Watching the Perseids

Sorry I don't have much of late. Funeral arrangements have tied me up and I've been working up until today. The funeral is Saturday so after that I am hoping to get back observing, sketching and reporting on my activities.

The Perseid Meteor shower is this Friday night and Saturday and this image shows the general direction they will come from though the moon will be interfering except for the brightest of the streaks.





















I noticed and wanted to share that over at NASA at this link. Some of the highlights from this article are the following:

"Chat with NASA astronomer Bill Cooke and his team from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center as they answer your questions about the Perseids via live Web chat. Join them on Friday, Aug. 12 at 11 p.m. EDT -- 03:00 UTC GMT -- then make plans to stay "up all night" until 5:00 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Aug. 13

Joining the chat is easy. Simply return to this chat page a few minutes before 11 p.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 12. The chat module will appear at the bottom of this page. Simply type your name to join the chat, then we'll start taking your questions at 11 p.m. EDT."

Need to watch them because your skies are cloudy? Then join NASA and watch the Perseids via "A live video/audio feed of the Perseid shower will be embedded below on the night of the chat. The camera is mounted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala." Go to the site and check out all the information on how NASA has a rather cool experience planned for this event. Perhaps even better is to link up with some friends or family and head out to a nice dark site, perhaps on a hill and lay down and look up. The moon will be an issue but it is the experience of getting out and enjoying each other and the time together after all. Beats watching TV in my opinion.

Non-Messier List to Observe: Update to Mods on XT10

Well, I guess I lied in a way. Its 2:25a.m. MDT or 08:25 UT on 8/4/2011 and I can't sleep. So I decided to add a simple post to the blog tonight. One of the things I do with the blog from time to time is to check the stats at Site Meter and to see what people who come here are looking for. Some of the most common are mods for an Orion XT10 or XT10i and lists beyond the Messier. So I thought I would review some basic mods to do to the XT10.

I'll start with the mods to the XT10. As I've stated here I added a concept called Scope Totes (find them here) that allow me to carry the XT10 tube from my office to wherever I am going to use it really easily. No more straining the tube for me. You can see it in the picture I included below. I've noticed on Cloudy Nights that some people have found a hardware solution called Strap a Handle for Scope Totes that cost about $10.00 to $20.00 and work just fine. Here is a link to Strap a Handle. I'm still glad I purchased the Scope Totes though but that is just me.

Another modification I made was to buy from The Astronomy Shoppe is their Scope Grips product located here. Some have made their own who have the materials and the machinery to do it, but they replace the spring tension system with a know system that for me, allows me more control over my altitude tension. A major improvement overall for me and one I recommend. Just like other such knobs though, mine will sometimes work lose during a period of observing, so I check them once or twice to keep the tension where I want it.

I also use some counterweights on my XT10. My first counterweights are simple ceramic magnets I got from Lowes and encased in black electrical tape so they wouldn't scratch up the tube. I found they weren't quite enough with some of my heavier eyepieces so I got this magnet holder from Harbor Freight. I put felt on the bottom so not to scratch up the tube and this was an easy counterweight that resolved any altitude balance issues for me. However, this won't work for the XT10i since the magnet will interfere with the intelliscope functions. For this you could add a simple $29.00 mounting rail from Scopestuff and the counterweight you needed. I'll be doing this with my XX14i after I get the Zambuto mirror in it that will weight about 6 to 7lbs less in it (I may first just try to find heavier counterweights to add to the back/replace the current weights in the back, we'll see). If you scroll down in this link you'll see a simple rail system that AdeyG installed on his own using parts from a hardware store. Rather simple solution in my book.

The next mod I did was the Milk Jug washers for the secondary and in the case of the XT10 Classic on the base. Here is a post with a template for the Milk Jug Washers on my blog for th secondary mirror. Works great with Bob's Knobs or any other type of knob system for collimation. Next, I used the same template and put several washers (3 or 4 if I remember right) but you'll have to play with yours on the base to improve the azimuth motion. I got mine to wobble just a bit and for more information on this please visit this fine article on motions for an XT10 Classic. Ebony Star laminate works well for azmuith motions also as do several other products. I also installed a cooling fan on mine.

