Comet Holmes - WOW.

I haven't posted in a while, but I have been doing some observing as time allows. I meant to post about the last Mingo Creek star party, but never got around to it. But who knew then what October had in store? Comet Holmes, baby!

As many (if not most, by now) amateur astronomers have heard, this past week Comet 17P/Holmes jumped from a mag 17 to a mag 2-3. It took only a few days, and the coma surrounding it appears to be growing larger still (though the magnitude may be dimming).

I first saw it earlier this week, and it was an easy find in Perseus in the NE sky. Even my 6 year old found it, saying he could see that the star was "fuzzy". He claims to have seen it in the 10x50 binoculars, but I can't say for sure that he did.

And what a view! In my 10x50s, Holmes is a big ball of dust, with at least two sections to the coma. I see mostly yellow with a hint of green. I used the reflector and a 15mm eyepiece, but really had more fun looking through the binoculars.

This is historic, and a wonderful treat for Halloween. We've been blessed with wide open skies here in western PA, so I've been looking at it every chance I get!

Also at night, the Pleiades are as wonderful as ever, and M31 (Andromeda) is still a great find. In the morning, Orion is blazing away, and I caught Venus and Mars yesterday and today. Even today, in the Giant Eagle parking lot at 6AM with lights and the moon ablaze, I was able to see Orion and Mars. I love fall observing!
I hope to get the scope on Mars sometime this weekend. I really want to spend some quality time with it.

Thanks,
Todd

More Orion

Took another early morning peak at M42, this time with the reflector. Hard to resist a calm, clear morning when it's so easily spotted in the sky. Since the moon was out and it was nearing dawn, there wasn't a lot of detail (oh, and my scope has a tiny mirror...lol...). I decided to spend a few minutes looking at the moon's terminator instead, since it was much more detailed. I'm dying for a larger scope!

Orion Surprise

I left for work early today, around 6:30AM. The sun hadn't come up yet, but most of the sky was covered in a thin layer of clouds. As I went to my car, I happened to glance up at the southern sky. There was Orion, perfectly placed in my view. Orion is my favorite constellation - easy to find, bright stars of various colors, and nebulas visible to the naked eye. I happened to have my 10x50s handy in the car, so I picked them up for a quick look at the sword and M42. Great stuff!

As I drove into Pittsburgh, the sun started to rise, and the colors of the sky were amazing. I love fall in PA.

Can't wait for winter, when the hunter is more visible and skies are more dry and calm (I hope!)

Clear skies,
Todd

Training at Mingo Creek Observatory

I was very excited and honored to be part of the first training class at the Mingo Creek Observatory over the weekend. Who knew the hobby would bite me so hard? :)

During the training, I learned the ins and outs of opening and using the observatory, and got some hands on training with the two massive scopes there (24" GoTo reflector, 10" refractor). The 24 has the new StellaCam3, a CCD camera which offers some pretty dang impressive views of DSOs through just the attached 5" refractor. I can only imagine what a larger scope can do. The 10" is a beauty - just a massive scope on an equally massive steel and aluminum EQ mount, all set on a pier. You have to really shove it to get it moving...it's fun :)

I stayed over the dinner break and watched part of the new Timothy Ferris PBS special "Seeing in the Dark". I will TiVo it later this month when it comes on. Great stuff for amateurs like myself. Who knew former Viking's running back Robert Smith was an avid skywatcher? Cool!

After dinner I did some more hands-on stuff and watched as the StellaCam3 was put into action. With a 30-second exposure we were able to see the central star in the Ring Nebula, and the nebula itself was bright and well formed.

I called it a night at 9PM so that I could spend some time with my wife - I'd been out for almost 6 hours at that point. The night was mostly cloudy, and the south was a complete washout with clouds and smoke from some concert's fireworks. I'll go back next week (now that I'm cleared to use the Observatory!) when my brother is in town.

Thanks to all of the AAAP members who helped with the training - it was a blast, and again, I am honored to be a part of the keyholder team. The picture below, from member Al Paslow's site, is the newly trained team. I'm the goof in the jeans, sunglasses and Firefly "Blue Sun" t-shirt.



Best,
Todd

Andromeda

Just a quick update to a few previous posts, as well as a short observing note.

I did manage to catch some Perseid meteors after all, spending about an hour outside on the Sunday before it ended. I was able to catch 4 good solid streaks, though I likely missed some while goofing with the binoculars. Glad I didn't miss them this year! Managed to get sidetracked pretty bad a day later with a kidney stone. I would not recommend that anyone get one of these...drink lots of water, kids!

As for the new scope...the deal on the LX200 was amazing, but my wife and I decided we should concentrate on getting the house done (we're in the middle of a major remodel including the kitchen, bath, and deck). There will always be scopes to buy, thanks to Astromart.com :) I put the money in my savings account. With football starting soon, I'm tempted to buy a 50" plasma, too. I need a 2nd job I guess.

And finally, I managed to see the Andromeda Galaxy tonight in my Nikons as well as 'ol blue. Reaction? YAWN. I need darker skies and a larger scope. MUST HAVE MORE DETAIL :)

I'll be headed off to Mingo next weekend for a training session on the observatory and the gear inside. There's a Star Party afterwards, should the skies cooperate. I'm very excited to meet more AAAP members when the sun is out - it's easier to get to know people when you're not all standing in the dark!

Until next time,
Todd

Delays, Meteors, and a possible new scope

Sorry for the delays, I've been rather busy and haven't been observing much. The good news is that I have found a GREAT deal on a used 8" Meade LX200R GPS, a fantastic Go-To SCT that is the only scope I should ever need. It is barely used, yet I'll be saving over $1500. SWEET. Hope to have it in a couple weeks.

In order to get the funds together, I sold a few pieces of my prop collection (nothing worth keeping), plus an older iPod (I had too many) and my 7 year old PowerBook (which I'll miss a little). No worries, this is all for the greater good.

I missed the Perseid meteor shower - I was at the Steeler game on Saturday, and was VERY tired already from a late night on Friday. Sunday was cloudy as I went to look at 11:30PM, so I gave up in favor of sleep. Next time...I hope...

Thanks,
Todd

Trees, Trees, Everywhere Trees

Would it be too nutjob of me to request that all of my neighbors cut down their trees? I thought so.

I was trying to get a clean shot of Jupiter (near Scorpius) over the weekend, and by the time I was able to get outside Jove had fallen behind the tree line. Sure, I could just barely get a shot between the trees at low power, but that's not good enough for me :)

So, those trees have to go. Or I need a higher driveway...