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Observation notes for 27 oct 2005

Time: 27 Oct 2005, 1:30 am through 2:30 am

Naked eye limiting star magnitude ~3.8 (Houston light pollution is horrendous).

Equipment: Celestron Ultima 8x56 binoculars, handheld

Amazing clarity in the sky - if only i were far enough away from Houston to see more deep sky objects!

Mars is the brightest object in the sky, apparent magnitude -2.21. Disk resolves through binocs, but no detail apparent.

Great Nebula in Orion visible with naked eye; much detail evident through binoculars.

Open cluster M45 - the Pleiades - visible to the naked eye, very nice view through binocs. I think I even could just see the reflection nebula around Merope, but it may have been my imagination. I think there was too much light pollution to see that.

Using constellation Cassiopeia, I scouted for M31 - the Andromeda Galaxy. For the first time in my backyard, I found it. With dark enough skies, it is visible to the naked eye. Not in my backyard.

Again using Cassiopeia, I found open cluster NGC 884.

Nothing else of note visible -- too much light pollution. Below Orion, the limiting naked-eye magnitude was ~2.8!
 
I do not do much astronomy anymore. I'm bringing out my small scope to check Mars out if it clears up.
I sold my Meade 8" Schmidt Cassegrain about 3 years ago. I would like to get another one sometime when I can also afford to get a CCD imaging system for it at the same time.
On my webpage if you check under the Photography section and click on Night, I have some pictures of comets and Orion Nebula that I took.
http://www.geocities.com/elgecko1989/nightframe.html
 
Its fascinating stuff. They were showing pics on TV from the two probes on Mars the other nite. The scientists were tickled...they were only expected to work for 90 days but its been over 600 days now and they are still going strong. The images are amazing...to think they are coming live from Mars! Too bad they can't collect rock samples and send them back to earth for study.

I wish I had a good telescope.
 
Thats awsome SarraceniaScott, i tell ya thats one thing im glad im not in a city anymore due to the lights and what not, out here in the middle of nowhere its PITCH black cant even see 3 inches in front of you at night, i love sitting out at night looking at all the diffrent stars and watching the satalites go over at diffrent times, theres 2 of them that cross right over each other going in diffrent directions, sometimes we see things we arent sure of UFO's could be who knows.. LOL!!

elgecko, i love your pics especialy the lightning pics, im a lightning freak and will stand right out in it durring a bad storm just to watch and get the thrill something about the electricity that really gets to me,:p wish i had a cam good enough to get some pics that were just awsome at times. There was a few times it struck very very close and i could feel it going up my legs WHAT A RUSH!!
smile_m_32.gif
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (PlantAKiss @ Oct. 27 2005,4:04)]I wish I had a good telescope.
I would start with a good pair of astronomical binoculars... the ones I mentioned above are excellent, and are very good daytime binocs, as well.

You can learn a lot, and see a lot with good binocs.

With dark skies, you can't beat the starfield views you get with good binocs.
 
I would guess they are expensive? Oh and what about shake?
 
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