There are other mods to make to an XT10 Classic but the basic design is such that you can do this with this scope. Go for it but I am not responsible for any modifications you make that mess up your scope. The decision is yours and yours alone to do mods. Again, if you've been around, you've seen images of my XT10 but here it is with these mods.





































Non-Messier Objects to view.

My next add are two lists that someone who is done with the Messier list or done for a season can turn to in order to expand what they are viewing. The first list is from the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada and is their Finest NGC Objects by season. Here is the link. You can get a finder chart for these objects by entering their designation over at Messier 45 which is at this link.

Another great list is the 110 Best of the NGC by SAC. Simply look for the constellations that are up and then go to work. Here is the list sorted by constellation: link. SAC has a book you can download and they do request a small payment for doing so. Here is one link to their book that includes Telrad maps and here is the other link right to the SAC page. Hopefully one works for you. I hope that gives some people some other objects to take a look at.

NGC 7027 a Planetary Nebula in its earliest stages of development on these lists in Cygnus. One worth checking out since it is a very bright PN.
























Again, not sure if or when I'll post again but I am going to go and try and get some sleep now. I hope you may have clear skies wherever you are.

Reflections

Well, last night was a decent night but because of work, I opted not to go out. This post has some to do with astronomy, some of it is me just sharing some thoughts on a difficult day. Today is one of those days we have that is one I call a reflection day. A member of my family is in the hospital and is in the process of dying. He is 83 years old, a gentle giant of a man, and being involved in this process has made me reflective. One of the weird thoughts, well, its not weird if you know me, that I have when observing is how short our life spans as human beings really are. 80 years give or take a decade or so on average when we have a universe at 14 billion years and our Earth is 5 billion years old as is our own star, the Sun. As I look at objects and ponders what was happening in the history of Earth when the light left its source. It reminds me of how small we are and in the terms of the universe how insignificant we are. I know that someday, I truly hope a good ways down the road, I too will pass on and the very elements in my body will eventually go back to the Earth to be recycled and reused as is the pattern in the universe. I'm fine with that, as I have come to accept that and to be honest, death has no fear for me except if it comes earlier than I want. However, sometimes at the eyepiece I remind myself that though insignificant, we truly do matter to a handful of people (in my case) and I am extremely thankful that I can share my journey of life with these people and I do make a difference in their lives in some way. Here is the weird thought from me, in times of loss, I think I grow to appreciate life and all its wonders so much more.

So as we do our observing, look at the objects, I raise a toast to those I have loved and shared the journey of life with to that experience, knowing I am a richer person for their touch and influence in my life. As we look to the sky, may we remember those who not only have left us, but those who are with us and make sure we are enriching their lives as they equally enrich our own. Please forgive me if I drop off the radar over the next week or so. Family is and always will be number one and this will be a rough loss for the family. He has been given 3 or 4 days.

Zambuto Mirror Test 2 XT10i with Zambuto vs XT10 with Stock Orion Audio

On Saturday, July 23rd, 2011, a fellow club member named Jeff took his XTi10 with a Zambuto mirror up against my XT10 with a stock Orion mirror in it to compare both size scopes at a decent local dark site that locally is called Pit n Pole. I recorded about 22 minutes of the observations along with background chatter such as a discussion of why a tube 1o or 12 inch can be more of a grab and go scope than a 12 inch or larger truss design. On that I would have to agree in that I can set up my 10 inch much faster than my XX14i. Not by a lot, but by about 15 minutes if I rush, 25 minutes if I take my time.

What you'll see are images of the objects we observed, and then some images of my XX14i, XT10 and of the Pit n Pole landscape. It was a clear night, that is the best that can be said. Down low, say under 40 degrees of the sky the stars were really twinkling at first, giving an Antoniadi IV that later moved to a III. At zenith I rated the sky as a III to begin the night and kept it there, maybe hinting toward a II on the Antoniadi scale.

The video with the audios are on YouTube (blogger.com doesn't upload very well) and here is the first link to video 1.

Here is the link to video 2 where I finish my recording.

