Jupiter, baby!

Another clear night last night. I was busy working on a video project and didn't get out for long, but I did see a few things. I was helping my wife unload the groceries at about 10:30 (thank you 24 hour grocery stores), and she pointed out a bright star in the south east part of the sky. Big, bright, and yellow - I figured it had to be Jupiter.

I grabbed the Nikons and took a quick peek - and there it was, a lovely yellow disc with three small pinpoints in an angle alongside. Jupiter and three of his moons, perfectly framed in the eyepeices. Though that part of the sky is almost completely covered by trees in my neighborhood, there was a "hole" in the trees that Jupiter fit nicely into. I set the tripod and let my wife have a good long look, too :)

I tried to show her M44, but the sky had a bit of haze (and Venus being uber-bright in that part of the sky likely didn't help). No M44 tonight, and my wife called it quits. I stayed out for a few minutes, and used the averted vision trick again to see M13. Can't wait for a darker location to REALLY get some better looks at everything.

The moon was bright and lovely - a nice night for Luna gazing.

No star parties for me :(

I was busy with family on Friday, and so didn't get a chance to hit the Wagman start party in Allegheny county. I did have the binoculars out that night, showing my son Dylan, 6, the various constellations, Saturn, Venus, and that gorgeous sliver of a moon. I wish I had the tripod adapter, so that I could show him the Beehive, but it doesn't arrive until today. Otherwise, a nice night.

Saturday was the night I intended to go to Wagman's, and as luck would have it, it was cloudy and rainy all night. Here's hoping for some clear skies for next month.

May? Try November.

Stupid stupid stupid weather. That is all.

Amazing beginners book - Astronomy Hacks

Just wanted to give a quick shout-out to a book that I LOVE. A fellow AAAP member reminded me of it when he recommended it to me yesterday (two of us like it - so it must be good!).

The book is called Astronomy Hacks, by husband and wife team Robert Thompson and Barbara Fritchman Thompson. Click the link to find it on sale at Amazon.com.

This book saved my time and money, and reading it was fun and informative. I'm still not done reading it, because I keep re-reading the early parts :)

Betelgeuse = Beetlejuice, so says I

Yeah, I know I'm not supposed to pronounce it "Beetle juice". I've read all of the origin stories, I've read the correct pronunciation(s), the "proper" way to refer to it, etc. But I've been using the "Beetle juice" pronunciation since childhood, and I can't shake it (nor do I really want to). Hopefully no one will mock me horrifically while out observing. I just can't bring myself to call it "Bait-al-jows-za". Maybe I'll go half way, to another known pronunciation: Bet-el-jooze. What do YOU call it?

Either way, I miss Orion. Seeing that constellation in the sky always makes me feel like a kid again. It's my favorite spot in the night sky, and full of SO many things to see. See you in the winter, pal!

Lousy night...no lookin'

No worries - they're predicting a good weekend! Hopefully the weather gurus will actually be correct this time...

Black Forest Star Party - Sounds good!

Just found the link to the Black Forest star party in PA. May have to grab some camping gear and check that out. My brother, a fellow star nut, said he may come as well.

http://www.bfsp.org/starparty/index.cfm

Anyone have any thoughts on this one? Seems like a no-brainer!