The International Space Station (ISS) passed over our local area tonight, and for once it was NOT cloudy. Above is the picture I took at 21:32 EDT as the ISS passed through the Big Dipper portion of Ursa Major. I used a tripod so there is some star trailing.
It was beautiful seeing the ISS pass from South to North along the meridian.
Cheers!
Star Pilot
Thursday, May 22, 2008
International Space Station Passage - May 22nd, 2008
Monday, April 14, 2008
"Night Under the Stars" (April 12th, 2008)
Moon near Half-phase
Leo Triplet Galaxies M65, M66 and NGC3628
M3 Globular Star Cluster
M13 Globular Star Cluster
M37 Star Cluster
M51 Whirlpool Galaxy
M81 and M82 Galaxies
I attended my first Norther Virginia Astronomy Club (NOVAC) event on Saturday, April 12th. It was a public viewing event at Crocket Park in Fauquier County, Va . At these events, astronomy club members set up telescopes for the public to view celestial objects . It is a good way to get more people involved in astronomy.
When I arrived at 8PM the temperature was 75F with no wind. By 10:30PM the wind became gusty (15-20MPH with higher gusts) and the temperature dropped to 48F. Glad I brought my 'Hoodie', because I needed it.
I had a chance to give public viewers a tour of the night sky by guiding my telescope at: Saturn, The Great Orion Nebula (M42), Galaxies M81 & M82 (in Ursa Major), Globular Star Clusters ( M3 and M13) and Open Star Cluster M36, M37, M38 and M45 (The Pleiades).
By 11PM most public viewers departed, so I took the opportunity to do some astrophotography. Viewing and photography conditions were not the best, but this being the first cloudless night in weeks, I was not going to complain.
The posted pictures are not the best quality, because the wind was blowing my telescope around, and moisture in the upper atmosphere reflected a lot of light from an exceptionally bright Half-Moon.
Quote of the Day: Astronomy's much more fun when you're not an astronomer!
StarPilot
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Friday, April 4, 2008
Observation Log for April 2nd, 2008
Finally! After a month of cloudy nights, I was able to take my telescope outside and view some celestial objects. The temperature was near 40F, there was no wind and seeing conditions were fair. The night was also moonless. My only problem was light pollution. Four of my neighbors decided to turn on their proch lights, and one in particular chimed in by running two ground-level flood lamps. Gee! Thanks Mike!
Because of the light pollution, I was unable to take any pictures due to light glare glossing over everything in my camera's viewfinder.
I am not allowed to use a shroud (a mini-tent that covers my head) to block ambient light, because I do my viewing in the front yard and my 'young bride of 31 years' said NO! Something about being viewed by the neighbors as being wierd. :(
In Lieu of pictures, I have added links to Wikipedia articles for each celestial object I viewed. Please bear in mind that the Wiki pictures are from Hubble and other multi-million dollar telescopes. My view of each object was much less detailed.
- - M36, M37, and M38 (Star Clusters) in the constellation Auriga
- Observation: M36 & M38 appeared as richly dense star fields with thousands of visible points of light. M37 was an impressive open cluster. This is my first sighting of these Messier objects.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_36
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_37
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_38
- - M42 (Orion Nebula) in the constallation Orion
- Observation: The view of M42 was great through my 5mm, 13mm and 24mm eyepieces. The stars in the 'Trapezium' were razor sharp.
- - M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy) in the constellation Ursa Major (Big Dipper)
- Observation: The galaxy was faint and I did not see the cloud aligned near the tail due to light pollution and some haze near the horizon, where this object sits. This is my first sighting of M51.
- - M66, M67 and NGC3628 (Galaxies) in the constellation Leo (called the Leo Triplet)
- Observation: I was able to see all three galaxies, though NGC3628 was more like a smudge because of local light pollution. This is my first sighting of these Messier objects.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_66
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NGC_3628
- - M81 and M82 (Galaxies) in the constellation Ursa Major
- Observation: I was able to make both these Messier objects out in descent detail using an 8mm eyepiece, and better detail using 13mm and 24mm eyepieces. Very impressive.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_82
- - Saturn near the star "Regulus" in the constellation Leo
- Observation: Using the Baader 5mm eyepiece I was able to make out faint hints of the Cassini divide in the rings and some surface details. This has been my best view of Saturn to date.
