Spotted the Moon high up in the south while at the barbecue.
That Moon is going to block the Sun in about 20 days...
Monday, July 31, 2017
bright light (Bradford)
Couldn't fall asleep. Looked out the east window as the sky brightened? Venus or a street light? Too high for a LED lamp.
finished with ISS (Bradford)
Enjoyed Sagitta, Cygnus, Lyra, Delphinus, and Ophiuchus. It was good to see Aquila in full view. Now all of Cassiopeia was visible.
Viewed alpha 1 and 2 Capricornus in the binoculars. Pointed out the naked eye double (alpha 1 and 2 merge with brighter beta below) to Rhonda. That's where our first meteor came from.
The Milky Way was washed out by the Moon. We never saw our own galaxy.
Finished with watching the International Space Station pass just under the Big Dipper. Further from Merak than I expected but still bright. Three new crew had just arrived. It faded into sunset.
Viewed alpha 1 and 2 Capricornus in the binoculars. Pointed out the naked eye double (alpha 1 and 2 merge with brighter beta below) to Rhonda. That's where our first meteor came from.
The Milky Way was washed out by the Moon. We never saw our own galaxy.
Finished with watching the International Space Station pass just under the Big Dipper. Further from Merak than I expected but still bright. Three new crew had just arrived. It faded into sunset.
Sunday, July 30, 2017
odd one (Bradford)
Another meteor. Short and fast, through Cygnus, brightening at the end. Odd one, going south-east.
Earlier I spotted a bright satellite in the east moving north. As I called it out to rho, it started fading. Might have been an Iridium. It went through a little triangle of stars. Later I realised this was part of Pegasus. It went near Scheat.
§
Rhonda spotted an alert on her iPad from Meteor Shower Calendar. She investigated. From the table, she noted the alpha Capricornids and Aquarid showers were active. We had seen a meteor from Cap based on the angle at the time.
But she also saw an entry for the beta Cassiopeids: 10 per hour, 52 km/s, and mag 2.0. Peaking July 30. Nicely matched the odd meteor we had seen at 11:24. I did not know about them! Huh!
I found some more info at Universe Guide.
Earlier I spotted a bright satellite in the east moving north. As I called it out to rho, it started fading. Might have been an Iridium. It went through a little triangle of stars. Later I realised this was part of Pegasus. It went near Scheat.
§
Rhonda spotted an alert on her iPad from Meteor Shower Calendar. She investigated. From the table, she noted the alpha Capricornids and Aquarid showers were active. We had seen a meteor from Cap based on the angle at the time.
But she also saw an entry for the beta Cassiopeids: 10 per hour, 52 km/s, and mag 2.0. Peaking July 30. Nicely matched the odd meteor we had seen at 11:24. I did not know about them! Huh!
I found some more info at Universe Guide.
a good meteor (Bradford)
While IDing constellations overhead, we saw a long meteor! Heading north-north-west, it started near Lyra and slipped into Draco. Best one I've seen in a long time.
Rhonda asked earlier about the equilateral triangle overhead. I misidentified it as part of Boötes; it was the chest of Hercules.
Found the Coathanger with the Bushnell binoculars. Also checked the Double Double. No sign of The Ring at 7x. Viewed omicron 1 and 2, splitting 2 and 30 Cygni.
The Moon had dipped below the trees. Just past First Quarter.
Antares was shimmering.
Spotted Saturn through the tree, south-south-west. It was not round in the bins but I could not see Titan.
The mozzies were bad.
The fire was nice.
Rhonda asked earlier about the equilateral triangle overhead. I misidentified it as part of Boötes; it was the chest of Hercules.
Found the Coathanger with the Bushnell binoculars. Also checked the Double Double. No sign of The Ring at 7x. Viewed omicron 1 and 2, splitting 2 and 30 Cygni.
The Moon had dipped below the trees. Just past First Quarter.
Antares was shimmering.
