Skywatchers' Journal

[Turtle]

;) ___I have watched the sky since childhood and I still find it spellbinding. I remember buying my first sky maps from Edmund Scientific & trying to track down stars & constellations.

___Lately I use a video cam feeding to a TV for my telescope as the cold nights cramp up the old joints. I save the outside stuff for warmer weather or special occurences, eg the comet that came by last Summer.

___I saw that big fireball a few months back over the NorthWest while using the video cam/TV setup to watch the Moon; didn't get it on tape but saw it through an open window.

___Well, you get the idea of this thread, so what skywatching do you do & how, where, when, with who, etc.

___Tonight is a Moon/Jupiter conjunction; I was out a minite ago & we have some high clouds obscurring Jupiter. Keep looking skyward! ;)

[Buffy]

Living in the city, we don't see much, although we do go to the local observatory (Chabot in Oakland) where on the warmer, clearer Friday nights they have a couple of big ol refractors to look through and a bunch of amatures with their own bring them up for the public to view. Great planetarium there too...

 

My daughter and I make it up to the eastern Sierras a couple of times a year though and go where there's no lights at all and stare for hours. Its awe inspiring....

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[C1ay]

I'm an infrequent amateur astronomer. I've got a 5" reflector and I try to catch all of the events that happen only once or twice in a life time.

[Qfwfq]

Not bad, I know a few people that have good scopes but I me only godda pair of 12x50s. Good ones though, Eschenbach.

 

When Hale-Bopp was around we all went up the mountains with a guy, astronomy student, that had a good reflector. Before the comet was above the horizon he was setting it up to look at some other interesting things. I waited till he peered into the ocular to focus and I bent down, face into the tube, gave him a sec or two to attempt focussing and said: "I dunno, I can't see a darn thing!"

 

This guy laughed but another guy I was with, a year or two before, leapt up and chased me away with kicks in the arse.

[lindagarrette]

Has anyone been here? ASV (Arizona Sky Village) Located in one of the darkest deep-sky sites in North America, Astronomers will watch in awe as the Milky Way rises like a gathering storm and will re-discover the Universe in pristine dark skies.

./assets/images/autogen/a_Copy_of_Zodiacal_Light___milkyway.jpg

 

 

This could be a nifty event!

http://arizonaskyvillage.com/html/star_party.html

[Francium]

Yeah, full moon tonight! I love full moons.

I didn't catch the conjunction. I'm glad my Venus is back though :eek: I missed her.

 

I don't get out as much to really check out the stars as I would like. This winter was cold and I let it keep me in. I've got a new Meade NGC-70 (2.8" Refractor). It's a basic telescope for novices like myself but I like how it hooks up to my laptop, handy dandy :eek:

 

Anybody catch the solar eclipse?

 

Looking skyward :eek:

[Queso]

i saw the eclipse. reminded me of pac man.

[Buffy]

i saw the eclipse. reminded me of pac man.

Munch!

 

My daughter and I always refer to the first/last quarter as "The Cheshire Cat". I suppose Turtle calls it GETE...

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[Queso]

ah i've written about that. a planet was right underneith that cheshire cat one night, venus i believe. (the morning star, i believe that's the planet) and it was like a beauty mark to the sky. i was standing on a dock in the gulf of mexico a day after one of the hurricanes, waves for once! it was magnificent.

[Turtle]

___You are good Buffy! Good fortune in your general direction!

___The term I have used since a child is actually a toenail Moon. GETE

[Queso]

i was driving on a one lane state road through the cow pastures and drug fields of florida last night going about 100 and a shooting star wobbled and decayed above me and dissapeared. i love how random those are.

[Turtle]

___Nice catch Orby! Did you wish on it?

___I'll wager you could have slowed to 40 though & still seen it! ;) Exercise caution young man ;) ;)

___Last night here we had some clearings but I went ot bed early & made no observations.

Keep looking skyward!

[Buffy]

Oh and careful: there's gators on the road late at night. Same rule applies for gators as deer on the road: don't swerve, drive through it. It will do less damage to you, and you might get some nice shoes out of it in the bargain....

 

Cheers,

Buffy

[Turtle]

___Or maybe a binocular or telescope case! Ahh the science of leather production! One neaver knows waht will pop up next!

[Queso]

haha, i saw a couple rabbits, and a wild boar. no deer or gators though!

[Buffy]

Gators: I figured Florida...I've seen plenty when I've been there.

 

Boars: Same rule applies, but they're not as good a material for shoes.

 

100mph: Watch out for Smokies! And watch the ROAD! Especially if it appears to be moving!

 

Cheers!

Buffy

[Queso]

state roads are empty and straight, nothing to worry about!

and HA HA, very funny. yeah nice joke there buffy, GOOD ONE. sure, yeah!

ahhhh but honestly, i would never drive under conditions like that. i know exactly what would happen. i would think headlights are some mystical pathway and i would drive right into them. VERY BAD!