I was offered to take my telescope to a co-workers home in a more rural area. I think I may take him up on that offer when the weather warms a little more.
Clear Skies!
StarPilot
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
My Review of Baader Planetarium Hyperion Eyepieces
A Worthwhile Investment
By StarPilot from Northern Virginia on 4/2/2008out of 5
Pros: Strong Construction, Widely Compatible Adapter
Best Uses: Terrestrial Viewing, Astronomy
Describe Yourself: Casual/ Recreational
I bought the Baader Hyperion 8mm eyepiece (EP) and was so impressed that I bought the entire set of eyepieces to include the 3.5/5/8/13/17/21/24mm focal lengths.
Baader Planetarium did a great job designing these eyepieces. They offer a 68 degree Field Of View (FOV) and provide very good contrast on planets, galaxies, star clusters and nebula.
I own an Orion 80mm ED OTA and previously used Orion Sirius Plossl 25 and 10mm eyepieces in conjunction with a Parks Gold 3-element 2x APO barlow lens. The view of M42 and other space objects was impressive with those eyepieces, but nothing like what I am experiencing with the Baader Hyperion EPs. The 4 main stars in the Trapezium stood out in razor-sharp detail using the 8 and 5mm EPs. The 3.5 was a bit fuzzy, but that is a limitation of my 80mm OTA. Saturn stood out in stunning detail. The 13, 17,21 and 24mm EPs let a lot of light in giving me great views of M42 (which showed some blue and purple color), also the view of M81 and M82 was beyond my expectations.
I live in light-polluted northern VA and cannot wait until I can take my Baader Hyperion EP set out to a dark site to get the maximum benefit.
I bought a Baader AFocal adapter to connect my DSLR directly to each EP. It has been cloudy since the adapter arrived, so I have not been able to try it out.
Bottom Line: The Baader Planetarium EP set is a great investment. They are inexpensive, offer a wide FOV, are modular and can be used for photography and astrophotography and do a very good job of projecting images captured in my telescope. They are NOT TeleVue EPs, but offer a close comparison at 1/3 to 1/6 the price. For the amateur astronomer who does not have a government grant or commercial advertising agreement, the Hyperion eyepieces are worth consideration.
Check my BLOG at: http://starpilot.blogspot.com for astro pictures I will take using Baader Hyperion EPs soon as the clouds clear out after limiting my viewing for 1-month and counting.
(legalese)
Monday, March 24, 2008
The Smallest Telescope Detects the Largest Cosmic Explosion
Good things do come in small packages.
A small telescope, with a 71mm (2.75") aperture (diameter) is responsible for detecting a star explosion and resulting Gamma Ray Burst (GRB). The GRB, registered as GRB080319B occurred 7.5 Billion light years across the known universe and was discovered by an organization called "Pi of the Sky", a group of Polish Physicists, mathematicians, and graduate students that look at specific portions of the sky for GRB events. The operation is managed in Warsaw, Poland, but the cameras are physically located at the Las Campanas, Chile observatory.
'Pi of the Sky' currently covers a 20 deg. X 20 deg. portion of sky, but has plans to extend optical capabilities to simultaneously cover 1/3 of the visible sky.
Here is the Internet link to the 'Pi of the Sky' news release with an animation of the GRB event:
http://grb.fuw.edu.pl/pi/index.html
METEORITES!!! @ @ @
@ NEW Telescope Curse !
I have been hit by the NEW TELESCOPE curse. In other words: "It has been cloudy every night I have been home to use my telescope since First Light". Hopefully, I will be able to get out soon. I am trying to capture a picture of the "Leo Triplets" (three galaxies, including M66, located in the constellation Leo) to enter in a photo contest. The contest closing date is 03/31/2008.
@@ Almost Heaven Star Party 2008
Yeehaw! Git yer campin' gear reddy and dust off the John Denver 8-tracks, cuz the Almost Heaven Star Party (AHSP) 2008 has been announced.