Spotted Saturn through the tree, south-south-west. It was not round in the bins but I could not see Titan.
The mozzies were bad.
The fire was nice.
Friday, July 28, 2017
Moon over Jupiter (Bradford)
From the fairgrounds, after some tasty ribs, Rhonda spotted the fuzzy Moon. A crescent. I asked if she also saw the planet below. Yep.
I hoped they were enjoying clear skies up north. Wisps all around us near The Marsh.
I hoped they were enjoying clear skies up north. Wisps all around us near The Marsh.
a new type of telescope
Read a blog post about the Unistellar telescope with image enhancement and smart field detection. Sounds intriguing. It will be interesting to see if they can meet the crowd funding goals. And if the equipment will perform as expected. And if it is what the public really wants.
be safe
Found a helpful infographic on the correct and incorrect ways to view or photograph a solar eclipse. It was made by the American Academy of Ophthalmology (link) and American Astronomical Society.
They show what's safe and not safe. I also like the little timeline during an eclipse showing the only safe time to remove filters.
They show what's safe and not safe. I also like the little timeline during an eclipse showing the only safe time to remove filters.
Thursday, July 27, 2017
downloaded W&B SCOPE
Downloaded the current RASC Toronto Centre newsletter SCOPE with its unique cover and back page, in "eclipse" format, white on black.
processor crashed
The Burke Gaffney Observatory image processing 'bot crashed, sadly. Couldn't immediately process the Messier 26 image...
imaged M26 (Halifax)
In my "race" to view the entire Messier catalogue, I quickly viewed some objects. That is, I didn't linger. And I kept, in some cases, scant notes. For Messier objects that I can only find one blog entry for, I'm trying to view them again. Or image them.
BGO imaged open cluster Messier 26 in Scutum. Viewed only once.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
It is an attractive clustering in a busy part of the Milky Way. There are a number of little strings of stars. I look forward to processing this in full colour.
Near the centre of the open cluster there is a known double star. They are nearly equal in brightness, canted north-west through south-east, with the brighter partner to the north-west. This is TDT 1033.
§
Wikipedia link: Messier 26.
Wednesday, July 26, 2017
my doubles journey
Thought I'd review my double stars milestones. It's been a fascinating journey...
1991
first documented double star log entry 30 Jun
2003
first documented view of the Trapezium 27 Dec
2005
learned that a 6-inch 'scope can split below 1 arc-second 22 Dec
2006
selected some doubles from Skyguide book 24 Jun
made multi-star checklist using various sources 29 Jun
noted colours in Mizar/Alcor 4 Aug
logged a few more doubles 20 Aug
created life lists including doubles 24 Aug
developed criteria to extract doubles 29 Aug
2007
received double stars for small telescopes book by Sissy Haas 8 Jan
used 500 power to view epsilon Lyrae 8 Sep
viewed Albireo in 74" telescope 29 Sep
viewed various double stars 2 Nov
might have spotted Rigel B 2 Nov
2008
split Porrima, approx. 1.0 arc-seconds 25 May
decided to measure double stars 29 Dec
asked for calibrated eyepiece reviews 30 Dec
2009
delivered first The Sky This Month (with doubles) 5 Feb
reported error in Sky & Telescope winter list 11 Feb
learned PA and sep 24 Feb
Mortfield imaged Meissa with SN rig 10 Mar
reported error in S&T summer list 6 May
reached out to Spirit of 33 group 19 May
received Celestron Micro Guide 23 May
borrowed Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (1st) 24 May
