Arrowhead Astronomical Society
- Intro
AAS blog - 2007
- Events
- Observing Notes
- Photos
- Club Telescope
- Letters
- Astro Tools & Articles
- Links
- Contact AAS
Arrowhead Astronomical Society
AAS blog - 2007
Click the refresh button to update. AAS members: Click here for blog submit instructions.
Blogs from 2007 (click to visit):
December 18th, 2007: December Astronomy
December is a busy month, and not necessarily for astronomy. I do try to fit in a bit of astronomy, though.
This month Eric and I taught astronomy at Northern Lights Elementary School in Superior, WI for 5th graders. After the class Eric, Aaron and I had a short observing session with the students, parents and teachers. It's always fun to teach kids astronomy. For more details, click AAS at Northern Lights School.
Next year, I've decided to dive into CCD astrophotography with an old ST-7E camera. Should be interesting. I'll detail my progress on this site...
Happy Holidays!
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Author: mjs604@mac.com
November 20th, 2007: Comet Holmes & astrophotography
It was clear on the 20th, so I decided to try my hand at astrophotography again. This time I was prepared. I setup my Tak 60mm refractor as the guide scope, and piggybacked the camera (D200) on the top of the scope ring. The camera setup is 8 pictures at 25 seconds with darkframe subtraction. The D200 automates taking x number of exposures up to 30 seconds each.
Last time I tried this, focusing was a problem. I avoided this by using an old manual focus 105mm lens - just set it to infinity. I used both f2.5 and f4 on the Comet. The stars were better at f4, but requires a longer exposure. Below is my stacked (8 pictures at f4 and 25 seconds) and enhanced Comet photo:
This photo turned out better than my last Comet Holmes photo. No star trailing, better focus and the stars with this lens appear sharper. There still is some color around the brighter stars - I need to try an ED lens.
Another target I tried was the Pleiades (M45). Even with the Moon in the sky, this photo turned out OK. I need darker skies and a bigger lens (through the scope?) to get a better picture. I think my goal for next year is to get a really good picture of the Pleiades. Current try of the Pleiades:
Below is another photo of the Pleiades. This time it's one frame with the 105mm, f2.8 at 25 seconds. I did not use this for stacking the images, due to the clouds. It makes an interesting picture. The clouds are green tinted due to the light pollution in town.
I guess astrophotography is not as bad as I thought....
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Author: mjs604@mac.com
November 6th, 2007: Thoughts on Mars
It has been cloudy for a few days, and I haven't been able to do any Comet Holmes observing. While waiting for the sky to clear, I've been thinking of Mars. Mars is nearing opposition, and is near the zenith - excellent for observing the Red Planet.
Mars is my favorite night sky object. Mars is the only planet where surface features can be seen through a small telescope (not counting the Moon...). It can be very frustrating, though - it is not very big in the scope and sky conditions around here are seldom very steady. But sometimes a lot of detail can be seen: polar caps, clouds, and dark surface features.
Mars has been my favorite planet since I was small. My Grandfather, who loved astronomy, talked about Mars whenever it was visible in the night sky. He would show me Mars in the night sky, and explain how to find the planets. Neither one of us had a telescope at the time. I think he would really like the view in a scope on a good night.
There are a some good online resources for Mars, especially when it is cloudy... The Online Mars book, "The Planet Mars: a History of Observation and Discovery" is excellent reading for a Mars observer. Accounts of turn of the Century (20th) visual observers, and discussion of the "canals" on Mars. Also, there is the Mars website Mars Daily, which is news from the Martian space probes (Spirit, Opportunity, etc).
Clear Sky Clocks says Wednesday morning should be clear with good seeing, time to get the scope out....
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Author: mjs604@mac.com
October 29th, 2007: Update on Comet Holmes/17P
Comet Holmes 17P is turning out to be a very unique and unusual comet. I have created a special observing notes section on the website dedicated to this comet.
If you haven't seen this comet yet, you really need to!!
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Author: mjs604@mac.com
October 26th, 2007: Solar System Medley
Early this morning, I decided to do a little observing from my driveway. I wanted to see Mars, and also the unexpectedly bright Comet 17P/Holmes. It was hard getting up early, but I managed to make it outside by 5:50 AM.