Every year, a conglomeration of amateur and profession astronomers gather at Spruce Knob, West Virginia for a 4 day/3 night star party. This year's event will be held from July 31st to August 3rd, 2008 (Thursday-Sunday). I plan to attend August 1st -3rd. It will be my first star party, and I hear it is not for the faint of heart. Spruce Knob has rugged amenities, (in other words tent camping with no electricity), so this event is not for everyone. At least they have hot showers, hot meal service and conveniently located out houses.
Check the AHSP website for more information:
http://www.ahsp.org/index.html
Until The Skies Clear !
StarPilot
Thursday, March 13, 2008
YIKES! Death Star Taking Aim At Earth
Long story short ...
A 'real' Death Star, not the fictional one from Star Wars is taking aim at Earth according to the March 1st issue of the Astrophysical Journal. Recent images from the Keck Observatory in Hawaii indicate that a pair of stars locked in a death spiral are tearing each other apart. One of the stars, called a Wolf-Rayet is in the 'Winter' season of its life and will eventually lose its mass and go supernova. The unfortunate thing for Earth is that when the star explodes, the axis, which happens to be aimed right at us, will shoot a Gamma Ray burst in our direction.
Good News! Bad News!
Good News: The star may not explode for another 100,000 years and is 8,000 light years from Earth.
Bad News: Unlike the moon-sized Death Star from Star Wars, which has to get close to a planet to vaporize it, this blazing spiral has the potential to burn worlds from thousands of light-years away.
Good News: We will have some warning before the star explodes.
Bad News: Uhhh ... Maybe a moments warning, because Gamma Rays travel at the speed of light, 186,000 miles per second.
Good News: Gamma Rays do not vaporize worlds as depicted by the fictitious Death Star.
Bad News: A Gamma Ray burst directed at Earth could damage chemicals in the Stratosphere, thereby depleting up to 50% or more of the Ozone layer. What's wrong with that ? The Ozone has 3-4% depletion at present, so a 50% depletion would drastically change our atmosphere for decades. In other words, such a 'raking' of the Ozone layer would lead to extinction of most living things within months".
Help Me Obiwan Kinobe, You're My Only Hope!
Heyyy! ... Maybe our fictitious Star Wars friends can help us build a BIG shield to protect against Gamma Ray bursts. Sorry! In this case, not even Ole' Ben Kinobe can help us. You see, Gamma Rays travel 'through' stars, planets, galaxies, big-honkin' shields, and so on. Get the picture ? Gulp!
Oh, That's Not Good ... What Can We Do ?
Nothing we can do, really. WR104 is the first star astronomers have detected that has its destructive sights set on us. There may be dozens, hundreds or thousands more undetected Wolf-Rayet type stars ready to blow their tops and shoot Gamma Rays at us.
My Humble Perspective ...
You see, we are here by design. It was NOT by chance or luck that we exist. We have a Creator who placed us here for a reason, and I for one am not worried about some star losing its cookies and depleting our Ozone or any other atmospheric layer.
The more I realize how inhospitable other parts of the 'known' universe are, the more I marvel at God's grand design in putting us on this planet, in this solar system, in this galaxy and in this part of the local galactic neighborhood.
I am just going to enjoy the life I have been blessed with and leave management of 'Space Stuff' to the Creator.
The Heavens Declare His Glory!
StarPilot
P.S. - Here are some WR104 resources for you to check out:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20080310/sc_space/realdeathstarcouldstrikeearth
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,23311578-2,00.html
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Beginners Luck
I had a chance to try out my new telescope on the evening of March 2nd. Saw a lot of cool looking celestial objects. Here are pictures I took of a few of my favorites.
M42 - Orion Nebula (Wide Field Photo with airplane entering frame at upper left)
M42 - Orion Nebula (Zoom Photo)
M44 - Beehive Star Cluster
M45 - The Pleiades Star Cluster (The seven bright stars are called the seven sisters)
M81 & M82 - Galaxies
NGC869 & NGC884 - Double Star Clusters (in Constellation Perseus)
I plan to dedicate an entire post to the Orion Nebula (my favorite constellation), so check back soon.
Clear Skies!
StarPilot
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