measured Porrima with CMG (using casual method) 5 Jun
learned to Barlow with CMG 17 Jun
measured Porrima with CMG (using Celestron method) 22 Jun
double star work with CMG 1 Aug
viewed 20 pairs 3 Aug
closed in on 100 split stars 6 Aug
practiced measuring (with Teague method) 9 Aug
2010
refined measuring notes (with Teague method) 19 Feb
joined binary stars (JDSO) Yahoo!Group 19 Feb
joined S33 Yahoo!Group 19 Feb
practiced measuring (with Teague method) 20 Feb
began reading the Journal of Double Star Observers 21 Feb
passed 100 split stars 27 Feb
received feedback from Teague 8 Mar
ordered Cambridge Double Star Atlas book 9 May
learned Washington Double Star database 31 May
downloaded neglected WDS list 23 Aug
broke 1.0 arc-second barrier 28 Aug
wrote article on JDSO for SCOPE 26 Nov
2011
imaged Castor with StellaCam 17 Jan
reported errors in RASC Observer's Handbook 2011 12 Feb
learned of Star Splitters group 26 Mar
downloaded REDUC software 18 Jun
split ξ Scorpii AB at 1.01" 30 Jul
reviewed Mollise JDSO article on imaging 21 Aug
downloaded BinStar 23 Aug
sketched eta Per 10 Oct
viewed doubles with Millie 23 Oct
learned double star designations 24 Oct
passed 200 split stars 25 Oct
reported errors in RASC Observer's Handbook 2012 13 Nov
made RASC double star lists for SkyTools 19 Nov
2012
tested BinStar 5 Feb
refined kappa Her sep and PA measurements 6 Feb
tested Tracker software 10 Feb
made new workflow checklist for double star measurement 10 Feb
attempted measurement of Castor with SKYnyx 19 Mar
reduced Castor data 20 Mar
downloaded REDUC software 30 Mar
split zeta Boo at 0.5" ? Mar
passed 250 split stars 9 Apr
offered to help Sissy Haas 2 Aug
viewed doubles for Haas 24 Aug
reviewed Objects in the Heavens book for doubles 2 Sep
imaged Albireo with C14 and 40D 12 Oct
reviewed Berkó JDSO articles on imaging 16 Dec
2013
reached out to Ernõ Berkó 3 Apr
reviewed Ed's double star presentation 3 May
reviewed things needed for double star research 16 May
imaged 41 Dra with C8 and 40D 21 Jun
reduced 41 Dra data 23 Jun
tested RecToPol software 23 Jun
attended Cotterell's double star talk 9 Aug
hatched double star certificate idea 16 Oct
2014
reported errors in RASC Observer's Handbook 2014 18 Jan
received Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (2nd) 5 Mar
made CDSA showpieces list for SkyTools 1 May
compiled first release of double star candidates 19 May
reviewed JDSO articles on new discoveries 19 May
imaged Porrima with C14 and 40D 30 May
imaged 59 Ser with C14 and 40D 5 Jul
assisted Beckett on RASC OH 2015 doubles matter 19 Jul
asked for help with doubles project in Toronto 27 Jul
split zeta Her at last at 1.2" 9 Aug
split HD 206081 at 0.9" 9 Aug
imaged doubles in Draco with C14 and 40D 10 Aug
passed 400 split stars 16 Aug
recorded Cotterell's double star talk 22 Aug
asked for help with doubles project in Canada 14 Nov
2015
passed 500 split stars 21 May
imaged Rasalgethi with C14 and 40D 15 Jul
built double star project web site 7 Oct
referred to in RASC OH 2016 by Brian Mason 12 Oct
built double star list for SkySafari 15 Oct
2016
make naked eye doubles list for SkyTools 6 Feb
passed 700 split stars 23 Apr
imaged double star with BGO 24 and Apogee 27 Apr
made WDS converting spreadsheet 16 May
split Diadem at 0.4" 25 Jun
tried to image J2303 with C14 and 40D 11 Jul
passed 800 split stars 22 Aug
split Ascella at 0.6" 3 Sep
imaged doubles with C14 and 40D 4 Sep
2017
upgraded REDUC software 2 Mar
sold double star image to S&T magazine 21 Apr
added filtering to life list 3 May
made binary fast-movers list by month 6 May
developed Excel chart to plot PA 17 May
eta CrB at 0.5" 15 Jul
imaged SLE 235D with C14 and 40D 19 Jul
passed 1000 split stars 19 Jul
Wow.
