusive object, comet 144P/Kushida is well placed for extended observing. Riding high up in the constellation of Taurus, comet Kushida currently has a magnitude of around 10.7 and promises to rapidly brighten as it climbs towards perihelion at the end of January.
With clear skies on Monday night I set up my 25×100 binoculars and began my run at Kushida from 21:30 UT onwards. It was easy enough to locate the position of the comet using a finder chart but it was another thing actually gleaning any substantial detail from it. Sky conditions were excellent - transparency was good as was the seeing but the glare from the waxing gibbous Moon really impinged on my observation and all but washed Kushida away.
Using averted vision I believe I was able to just discern the extremely faint green/blue smudge of the comet but I was not entirely trusting of my own vision. Undeterred by the Moon light I persevered with my hunt for 144P/Kushida but after a further 45 minutes of continued scrutiny I gave in to the futility of my search and called it quits at about 10:20 UT.
While the results of my observation were very ambiguous, it was a good chance to lay the groundwork for further observations that I plan to undertake in the coming weeks (weather permitting). Hopefully with a little luck I can catch a good concrete sighting of this comet as it reaches perihelion towards the end of the month.
Tags: 144P/Kushida, C/2007 N3 Lulin, Comet, Strathspey 25x100, Taurus
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The skies were clear, the seeing was good but some how my observing session early on Tuesday morning quickly became undone. I headed outside at 01:30 UT and set up the tripod and mounted the 25×100 bins. My session, I decided, was going to be split between the constellations Perseus and Cancer; the sole intention here was to grab a few Messier objects to add to the list as well as take a closer look at the double star Eta Perseii and NGC 1499 (The California Nebula).
The first hurdle that became apparent was the position of Perseus. Riding high in the sky I realized that observing was going to be difficult. Not a problem if your a scope user, but if your using bins then be prepared for some major neck strain! I was simply left with two choices: try to observe Perseus at this position or give up - I chose the latter. Reluctantly I moved on to my next target: the constellation of Cancer.
Turning the binoculars south east I began hunting down Cancer but soon found myself sinking in the nebulous orange miasma that light pollution produces. Here I was looking for M44: The Beehive Cluster or Praesepe as it is also known. I was also set on observing M67, a condensed open cluster that can be found near the star Acubens. The only problem was that Cancer was playing hide and seek with me. I could easily make out the top of Leo as it slowly rose out of the east, but try as I might, Cancer just eluded me.
Looking on the positive side of the session, I had an impressive view of the heavens with The Pleiades, The Hyades and The Orion Nebula easily visible with the naked eye while the constellations Auriga, Taurus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, Draco, Ursa Major, Leo and Orion were all on show and looking stunning. To add to this, at 02:00 UT I also managed to catch Saturn climbing over the roof tops which is always a pleasing sight, however, my 25×100 bins don’t resolve any real detail on the planet itself, so I was content just to gaze at it unaided.
By 02:45 UT I packed up and headed for the warmth of my bed. I was disappointed with my lack of success with Perseus and Cancer, but putting that aside I did enjoy the chance to be back out star gazing. The lack of observing flexibility has got me thinking about investing in a new telescope, but I’ve not decided anything firm yet. For the moment It’s really just a case of wait and see.
Tags: Acubens, Andromeda, Auriga, Cancer, Cassiopeia, Collinder 50, Draco, Eta Perseii, Leo, M42, M44, M45, M67, M76, Orion, Praesepe, Saturn, Taurus, The Beehive Cluster, The Hyades, The Orion Nebula, The Pleiades, Ursa Major
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It seems as though I have been waiting a long time for some nice clear skies, the old Gods must have heard my plea because last night was the clearest that I have seen for weeks. The seeing was impeccable and the transparency was superb.
I decided to take a break from imaging and concentrate on observing for a change. So having received the heavy duty binocular L adapter that I ordered from Telescope House I thought that this would be an excellent time to put it to good use with my 10×50 Bresser binoculars.
On the menu were two DSOs that I wanted to bag: NGC 6543 also known as The Cat’s Eye Nebula and the Messier Object M102 (NGC 5866), a lenticular galaxy also known as The Spindle Galaxy. Both objects are located in the constellation Draco, a constellation that I have neglected to take much interest in up until now.
I headed out at 23:00 UT to set up the tripod and the binoculars. I began things by browsing through the constellation Cygnus just to see if my chances of seeing The North America Nebula had increased due to the crisp atmospheric conditions. Now this is where things get a bit hazy because I swear that I could make out some detail, but I can’t be absolutely certain if I was imagining it. I’ve been searching for this nebula for a good many weeks now and it’s become something of an obsession, so I may have started going crazy.