Since it was still dark, my first object was Comet Holmes 17P. It was a full Moon, so I didn't have much hope for the comet. I was wrong! I had trouble finding the right location in Perseus because I couldn't seem to find the bright stars on the top of the constellation. Then I realized that the bright star in the wrong place was the comet! I immediately pointed my 4" Takahashi at the "star". I couldn't believe it, I could plainly see the comet in the 7x50 finder scope. It is the strangest comet I have ever seen... There was no tail, and it had a large, bright coma. In the middle, I could see a bright starlike object. A small fan was attached to the bright point, which is surrounded by the coma. Also, a larger faint coma surrounds the inner coma. No sign of any tail. It looked like the comet is heading directly towards Earth (not sure which direction the comet is moving, I'll have to look it up). I'm guessing the coma is new (the outburst), and the Sun hasn't pushed it into a tail yet. Click here for history of Comet Holmes 17P (note references to AAS's Bob King). If you have a chance, see this comet!
My next object was Mars. Mars is high in the morning sky in Gemini. It is very bright and has an intense orange-red color. Hard to miss. In the scope, it's small, but I could make out many details. The North Polar Hood was easy to see (which is clouds and ice fog over the North Pole of Mars). I also could make out a dark gash across the planet, which is Mare Cimmerium and Tyrrhenum. Click here for a guide to Mars. The sun was just starting to rise, making the atmosphere jump around a bit, so I decided to move on to the next object...
Venus. This planet is a very bright white starlike object in the east (below Leo). I took a brief look - it was a nice crescent at low power.
Saturn. Saturn is back in the morning sky. One of my favorite objects! Saturn is the bright yellow star in Leo, right above Venus. As usual, Saturn was amazing. The rings are turning towards us (in 2009 they will be invisible to us). I actually like the view of Saturn with the rings almost edge on. The Moons Titan, Tethys and Rhea were easily visible next to Saturn. Click here for a Saturn observing guide.
The sun was starting to come up, and sadly I had to get ready for work. After one last look at the Comet (still naked eye visible), I took the scope down and went back in the house.
Next clear morning, I'll do this again....
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Author: mjs604@mac.com
Last night I thought I would try some quick astrophotography. Nothing complicated, just some quick shots of the Moon with a digital SLR (10meg Nikon D200).
I started with a 300mm lens on a tripod. The Moon is a relatively easy target. I used an exposure of 1/320 at F5.6 (ISO 200). Surprisingly enough, autofocus functioned (due to the brightness of the nearly full Moon), and so did the spot meter.
Next, I tried my 70-200 zoom with VR (vibration reduction, IS for Canon shooters) at 200mm. I sat down on the driveway to help steady the lens and tried a few shots, just to see how they would compare:
What amazed me the most, is how easy it is to photograph the moon with a digital camera. I did not get results this good with film without a lot of trial and error. Also, the 200mm handheld shot appears just as good as the 300mm on a tripod - technology is great!
I think I'll try my camera mounted on the scope next....
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Author: mjs604@mac.com
Mars - It's time for Mars again!
I've viewed the Red Planet only once this year, in August. It was way too small, but I did see some fleeting detail on the planet....
Mars is my favorite planet, but it can be a difficult target for telescopes. It is very small, even when close (15 arc seconds this year - Jupiter is 35 arc seconds, for example).
I will post more thoughts and observations of Mars in the next few months. Now is a good time to start observing Mars - retrain your eye to seeing Martian details.
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Author: mjs604@mac.com
Just a quick note for today's blog... I haven't had much time during the summer for updates, other than Starfest 07, but now, with summer winding down, I'll turn more towards Astronomy and updating this blog!
Now for some miscellaneous items:
The annual Furtman Farm Star Party was scheduled for this month, but was canceled due to illness at the Furtman Farm.
Eric's Starfest 07 report is added to the Starfest 07 Observation report.
I finally have my mount (EM10) sorted out to accept my Meade 8" SCT tube, but haven't viewed through it due to clouds and being too busy.