1991
first documented double star log entry 30 Jun
2003
first documented view of the Trapezium 27 Dec
2005
learned that a 6-inch 'scope can split below 1 arc-second 22 Dec
2006
selected some doubles from Skyguide book 24 Jun
made multi-star checklist using various sources 29 Jun
noted colours in Mizar/Alcor 4 Aug
logged a few more doubles 20 Aug
created life lists including doubles 24 Aug
developed criteria to extract doubles 29 Aug
2007
received double stars for small telescopes book by Sissy Haas 8 Jan
used 500 power to view epsilon Lyrae 8 Sep
viewed Albireo in 74" telescope 29 Sep
viewed various double stars 2 Nov
might have spotted Rigel B 2 Nov
2008
split Porrima, approx. 1.0 arc-seconds 25 May
decided to measure double stars 29 Dec
asked for calibrated eyepiece reviews 30 Dec
2009
delivered first The Sky This Month (with doubles) 5 Feb
reported error in Sky & Telescope winter list 11 Feb
learned PA and sep 24 Feb
Mortfield imaged Meissa with SN rig 10 Mar
reported error in S&T summer list 6 May
reached out to Spirit of 33 group 19 May
received Celestron Micro Guide 23 May
borrowed Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (1st) 24 May
measured Porrima with CMG (using casual method) 5 Jun
learned to Barlow with CMG 17 Jun
measured Porrima with CMG (using Celestron method) 22 Jun
double star work with CMG 1 Aug
viewed 20 pairs 3 Aug
closed in on 100 split stars 6 Aug
practiced measuring (with Teague method) 9 Aug
2010
refined measuring notes (with Teague method) 19 Feb
joined binary stars (JDSO) Yahoo!Group 19 Feb
joined S33 Yahoo!Group 19 Feb
practiced measuring (with Teague method) 20 Feb
began reading the Journal of Double Star Observers 21 Feb
passed 100 split stars 27 Feb
received feedback from Teague 8 Mar
ordered Cambridge Double Star Atlas book 9 May
learned Washington Double Star database 31 May
downloaded neglected WDS list 23 Aug
broke 1.0 arc-second barrier 28 Aug
wrote article on JDSO for SCOPE 26 Nov
2011
imaged Castor with StellaCam 17 Jan
reported errors in RASC Observer's Handbook 2011 12 Feb
learned of Star Splitters group 26 Mar
downloaded REDUC software 18 Jun
split ξ Scorpii AB at 1.01" 30 Jul
reviewed Mollise JDSO article on imaging 21 Aug
downloaded BinStar 23 Aug
sketched eta Per 10 Oct
viewed doubles with Millie 23 Oct
learned double star designations 24 Oct
passed 200 split stars 25 Oct
reported errors in RASC Observer's Handbook 2012 13 Nov
made RASC double star lists for SkyTools 19 Nov
2012
tested BinStar 5 Feb
refined kappa Her sep and PA measurements 6 Feb
tested Tracker software 10 Feb
made new workflow checklist for double star measurement 10 Feb
attempted measurement of Castor with SKYnyx 19 Mar
reduced Castor data 20 Mar
downloaded REDUC software 30 Mar
split zeta Boo at 0.5" ? Mar
passed 250 split stars 9 Apr
offered to help Sissy Haas 2 Aug
viewed doubles for Haas 24 Aug
reviewed Objects in the Heavens book for doubles 2 Sep
imaged Albireo with C14 and 40D 12 Oct
reviewed Berkó JDSO articles on imaging 16 Dec
2013
reached out to Ernõ Berkó 3 Apr
reviewed Ed's double star presentation 3 May
reviewed things needed for double star research 16 May
imaged 41 Dra with C8 and 40D 21 Jun
reduced 41 Dra data 23 Jun
tested RecToPol software 23 Jun
attended Cotterell's double star talk 9 Aug
hatched double star certificate idea 16 Oct
2014
reported errors in RASC Observer's Handbook 2014 18 Jan
received Observing and Measuring Visual Double Stars (2nd) 5 Mar
made CDSA showpieces list for SkyTools 1 May
compiled first release of double star candidates 19 May
reviewed JDSO articles on new discoveries 19 May
imaged Porrima with C14 and 40D 30 May
imaged 59 Ser with C14 and 40D 5 Jul
