January 3, 2001

As they say in New England "if you want a change in the weather just wait an hour"! I did go out Thursday, 1/3, between 6:00pm - 8:30pm and I observed the following:

m42 - which I can easily find
m35 - which I can find off the stars Tejat Posterior and Propus in Gemini
m38 & m36 - I had to keep going back and forth off of a star chart to find points of reference to see where I was.
Mars - could not make out much detail
Jupiter & Saturn - I'm a whiz at finding ! I'm amazed everytime I look at them.
Night is coming..

January 8, 2002

Over the last few days we had sleet, a dusting of snow and clouds ! Tuesday, 1/8 early evening clouds give way to patches of hazy sky at 7:00pm with temperature around 30 degrees. Time to get my Celestron 114 out of the basement and onto the back deck. It's been 3 days of clouds and I finally get a chance to go out again !

Now on with the show!

I give a quick look at Jupiter, Saturn and M42 Orion Nebular using my 10mm eyepiece. On Jupiter I can make out 2 narrow black bands with 1 moon on one side and 3 other moons in a line on the other side. Such a great site ! On Saturn I add a 2x barlow lens. I am able to view 2 moons and Saturn seems to be 3-dimensional tonight.

I add a 2x barlow lens to observe the M42 Orion Nebular. I can make out the major stars and the Nebular is a pale fog. Quite spectacular ! I had plans to try and find M31 Andromeda but being a newbie I put it off for another night. Instead I'll try for M103. It is in Cassiopia next to a star I can locate and I think I'll have a better shot at finding it. It takes me a while to get my bearings. I then realize where I am and which direction I should aim my scope, I'm so close I can taste it.

Then it happens...CLOUDS.

Very aggravating to say the least, but there's always tommorow !

It's 8:15pm and time to pack it up and wish for clear skies !

Note: I was amazed that what I sketched looked exactly like this picture!

January 12, 2002

Alive and well in Boston !

The weather here has been uncooperative to say the least. I have been going out "between" the clouds to practice my observational skills !

I't is now Saturday, 1/19 and they expect snow. This could be good, because tonight the New England Patriots have a play off game and my daughter has a function I have to attend. But I know if it was clear out tonight I would find some way to do all three !

But, there was one night, I still managed to take a trip I will never forget.

Being a new "driver" I have taken short trips and have seen sights I could easily recognized. I've been to the Moon, Jupiter, Saturn, Orion Nebular and the Pleiades. Amazing sights to see in themselves. But I wanted to travel further then this and take a longer trip among the stars.

So, one night I packed up my scope and headed off for the Andromeda Galaxy. I was nervous at first but I sailed off into the night. My first stop The Great Square of Pegasus. I found the top star Alpheratz and from there I was on my way. I headed "north" to the next star Pi Andromedae and then to Mu Andromedae. I checked the map. Cassiopeia was across from me on my right, I was on course. I got lost for a minute by going left instead of right (still getting used to opposite images !) but found my mistake and headed back. It wasn't long before the next star Nu Andromedae was in my sights and then I saw it. A faint fuzzy patch caught my eye and my heart quickened, could this be my destination ? It reminded me of seeing a faint glow through the fog in the distance. After a quick focus I knew I had made it, the M31 Andromeda Galaxy !

At 6:00pm on January 12, 2002 I had traveled through space to a distant galaxy. I can't begin to tell you how excited I was ! this being my "first time" and all. My mind was racing and I was full of wonder. I have never been this far from "home". Needless to say it was an experience I'll never forget !

Now, where should I travel next...

January 22, 2002

More clouds than clear sky here in Boston, but on Tuesday, 1/22, I was truly amazed at what I saw.

I started out by gazing at the Moon, which was outstanding, with the shadows bringing out the craters and mountains like I've never seen before. Then I turned to Saturn and the Pleiades, which I always enjoy.

After looking at these sights for a while I decided to head over to Jupiter. I first used the 25mm lense and could see three moons on one side and the fourth moon on the other. This moon looked closer than I noticed before.

I then used my 10mm lense to get a better look. It did look quite close to the planet and I then used my 2x barlow and 10mm lense together. I couldn't get too clear a picture, but when my eyes got adjusted I noticed a dot on Jupiters surface. I blinked to make sure it wasn't just my eye sight but it was still there. This dot was opposite the closer moon and then I realized what I was seeing. It was the shadow of the moon on the surface of Jupiter !