Still haven't taken any astrophoto's....
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Author: mjs604@mac.com
Well, another Starfest has come and gone. It was a pretty good one this year. The weather somewhat cooperated, though Saturday night had a thunder storm. It was HOT! 90's and humid...
Besides observing, It is nice to get out and see what other Amateur Astronomers are doing (latest observing trends, equipment choices, homemade equipment, etc).
I also try to observe something I haven't seen before when I'm at a Star Party. This year it was the Veil Nebula and Neptune (I have seen them before, but not in my 4" refractor). The Veil was my favorite with a 3.5 degree view and a borrowed OIII filter (thanks, Will). I could see the entire Veil, and even though it wasn't as bright as in a 12", it was still spectacular.
Mel Bartels was the guest speaker, and he gave two excellent talks. I liked the first one the best - designing a scope around its intended use.
Saturday was my favorite observing night (actually Sunday morning). It started out bad - rain and thunder storms all day. The midnight snack was moved up to 11:30, and people were going to bed and even packing up and leaving. At 12:30, as we were leaving the midnight snack, we noticed that the sky was clear and very transparent. I decided to unpack the scope (about the 100th time that day), and started observing. There were only about 4-5 scopes setup (and one imager!), but it was worth it. We called it quits at about 3:30 AM.
The food and company were excellent this year, as always - CVAS puts on a good star party. I think I'll go again next year....
For a more in-depth review of this year's Starfest see Jim and Eric's write-up. Also, click Starfest 2007 for more photos.
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Author: mjs604@mac.com
August! The month of the Big Star Party! This, of course, is the Northwoods Starfest, held in Fall Creek WI by CVAS club.
Our club has close ties with the CVAS astronomy club. Some of our members belong to both clubs, and we know many of the CVAS members.
Every August, many of the AAS members make the trip to Fall Creek. This will be my 5th appearance at Starfest.
The first time I went (Starfest 1998), was my first star party, and I had only been observing for about a year. I brought my oldest daughter, who was 11 at the time. I also brought both my daughters to Starfest 1999. And of course, Starfest 2000 was the year John Dobson was the guest speaker. I think that year had the highest attendance.
After the 2000 Starfest, I missed quite a few... The next one I went to was Starfest 2006. This was a different event for me. My family wasn't interested in attending (daughters too old?), and there were a lot more AAS members present. We had a lot of fun, so I decided to go again this year.
2007 Starfest's guest speaker will be Mel Bartels, who is famous for ATM (Amateur Telescope Maker) projects. Should be interesting..
If you have the chance to go, do it! It's a good time.
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the Club: duluthaas@mac.com
This month our club had another opportunity to educate the public about amateur astronomy. This time it was a group of science teachers from all over the country taking a trip to the Lake Superior area. One of the teachers sent our club an email requesting an observing session with us. For Eric's take on the event click on: Teachers at Korrki.
We planned our session for July 18th. It was a beautiful clear day, but when it was time to go to our observing session it poured! Flash back to Grand Marais....
Luckily, it did clear up around 10 PM. It was a good night of observing, and the teachers were very interested in astronomy and observing - Jupiter was especially popular that night.
After the last two public observing sessions and our club's Canal Park sessions, I've noticed that the general public has a very high interest in astronomy and observing - although not a lot of astronomy knowledge. I believe it is in our best interest (AAS club and anyone involved in amateur astronomy) to promote astronomy knowledge and observing.
Be a sidewalk astronomer!
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the author: mjs604@mac.com
I've been a little slack about updating this blog, so I thought I better update..
First, comments on the trip to Grand Marias. The event went very well. The kids and parents were very enthusiastic and made our trip enjoyable. Eric wrote an in-depth summary of the trip (Grand Marais write-up - Eric). Also, here is a link to photos from Grand Marais. It was a great experience!
It's summer observing time! This time of the year is great for casual observing. There's nothing better than a dark site and just a pair of binoculars. The Milky Way is high in the sky, and it's not too cold for just laying on the ground and drinking in the night sky! So get out there and observe...
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the author: mjs604@mac.com
I haven't updated this blog in awhile, so I thought I would add a few astronomy related items.