assisted Beckett on RASC OH 2015 doubles matter 19 Jul
asked for help with doubles project in Toronto 27 Jul
split zeta Her at last at 1.2" 9 Aug
split HD 206081 at 0.9" 9 Aug
imaged doubles in Draco with C14 and 40D 10 Aug
passed 400 split stars 16 Aug
recorded Cotterell's double star talk 22 Aug
asked for help with doubles project in Canada 14 Nov
2015
passed 500 split stars 21 May
imaged Rasalgethi with C14 and 40D 15 Jul
built double star project web site 7 Oct
referred to in RASC OH 2016 by Brian Mason 12 Oct
built double star list for SkySafari 15 Oct
2016
make naked eye doubles list for SkyTools 6 Feb
passed 700 split stars 23 Apr
imaged double star with BGO 24 and Apogee 27 Apr
made WDS converting spreadsheet 16 May
split Diadem at 0.4" 25 Jun
tried to image J2303 with C14 and 40D 11 Jul
passed 800 split stars 22 Aug
split Ascella at 0.6" 3 Sep
imaged doubles with C14 and 40D 4 Sep
2017
upgraded REDUC software 2 Mar
sold double star image to S&T magazine 21 Apr
added filtering to life list 3 May
made binary fast-movers list by month 6 May
developed Excel chart to plot PA 17 May
eta CrB at 0.5" 15 Jul
imaged SLE 235D with C14 and 40D 19 Jul
passed 1000 split stars 19 Jul
Wow.
§
Part 2 blogged on 2 Mar '22.
he liked it!
I heard from the owner of the Solar Eclipse Timer app after sending him a copy of the RASC Journal article. He said, "I enjoyed it a lot. It was very well written! You did a good job." He was so impressed, he joined RASC!
imaged Messier 73 (Halifax)
Burke-Gaffney imaged M73. Another Messier that I viewed only once. A very small open cluster in Aquarius. Seems more like a multi-star system. In a nice field.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
This tiny open cluster also known as NGC 6994, Collinder 426, and OCL 89, is described in wikipedia as an asterism. That's a good description. They also note it has only four stars. The article goes on to say that there was some controversy but now it is understood that M73 is not an official open cluster; it is a chance alignment of separate stars.
When I first observed this object in August 2008, I noted the V-shape. It is like a little checkmark.
§
Wikipedia link: Messier 73.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
This tiny open cluster also known as NGC 6994, Collinder 426, and OCL 89, is described in wikipedia as an asterism. That's a good description. They also note it has only four stars. The article goes on to say that there was some controversy but now it is understood that M73 is not an official open cluster; it is a chance alignment of separate stars.
When I first observed this object in August 2008, I noted the V-shape. It is like a little checkmark.
§
Wikipedia link: Messier 73.
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
want 2 in a row
Is it too much to ask? The Clear Sky Chart looked good. Jeff called a GO for the Long Sault event. Once again I considered setting up in the backyard. But the CSC is not showing back to back good nights... And I'm still coasting from last Thursday.
updated supers on Optec
Issued a notice to the CAO supervisors that the Optec TCF-S focuser was back in place on the C14 and appeared to be working correctly. Shared two operational characteristics that I wasn't sure all were aware of:
- the system should be gracefully powered down at the hand paddle
- the use of the hand paddle buttons is non-linear
tried Eclipse Safari
Heard about, from a couple of sources, Eclipse Safari by Simulation Curriculum. The same people who make SkySafari of course. Downloaded the free app to my Android tablet to try it out. There's an event countdown on the home page.
