Spring/Summer Astronomy and observation thread!

[rybanis]

Well, it looks as though the ground is starting to thaw!<br /><br />I'm starting this thread to chronicle this "years" observations that I make, and I hope that others start to chip in, too. I've been out of the observing loop for a few years, but I'm going to make an honest attempt to get out and start looking up again. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />So here we go!<br /><br />2/18/07<br /><br />Last night, the sky was as clear as I can remember it being this winter. Though my equipment is up at my parent's house, I sat for awhile looking at how brilliant Venus was, hanging up above the crescent moon out towards the west. I was really hoping to have at least a pair of binocs, but alas...<br /><br />Tonight, its completely clouded over, so I'm not going to see a single star. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[doubletruncation]

Hi Rybanis,<br /><br />A nice idea for a thread! <br /><br />Venus with the crescent moon has been absolutely lovely during the last few evenings! Saturn has been a real treat too since it's near opposition.<br /><br />If it's not cloudy tomorrow in the early evening I plan on looking for Mira which is near maximum brightness at mag=2 ( http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap070221.html ). Apparently there is an optical nova in scorpio right now too, but I'm not much of an early morning riser, so I doubt I'll get up to go look for it.<br /><br />I've been looking at a whole bunch of lovely open clusters up in the evenings now - the hyades, pleiades, alpha persei, and the double cluster in perseus - all lovely through binoculars. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[rybanis]

The past few nights it has been entirely cloudy, making this very frustrating. However, this weekend I may get the chance to collimate my father's 8-inch Mead Newtonian. He has been trying to do it for some time now, and I think I'm just going to give in and buy a laser collimator and get it done once and for all.<br /><br />He is also in possession of a Phillips Toucam (sp) webcam! The plan is for this summer to start doing some webcam astrophotography. I'm pretty sure he has the Barlowe needed. Now its time to read up.<br /><br />Double: Cool! I wasn't able to see Saturn here with all the skyglow, though I did try looking. Also, I think skytonight.com has an article on that nova, so you might head there for some more information. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[halcyondays]

I would also put in a brief word for Mercury. It was easily observable with the naked eye for the first week or so this month, below Venus. At the start of the month it must have been at about -1.0 magnitude. I have never seen Mercury for 5 or 6 consecutive days (I admittedly had clear weather where I am) in 40 years of casual observations with the naked eye.

 

[doubletruncation]

Now that you mention it, I do remember seeing mercury a few weeks ago... it's on its way down though now, but from the sky and tel. almanac it looks like it'll be up in the early evening again in may/june.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[rybanis]

The weather here has been less than good as of late. I'm starting to get really tired of late winter stuff. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>