I was floored ! I couldn't believe that I happened to catch this amazing event ! I'm sure this happens on a regular basis and I just happened to luck out and catch it. This occured at 7:40pm. I did some other sight seeing and when I returned at 8:40pm it was over.

It was a great experience and I'll have to figure out how to see it again !

January 25, 2002

I did get to go out Friday night, 1/25, and had a great adventure. I wanted to find the Double Cluster in Perseus, so off I went. I started of at Ruchbah in Cassiopeia. I drew an imaginary line through Gamma Cassiopeia and Ruchbah in Cassiopeia to Eta Persei in Perseus. This was my search area. I don't know if this was correct or not but within a few minutes I managed to find a large area of stars. It looked like a bow tie to me. On one side it had a Y shape and on the other side 3-fingers extending out from the middle. It was here that I found a string of stars beckoning me to follow. They were like bright guides in the night and they led me right to the Double Cluster.

NGC 884 had a number of what I think they call companion stars with a concentration of dimmer stars around one of these. NGC 869 had three bright stars in a right triangle shape with dimmer stars surrounding them. With a 25mm eyepiece it was a beautiful sight ! I spent quite some time enjoying the view and let my imagination soar!

What I am really interested in is what is this large area of stars, I described as a bow tie shape with a string of stars, which led me to my destination ?

It was a fascinating night..so much to see !

January 27, 2002

There are nothing but clouds here in Boston and will be with us for a while. Maybe we'll have clear skies after the Patriots win the Super Bowl Sunday night!

Sunday, 1/27, the sky was hazy, the moon was bright and clouds were moving in, but I still managed to have a few minutes of fun.

I trained my scope on Castor in Gemini and with the 10mm and 2x Barlow I was just able to split it ! I could not get a very clear picture but I was able to definitely make out the separation between two somewhat fuzzy globes. I could also make out the smaller dimmer star off to one side of these twins. I never did that before, I was impressed!

(I didn't realize that double stars looked like single stars without the aid of magnification. What I thought were double stars are what I now know as companion stars.)

I also had another interesting experience. While I was observing Jupiter I noticed one moon, which I later determined was Io, in close orbit to Jupiter. Again I used the 10mm and 2x Barlow and I watched it get closer and closer to the surface. I stayed with it until it slipped behind the planet out of site. Having never seen something like this before, it was pretty amazing to me!

Wishing for clear skies,

The weather has been snow, sleet, rain and clouds for most of the week. On Friday, 2/1 and Saturday, 2/2 the stars came out and so did I.

Friday,2/1 - 8:30pm - Sigma Orion's - Orion - 10mm I could see a bright Sigma Orion's with (2) dimmer companion stars in a 2:00 and 3:00 position next to it.

Friday,2/1 - 10:00pm-Mizar & Alcor - Ursa Major - 10mm I could see a bright Mizar with a dimmer companion star in a 10:00 position next to it. Above Mizar at a 1:00 position was Alcor and at a 9:00 position next to it was Sidus Ludovicianum.

Friday,2/1 - 11:00pm-Eta Cassiopeiae - Cassiopeia-10mm I could see a yellow Eta Cassiopaiae with a smaller reddish companion star at a 9:00 position next to it.

Saturday, 2/2 - 8:30pm - Polaris - Ursa Minor - 10mm I could see a bright Polaris with a smaller dimmer star, which I could just make out, in a 2:00 position next to it.

Saturday, 2/2 - 9:00pm - Saturn - 10mm w/2x Saturn could be seen at a 10:00 and 5:00 angle. I could make out the Cassini Division. Following Saturn from below was the moon Enceladus and to the right of it the moon Dione.

Saturday, 2/2 - 9:30pm - Jupiter(Red Spot) - 10mm w/2x I found out that around 9:15pm the Red Spot would be visible on Jupiter. Having never seen it before, I hope that what I describe is correct. I could make out an oblong, light shaded, shape over the "top" band. This pale patch was off centered and protruding over the "top" edge of the band. It was traveling in a right to left direction. Off to one side of Jupiter in a crooked line were the moons, Io, Ganymede and Europa. On the other side of Jupiter at a much further distance was the moon Callisto.

(Please be aware that these descriptions were what I was seeing through my scope and not in their actual orientations.)

I also visited my usual sites during these two nights of observations. I had a great time and hope to experience it again and again !