It has an interactive map that uses your devices location which in turn calculates the contact times. I didn't see a way to override the location. The Eclipse Viewing Guide is a lengthy article with visuals, some history, some good science content, and safety information. The live update page includes links to NASA, SPACE.COM, etc. There's also a giveaway prize form.
Very basic. Easy to use.
It has an interactive map that uses your devices location which in turn calculates the contact times. I didn't see a way to override the location. The Eclipse Viewing Guide is a lengthy article with visuals, some history, some good science content, and safety information. The live update page includes links to NASA, SPACE.COM, etc. There's also a giveaway prize form.
Very basic. Easy to use.
Saturday, July 22, 2017
broke 1000
With the double star project on Thursday-Friday and imaging a number of systems never previously viewed, I ended up adding about 30 entries to my double star life list. In turn, this pushed the counter for the total viewed or imaged systems over 1000. That's very interesting to me.
§
Rhonda expressed it another way. "That's over 2000 stars." Indeed.
§
Rhonda expressed it another way. "That's over 2000 stars." Indeed.
Friday, July 21, 2017
into SW Ontario
Saw a post by Craig Levine on Facebook. It included a map showing the smoke dispersion.
Yep. It's into south-western Ontario now...
...
I found the source. The image is generated by the Hazard Mapping System (HMS) Fire and Smoke Product (link) from NOAA.
Yep. It's into south-western Ontario now...
...
I found the source. The image is generated by the Hazard Mapping System (HMS) Fire and Smoke Product (link) from NOAA.
planets and doubles (Blue Mountains)
Settled into the Geoff Brown Observatory. I had the roof partly open. Installed the dew cap on the Celestron 14 inch. Started the dew heater system.
Checked space remaining and power for the Sony voice recorder. Loaded fresh rechargeable batteries in the recorder, to be safe.
Checked the time stamps on various devices. The ASUS tablet just ticked over to 8:31 PM. Then the ASUS netbook computer did as well. The Sony recorder appeared to be a couple of minutes fast. S'OK.
§
9:57 PM, Thursday 20 July 2017. Just got off the phone with my sweetie. She was still struggling home. Stoopid traffic.
Finished my vindaloo. I popped outside to quickly check conditions. It was relatively clear. No clouds per se. None in the area. The afternoon wisps had burned off. It was hazy still.
Occurred to me that I did not have astronomy case α in the GBO. Still in the car. I'd need the t-ring and 2" tube for imaging.
Still a ways to go to astronomical twilight.
Noted I had a ton of web page tabs open (from the CHDK research). I started up SkyTools. I put it into red mode. Put my Alcatel phone aside as I did not have a red screen for it.
Before closing the Facebook tab, I noted Mr Park posting lots of remarks on Starfest. Hopefully, the early arrivals would be able to take advantage of the possible good conditions tonight. Someone posted it was currently "Soakfest" with all the day-time rain. I stopped looking at Facebook. Time-sucking, mind-numbing Facebook.
Had a flashback to using Squirrel email when I was doing late-night checks in red light mode. I had set a custom dark theme. Can't do that in RoundCube. Turned off the preview and reduced the window size. Moved the window to the internal monitor.
Congested. Still. Gah. Stoopid sinuses.
Noticed a recent aurora alert. It was to go to kp 5 in the next 4 hours. Huh. I'd have to keep an eye to the north...
Connected my red keyboard light.
Added Polaris to my observing list as a reminder to look north for aurora. Added Jupiter and Saturn. Added the Moon. Added a reference HD 172825 to my evening observing list to serve as a link or gateway to the previously-made double star campaign list. The HD primary contains a neglected star, SLE 235 D, according to the WDS. With the entry I could flip back and forth between the lists quickly.
The whiskey was good.