After spending some time trying to discern the ‘detail’ that I was possibly observing, I rolled over to Draco to begin search for M102 / NGC 5866 and NGC 6543. To cut a long story short I failed to see both — well that’s not entirely true. I’m sure I could just make out something up around where NGC 6543 is supposed to be, but I’ll need to go back and try again (with both objects).
Having failed to locate The Cat’s Eye Nebula, or The Spindle Galaxy I thought I’d end my short evening observations on a high note by sketching The Hyades in the constellation Taurus. After spending about half an hour making a preliminary sketch which was as close to scale as possible I then packed up and headed inside to warm up.
Once I’d gotten a nice hot cup of tea and warmed up sufficiently I returned to the rough sketch I’d taken of The Hyades. Using it as a guide I was able to produce a much nicer looking render in Photoshop as you can see above. Over to the left hand side of the sketch you can see the orange K5III star Aldebaran while over to the centre can be seen the brightest stars at the core of the open cluster.
I’ll definitely be trying my hand at producing more sketches like this in the future. I’ve found it to be really rewarding and you certainly do plenty of intense observing, so good fun all round. Holding the pencil was a bit hard though; it was freezing!
Edit 16.09.09: The sketch above contains a number of errors. Most notably the unintentional omission of Θ² Tauri which, for reasons that escape me, was not included in the sketch. Also the magnitude estimates that were penciled in are off quite considerably. While it’s not an entirely accurate recording of an astronomical object it has to be remembered that it was my first try. Besides… there’s always next time.
Tags: Aldebaran, Bresser 10x50, Collinder 50, Cygnus, Draco, Galaxies, M102, NGC 5866, NGC 6543, NGC 7000, Taurus, The Cat's Eye Nebula, The Hyades, The North America Nebula, The Spindle Galaxy
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The forecast at the Met Office held out - early Monday morning delivered crisp, clear skies with the odd cloud drifting overhead. I wasn’t going to pass up an opportunity like this so promptly geared up to capture another and possibly better star trail image.
The target for the session was the constellation of Orion as it rose over the roof tops towards the south east. Having positioned the tripod and the camera I decided to take a few test shots to make sure that I was focused on infinity as well as frame the image as best I could considering the urban landscape (the backyard).
The final image is a result of thirty six 30 second exposures taken at 24mm using an ISO of 800 with an F/Stop of 4.5. I had originally taken forty six exposures but towards the end of shooting clouds began rolling in and spoiled the view. The exposures were put together in Startrails and post processed in Photoshop.
Orion can be seen rising at the very centre of the picture - I even managed to capture part of The Hyades in there too which can be seen at the top of the shot, again near the centre. All in all I’m pretty happy with my second star trails attempt, but would love to do longer trails, which means either taking more exposures or experimenting with longer exposures, F/Stops and ISO speeds. Certainly food for thought.
After capturing all the exposures that would make up my final star trails image, I decided to go for a wander across the sky using the Bresser 10×50 binoculars. I chanced my luck and decided to see if I could catch a glimpse of NGC 7000: The North America Nebula in Cygnus. No such luck - I’m beginning to think that the skies around Falkirk and Stenhousemuir just aren’t dark enough.
Having no joy with Cygnus I moved on to a current favorite of mine: Auriga and the delights of M36, M37 and M38. I viewed these three open clusters through the Strathspey 25×100 binoculars a few weeks back and I wasn’t disappointed. The view through the 10×50s was no less thrilling if not more stunning. Beautiful deep sky objects and ones I’m certainly going to be observing a lot more in the future. From here I swept over to The Hyades and The Pleiades in Taurus for a quick glimpse but I just couldn’t stop myself from coming back to these two amazing open clusters again and again during the course of my morning observations.
Reluctantly I soon turned my attention to the majesty of M31: The Andromeda Galaxy. No matter how many times I see it, it is always a wondrous sight to behold, but I almost broke my neck viewing it as the constellation itself was positioned almost at the zenith. Moving down towards the constellation Triangulum I eventually found M33, making it only the second time I have seen this fantastic yet elusive galaxy. I spent quite a while in this part of the sky, sweeping backwards and forwards from M31 and M33 just drinking in the mesmerizing view.
Before long I finally surrendered and focused the binoculars on the splendor of M42: The Orion Nebula. Yes I’ve seen The Orion Nebula many,many times before, but it still never fails to make an epic impact on me. Wheeling around to Ursa Major I thought I try and hunt down M81 and M82 but eventually just began browsing around the sky aimlessly. At this point I gradually wound things up and decided to head for the warmth of the house. Unfortunately I never managed to see or capture any Orionids or Taurids, but there is always next time.
Tags: Andromeda, Auriga, Collinder 50, Cygnus, DSLR, M31, M33, M36, M37, M38, M42, M45, M81, M82, NGC 7000, Orion, Orionids, Star Trails, Taurids, Taurus, The Hyades, The Orion Nebula, The Pleiades, Triangulum, Ursa Major, Weather
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