Some highlights. The XX14i beat both mirrors in the conditions tonight, showing far more structure on M51 than either the 10 inch. Jeff asks if he should include that, I say no at first joking, and then say to include it. Sometimes aperture does win as in this case.

The Veil Nebula, NGC 6960 showed wonderful filaments and structure with the Zambuto. On the Trifed Nebula, M20 the Zambuto brought out the dust lanes with direct vision and they popped because of the improved smoothness of the mirror and the contrast. On the stock Orion the lanes were there, very easy to be seen but not as crisp as in the Zambuto. The Zambuto mirror also showed a touch more color especially of both pink and green where the stock Orion showed some pink, with a hint of green from the site. There are other comparisons but I'll let you listen or if you want, you can go to this link on CloudyNights and read Jeff's report. I invite you if you are having cloudy nights and days like I am, to listen to the video/audio and to read Jeff's report. Outside of what I have posted, I am not going to put in my two pits since this was Jeff's opportunity and he did an outstanding job with it.


So as it was so cloudy this weekend killing the new moon observing, I did some work on some sketching of some targets I want to focus on in my next sessions. These were last years sketches which I redid and used a layered approach of dark gray, light gray and white. I am anxious to try them again with the Mellish method.


M27
























The Little Dumbbell Nebula
























Messier 33 Rough Sketch

Observing Session July 23rd and July 24th 2011

Well on Saturday night a local club member, Jeff P. got a hold of a 10 inch Zambuto mirror and we took his XT10i and my XT10 out to Pit n Pole and did another comparison of the two mirrors. There is no doubt who won but I don't want to take Jeff's reflection/post that he'll do on Cloudy Nights. I had the XX14i out there as well and it performed quite well. I have an audio recording and I'll be posting that up on the blog in the next day or two after I add some images to the audio so I can post it.

On Sunday, July 24th, 2011 I went back out to Pit n Pole and got the XX14i totally back to working order (I had the mirrors out and the base apart), well, sort of. The intelliscope worked for a moment and then went wild with its warp. So I need to make some adjustments with that (I played with it for about 45 minutes which was a waste). I like it when it is working, I don't like it when it doesn't work as it is a waste of time because in that 45 minutes I could have star hopped to a half dozen objects or to two or three Herschels and done an observation and a sketch.

Well I was working on my collimation, my friend Jorge showed up and set up next to me. I had been tweaking some things and had to stand up to stretch my back when I noticed that about 15 yards away, we had a new visitor. Here is a couple of blurry images:























Sorry, another picture:
























When I first got there, I noticed that down in Pit was some Antelope droppings, some old and some fresh ones. Yet I wasn't expecting this buck to come walking up that dirt road you see just to the left of the pole, look at us and then turn to the left. He kept on walking and eventually changed directions back toward the main road and then to the east. That night for about an hour and a half he was relatively close again and made some grunting like noises, clamped his hoofs a couple of times and just made some noise moving around. He got close a couple of times so I simply shouted out and we never had an issue with him again. I've observed where pronghorn are, and have seen them, but this adult male buck was good size and not afraid of us. It is the closest to the wild pronghorn I have ever been and I have to say, it was cool to see him that close.

So after playing with the intelliscope I gave up and went to the star atlas and my printed maps to get my July Herschels done (I have like 7 to do). I got six done and will present five here tonight. The sky this night was rather iffy, lots of twinkle in the upper atmosphere as the jet stream was shifting round a moving high pressure that brought some rain and thunderstorms in this evening. I put it initially at an Antoniadi IV and then moved it down to a III later in the evening. At zenith (up top) the sky was an Antoniadi III. Having said that, it was clear, dark, and the Milky Way just shown with its dark lanes being very visible.

1. NGC 6293 Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus; July 24th, 2011; 10:34p.m. or 04:34UT on 7/24/11; Clear conditions; Antoniadi IV; Pit n Pole, Rush Valley UT; Mag. 8.3; Size: 8.2' XX14i with 10mm Pentax XW;

Small globular with a bright core. There are stars resolved in the globular with both direct and averted vision. The core is about 1/4 the size of the halo that makes up the globular cluster and there appears to be a chain running to the northeast; this gives the globular an almost diamond shape appearance.

