I had my bug kit ready, for the mozzies.
Readied to fire up the Paramount. Started the Dell laptop. Having this computer out would mean I could later reconfigure the supervisor user accounts with the Kendrick software... Opened the roof. Started Software Bisque's TheSky6.
Occurred to me I did not have my keys for the eyepiece cabinet. They were in the house.
I noted a gravelly noise when I turned the Optec temperature-controller focuser on. That's different. Motor? Gears? But it worked as prescribed: drawing in and returning to the original position. I exercised it. Put it to 3500 and did a graceful power-down. Powered up. All's well.
10:15 PM. Did some double star project checks. Connected the laptop to the mount. While the mount ran through the Home process, I collected items from the house and vehicle.
Put on my eyeglasses strap.
Grabbed some eyepieces: the 27mm Panoptic for the Celestron 14 and the 18mm Radian for the Tele Vue 101. Found both 'scopes loaded with 1¼" adapters.
Slight breeze.
Made TS6 look south. Noted Saturn was left (east) of the meridian and Jupiter, obviously, to the right. Slewed to Jupiter.
10:25. Remembered to check the fire bottle in the GBO to complete my inspection.
Viewed. Jupiter. Seeing was not great. Saw four moons. No Great Red Spot.
10:28. I had been meaning to check the local conditions via the on-site Davis weather station. Loaded the custom page and reviewed the graphic images as of 10:21. The 10-minute average wind speed was 8 km/h. The direction (the thin point) was west-south-west. The immediate wind speed was 8 km/h with a high of 30.6. The humidity was already high at 96%. Oh boy. Dewey. We'd need the heaters at max. Barometric pressure 1012.0 hPa. Just above the low marker. Outside temperature was 20.1°C. Dew point was calculated at 19.4. Pretty close. The house temperature 23.8.
Oh hey! The historical charts were updated! Cool. Friday to Thursday. Hadn't seen that in a long time. All right. Humidity was 100% late Sunday, through Monday, dropped a little bit, spiked Monday night, then started to fall. The barometer dropped Saturday evening and then slowly climbed to Tuesday mid-day. The temperature from Saturday through to today varied between 26 and 15. I was very happy to see the charts working again.
The Kendrick dew controller was running.
I thought of the people at Starfest possibly getting dewed out. If you don't have a dew heater for your 'scope, sucks to be you. Welcome to summer astronomy in Canada.
After some double star target planning, I found I had some time to kill. Considered objects from my July 15 observing plan. SkyTools said Moonrise was at 12:30. Huh? Oops, wrong date. It was New Moon. Astro twilight ended at 11:12. I could go for DSOs then. Unfortunately, I'd be ramping up on my double project.
One of the choices from the list was Antares! A double star system... While the mount slewed, I dropped the south wall panels.
The breeze was lovely.
10:47. Viewed orange Antares with the 27mm. Noted the bright star HD 148563 to the south-east, part of a Y-shape asterism. Noted the pair of stars, with HD 148606, east of the HD 148563. Spotted the faint star, away, to the east, GSC 06803-2124, at magnitude 12.4. But, sadly, I did not see an obvious companion to Antares proper. When I consulted SkyTools and learned the separation was 2 arc-seconds, my heart sank. Such a close partner to such a bright primary would be very challenging. It would likely be lost in the glare. I considered bumping to the Radian 10mm. In fact, ST3P recommended that. I headed to the telescopes to exchange the oculars.
Collimation looked pretty good.
10:53. I thought I saw the partner... Something seemed to be there, to the north-west. It almost looked brown. A very dim brown star in the bright glare of the primary. Brown? It must have been the same colour as A. Considered increasing the power higher.
Checked the Kendrick system. The objective heaters were not running; the eyepiece ones were. Probably due to the temperature differential. I wondered if this would be a problem.