First, I'm organizing an AAS sponsored school program/observing session for a Charter school in Grand Marias, MN. The teacher and students seem very enthusiastic - should be a lot of fun. I'll post updates on this project...
I've been doing a lot of short observing sessions with my scopes, getting them ready for the school observing session. It is interesting to note the differences and strengths between the different type of scopes. The refractor does the best on Saturn and double stars, and the 8" SCT beats the refractor on galaxies and globular clusters. I prefer the refractor's GEM mount, but one of these days I will get an adapter for the Meade SCT for the GEM...
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the author: mjs604@mac.com
Astronomy Day, 2007, Mars:
Last weekend (April 21st) was National Astronomy Day, and our club had a very successful Astronomy Day event. Three groups participated in this event. Our club (AAS), Marshall W. Alworth Planetarium (UMD) and the UMD Astronomy Club. We had over 1000 people attend.
Our club put on the Mission to Mars, and had many of our club member's telescopes on display. The Mission to Mars showed what a mission to Mars would be like - complete with a Mars Lander and space suits! Eric even launched a Mars probe, which had a bit of trouble, showing that space travel can be hazardous!
We had Dr. Robert Gehrz, Professor and Head, Department of Astronomy, University of Minnesota Twin Cities giving the keynote address. It was "Infrared Astronomy with NASA's New Spitzer Space Telescope", which was very interesting. We could have kept him there all night with our questions.
I spent all day in the telescope area explaining to anyone who would listen about how the telescopes work, William's astrophotos, and any other questions people asked. I came away with the impression that the public is very interested in Astronomy, and especially viewing through telescopes. I think our club should look into more public observing...
It was a very successful event, and I think we should do it again next year!
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the author: mjs604@mac.com
Astronomy Day Intro, April 20th, 2007
Saturday, April 21st is Astronomy Day for the AAS club and the UMD Planetarium. Both the AAS, the UMD staff and students will put on this event.
There will be many events for everyone, plus a possibility of public observing - although with the weather around here it is hard to say...
It will be a good time for everyone, regardless of the weather. The AAS club will have telescope displays, astrophotography displays, and the Mission to Mars. Be there!
- AAS
Comments? Email: duluthaas@mac.com
I discovered a website that shows the scale of the universe in an interesting way, take a look: Scale of the Universe.
It explores the micro to the macro using the metric measurement scale. It goes from the smallest to the largest, including the entire universe - an interesting web site.
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the author: mjs604@mac.com
This week I found out that our resident telescope internet seller, Telescopes.com has been bought out and is moving out of state.
It is a loss to the area's amateur astronomers. Even though they were an internet based company, they contributed greatly to the local amateurs. Not only were AAS club members offered a discount, but company employees would come to our star parties and club meetings. Also, they sponsored many events in the area, and would bring equipment to special events at the UMD Planetarium.
The club was even sent an email on their departure.
They will be missed!
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the author: mjs604@mac.com
Spring is here, and I'm observing again.. or trying to observe. The weather is not great for astronomy this time of year. Clouds, wind, clouds and more clouds. You try to think of astronomy related projects to work on that doesn't involve a clear sky.
Read a good astronomy book.
Clean your scope and eyepieces.
Move to Arizona or New Mexico.
Make your observing plans (what objects to observe - a observing list).
So, after reading a few of my favorite astronomy books, I decided to revise how my observing is planned. I really haven't done much planning. At the most, I print out charts of objects I would like to observe and circle the objects, or just wing it (spending a lot of time thinking "what should I look at next?"). If I'm mainly looking at planet(s), I really don't need a list. But for deepsky, a list would make observing more enjoyable.
I decided to try using my laptop for planning. After searching the Web, I found some low cost software ($25!) that would help me with my planning. It is called AstroPlanner, and works on Mac OS X (I have a G4 Powerbook), and also Windows. Not only can you build lists of objects to observe, there are ready made lists to download, which include observing article lists from Astronomy, Sky & Telescope and many observing books. It also has a feature to add your observation comments to each object.