Let's start at the "bottom" and work our way up! First stop the open cluster M41 in Sirius. I could observe two dozen or so stars. The view I had was more on the horizon and the stars looked nice on a lighter background.

Up to Orion. Stop off at M42, of course. The beauty of this always a welcome sight. The four stars in the Trapezium were with me within the Nebular. Bright, Sigma Orionis and it's two companions formed a triple star delight.

Over at Gemini the open cluster M35 looked splendid with its 50 odd stars among the hazy background. Zoom into Castor and it splits into two brighter stars with a third dimmer star off to the side.

Now we travel to Ursa Major and the middle star in it's handle. Mizar is a beautiful bright double star and is easily seen in the 4.5. Alcor and it's dimmer neighbor are following along for the ride.

Heading "north" we stop off at Polaris. The brighter Polaris makes it difficult to see its dimmer companion, hiding there within the glare. The Double Cluster, NGC 869 and NGC 884 are making it hard for me tonight. I finally spot them and enjoy this beautiful site. So many pretty stars to see, it is amazing!

Down to Cassiopeia. As I travel this area there seems to be countless "clusters". I have to figure out what I am looking at and see if they have actual names. If not, I can enjoy them in as they are. Yellow, Eta Cassiopeiae and its smaller reddish companion are one of my favorite doubles.

Needless to say the Pleiades, Saturn and Jupiter are always part of my sky travels. I had a nice trip and I hope you did too!

I dedicated one night, 2/28, to find M44 the Beehive Open Cluster. I took out my "Star Bible" Turn Left at Orion, and followed the directions. I couldn't believe it, but on the first attempt I found it! Through my 25mm lense it was beautiful. There seemed to be quite a few bright stars in this large cluster. But what caught my attention were all the double stars and triple stars. The triple stars were in little triangular shapes, which I find amazing!

I went out on another night, 2/29, to make sure I could locate it again, and I did. This will now be one of my "goto" sights! I tried to find the Open Cluster, M67 on both nights, but came up empty handed. This will be the next cluster I hunt down!

On both nights I spent hours at all my "goto" sights and practicing my observational skills. The more I'm out there the more I learn! I can recognize more and more through my scope and It's pretty exciting. On a good night when everything falls into place it feels great! It's like I'm driving my car through a neighbor hood I traveled once before and I see a landmark I recognize and I know which way to turn. Kind of corny, but I'm sure you know what I mean!

March 4, 2002 -

On March 4, I had an exciting experience. I searched and searched and finally found the M81 and M82 galaxy's in Ursa Major! I still don't know how I did it. I some how noticed a very faint "smudge" in my view and it turned out to be M81. I was excited that I had actually found it!

In the 25mm it was a faint round "fuzzie" with what I could only describe as a "star" in the center. In the 10mm I could make out more of a brighter central core. Switching back to the 25mm I searched for M82. I knew it had to be in the same area, but where? With averted vision I noticed an elongated "wisp of smoke". This was M82 and it could be seen so close to M81! I couldn't believe that here in the same field of view I was looking at two distant galaxy's.

How great is this? Pretty amazing if you ask me!

March 14, 2002

April 1 - 11, 2002:

I can now find Galaxy,M94 in Canes Venatici. I just put Cor Caroli in the corner of my finder scope and I can locate it with my 25mm from there. It appears as a very faint fuzzy in my 25mm with 2-brighter stars on either side of it.

I was also able to find in Canes Venatici, two nights in a row!, Globular Cluster, M3. I line up my finder scope with Canes Venatici, drop down and search the area with my 25mm. I was able to find it twice! The first time I viewed it I thought it was a galaxy. I had never observed a globular cluster before and did not know what to expect. Using the 10mm I could make out a fairly bright globular cluster nestled in the middle of three brighter stars in a triangular shape around it. M3 seemed to resemble a faint fuzzy, but it was brighter throughout the cluster. The galaxy's I've seen (all 4-of them!)seemed more wispy.

I have been spending a lot of time in the Constellation, Auriga. There is a lot going on up there! I can find M36 and M37 regularly, I have problems locating M38 all the time. There are so many stars in this area. I am "sketching" what I see and then later, trying to see if it is a "real" object and getting it's name. I'm pretty sure on two I've seen, NGC-2281 and NGC-1893.

I still can't find Galaxies M106 and M109. Maybe when I get a larger scope I'll be able to locate them a little easier. I'll keep trying until then!