Object: NGC 6355 Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus; Date: July 24th, 2011; Time: 11:20p.m. MDT or 05:20UT on 7/25/11; Location: Pit n Pole, Rush Valley, Utah; Antoniadi IV-III; Mag: 8.6; Size 4.2'; Instruments: XX14i & 10mm Pentax XW;

A very small and faint globular cluster, almost galaxy like in appearance. 165x shows a stellar/pinpoint core and then a somewhat brighter halo around that inner core, with a diffused halo around that brighter halo. Averted vision shows a mottled type appearance. No chains of stars evident and perhaps a few stars are viewable though I believe they are foreground stars.
























Object: NGC 6316 Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus; Date: July 24th, 2011; Time: 11:45p.m. MDT or 05:45UT on 7/25/11; Location: Pit n Pole, Rush Valley, Utah; Mag. 8.1; Size: 5.4'; Antoniadi III; Instruments: XX14i w/ 10mm Pentax XW.

This globular cluster is small, yet has a somewhat bright core. The core is white and round and about 1/2 the size of the entire halo of the globular. No stars are evident or resolved and no chains of course are evident then. Again another globular that appears more like a galaxy.























Object: NGC 6304 Globular Cluster in Ophiuchus; Date: July 25th, 2011; Time: 12:18a.m. MDT or 06:18UT same date: Mag. 8.3; Size: 8.0'; Instruments: XX14i w/ 10mm Pentax XW; Antoniadi III;

Small globular cluster with no real core. No resolved stars are evident and no major detail. One item did stick out and it appeared that form the core a bright line seem to come out which I included in the sketch. The globular was somewhat irregular in shape.
























Object: NGC 6451 Open Cluster in Scorpius: Date: July 25th, 2011; Time: 12:55a.m. or 06:55UT same date; Antoniadi III; Mag. 9.2; Size 8.0'; Instruments: XX14i w/ 27mm Panoptic;


In the Panoptic this appears as a small and tight cluster but it is rather medium size in terms of size and medium rich in the number of stars in view. Relatively bright and easy to discern as it sites in a equilateral triangle. Many stars in view and many more wanting to pop out. One that I'll come back to and take a look at with higher magnification.




































Yes, I did this one digitally based on the sketch. You may have to click on this one to see the open cluster.

I also took time and examined Stephen's Quintet. It was better at Lakeside last September when it was in the southern sky more near zenith. All five were viewable but seeing limited them to being somewhat faint. NGC 7331 was nearby of course. Also took in the Helix Nebula and that was a wonderful site in the 27mm Panoptic. It was late and the moon was about to pop but that is one item that I am going to sketch this next weekend if the weather cooperates. Also Jorge and I looked at Jupiter as it was higher up now and saw the banding and the four moons. It was nice to see Jupiter again and brings back good memories of observing in the later portion of the summer of 2010 and the early fall of 2011. I saw some other objects, and I think I want to see the Snake Nebula this next weekend also. So much to see, not enough time! I hope the weather is great this week where you are and you get out.


Edit: My friend and observing mate Jorge took the following two pictures of our friendly visitor or Buck Antelope that wanted to Star Gaze. Please click on them for the larger version.

An Offer to Learn to use a Dobonsion Telescope

I wanted to extend to anyone in the Salt Lake or Provo area an offer. If you have ever wanted to try running a dobsonion telescope from now on when I go to Pit n Pole, I am taking my 10 inch/XT10 scope with me. It has no electronics and you have to run it manually but I have an extra copy of the Sky Pocket Atlas and I'll teach you a few tricks so you can start using this scope. I'll be observing next to you just in case you have a question and in education we call this a scaffolding approach to learning. Tonight, Sunday, July 24th I'll be out at Pit n Pole and probably next weekend to (was planning on Great Basin but some family issues arose where I need to be close to home). Here is a link to directions to Pit n Pole. If you plan to take me up on this offer I would ask if you could leave a comment and let me know, but you don't have to. I'll just bring the scope no mater what.

Here are two pictures of the scope you'll use to learn on. I think if someone is interested they will really enjoy this experience.