I've been getting familiar with the software, and I learned it can even interface to my goto mount, which allows me to easily navigate to each object. I'm spending my non-observing time (still cloudy) building lists (my first is objects in Leo - a good spring constellation) and reviewing observing articles in astronomy magazines.
Now if it would only clear up!
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the author: mjs604@mac.com
Last weekend was my first real observing session of 2007. It was good to be observing again. I realize this is close to an observing report, but it is not a complete record of events - I will leave that report to others (Eric?).
I've noticed that the equipment you're using tends to define how and what you observe. For instance, the club's 17" Dob tended towards observing galaxies and globular clusters, while the goto equipped 14" SCT was doing astro photography and searching for Messier/NGC objects.
Using a 4" refractor guides me to a different type of observing. Unlike the dobs and SCTs, a 4" scope does not have the same light gathering capability. But an APO refractor has other qualities, such as sharp optics and high contrast. Another side effect of the small aperture is the relative immunity to atmospheric turbulence.
So the obvious objects for a refractor are planets and double stars. I did spend a lot of time on Saturn - it was a very good view, sharp and steady. I didn't spend as much time on the doubles, although I did spend some time on Castor - a nice double (actually a triple, the 3rd star is faint and contrasts nicely with the 2 bright stars).
The refractor guided me towards a different observing style (although not bringing my star atlas also guided my observing style). It was a slower paced session, looking at fewer objects and spending a lot more time on each object. I would try many eyepieces for the best view. The mount tracks the stars, letting the observer concentrate on the view for a long time, without having to keep moving the scope.
Ignoring its 4" aperture, I would see how deep I could go, such as trying to see spiral structure on M51. I didn't see the spirals, but I could detect a lot of detail in the galaxy. I think with a little more time, I would be able to see the spiral structure.
With a new wide field eyepiece in hand (TMB Paragon, 40mm 68 deg), I also began to look at objects with a very wide view (3.25 degrees). This is a different perspective than the normal < 1 degree field. Saturn was even interesting at this low power - a very tiny ringed planet in a star field. Of course, the Pleiades (M45) and Beehive (Praesepe M44) cluster looked great. It was nice to have the whole cluster in the field of view. I especially liked looking at the triple galaxies in Leo: M65, M66 and NGC 3628.
I also spent time using the club's 17" dob. This scope has an altogether different observing style: wrestle with the dob (literally - it is a very large sonotube!) to find the object, drag the ladder over, then view the object while continuing to wrestle to keep the object in the eyepiece. This did help warm the observer up, as it is still cold out... (the views of the galaxies were spectacular). The views of Globular clusters were amazing in the 14" Celestron goto SCT, and no wrestling involved.
I find it very relaxing observing with the refractor. I like the following quote I found on the internet: "The Takahashi exhudes an air of serenity and peacefulness. The white tube and lime green highlights were chosen, it is said, to remind one of lily pads in a koi pond, or a Japanese tea ceremony." quoted from Ed Ting, who has an excellent telescope review website, and used the Tak FS-102.
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster
Comments? Email the author: mjs604@mac.com
This is a new addition to the AAS website - the website blog. Everyone else has one, so I thought this site should have one too. Besides, it gives me a chance to ramble ...
I will try to have as many AAS members as possible contribute to this blog, and update it frequently. Although at this point I don't know how often it will be updated. Time will tell.
It is the start of spring in Duluth, which means it is Astronomy time for me. I really try to observe in the dead of winter, but it never seems to happen, especially if it involves taking out the telescope. I guess it just too cloudy, snowy, or just too damn cold. I know that the winter skies are spectacular - someday I should do more winter observing. And then there's William, who not only observes in the cold, but takes spectacular astro photos. Maybe next year...
But when spring hits, and the snow begins to melt, I start to think about observing again.
* Time to start looking at star charts to see what is up in the sky (try this interactive chart from Sky and Telescope).
* Time to checkout the telescope and mount, make sure everything is ready to go.
* Time to check which eyepieces are missing, and which ones are not needed (Astromart!).
* Time to actually go to the Club observing site (haven't been there since last Fall).
* Time to update the website on a more regular basis....
- Michael Sangster, AAS webmaster