Thought I had the Tele Vue 10mm eyepiece in already; nope, it was the 18mm. Tried the ocular yielding 391x, hoping for an obvious result. Unfortunately, it was very soft. Went back to 217x. Wished I was at a more southern location for viewing this target.
When I compared the view in SkyTools, it showed the B star to my right or west. Noted a triangle of stars to the south-west. Realised it was a bit late in the season to view it. Hmmm. Not a good split. It needs to stay on the View Again list...
Slewed to Saturn.
10:59. A pretty nice view! Still had the 18mm in. Saw the shadow of the planet on the rings on the left (east) side. Thought I saw five moons... in a zig-zag pattern. Noted a star, well off-line to the north-east, bright at magnitude 8.8, about the same brightness as the biggest moon. Titan was south-west, at my 4 o'clock to 4:30 position. A line between Titan and the star would skirt just below the gas giant's north pole. I saw Dione east-south-east. Just for a second I spotted Tethys, quite close, opposite Dione. Rhea was no problem, directly left of the Titan. Went back out to find Enceladus and others... The eyepiece was a little fogged.
Noted a triangle of points well to the west. Oh! That included Iapetus. Seeing got good but I still could not spot Enceladus or Hyperion. Looked for Mimas. No joy. Eyepiece was clear this time.
Reviewed the Canada Day observing list again. Kept ignoring the deep sky objects.
Panned to nearby Sabik. 27mm in the C14; 18mm back in the refractor.
11:18. Sabik, aka η (eta) Oph, was centred. Noted a wide pair at my 6 o'clock to 6:30 position, near the edge of the field (east). I was sure I saw the C and D elements, to the south, to the west respectively. Oh my. Noticed that the AB separation was just over a half second of arc. Headed back to increase the power and wait for good seeing.
I was feeling a little tired. Yawning. I wondered how I would fair later, given the early start today...
Checked the big corrector plate.
11:22. Really tough. Not high in the sky. Marked Sabik to re-observe. C was quite faint, surprisingly so. D was brighter. I guessed the A and B were oriented straight up and down or north-east to south-west. They appeared to be the same brightness. A light cyan colour. Almost a hint of green.
SkyTools showed inconsistent magnitude information on the Interactive Atlas chart and Object Information box:
Looked like B and D chart values were wrong.
It was already in my View Again list.
11:29. Checked the time.
After a trip to the house, I started my double star research prep.
Amazingly not buggy. None on the observatory floor! Weird.
1:05 AM, Friday 21 July 2017. Popped outside between a drift shot. Thought I heard some voices to the west. Seeing was poor at the 30 degree level. Milky Way was visible. Not great though. Could see the dark rift.
Looked north for aurora. Nothing. Checked the Android tablet. The Widget did not show anything big. Checked Spaceweather web site. Not great. kp 4.
Thought of the die hard Starfesters. They'd be getting a good show tonight.
1:25. While walking between the house and observatory, I thought the sky looked better.
Between double star drift images, I checked the local conditions, as of 1:06. Looked like things, the daily highs and lows, had reset at midnight. The 10-min average wind speed was 4.8. Now coming out of the west. Immediate, 4.8, with a high of 16. Humidity had dropped a bit to 91%. Pressure, 1012.2, at the low mark. Outside temp was 19.6 with a dew point of 18.1. The historical graphs had updated again
3:50. Completed my double star project, collecting the light frames.
Fired up the dehumidifier. Closed the south panels. Closed the roof.
Spotted a super-bright object over the hill. Must be Venus!
Disconnected the Optec focuser software then shutdown the hand paddle. Grabbed things for the house and closed the observatory.
Enjoyed the eastern sky from the walkway. Pleiades, Taurus, and Auriga. Very cool. Nice finish.
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4:50. You know the humidity's high when you hear the dew dropping off the roof.
Checked space remaining and power for the Sony voice recorder. Loaded fresh rechargeable batteries in the recorder, to be safe.
Checked the time stamps on various devices. The ASUS tablet just ticked over to 8:31 PM. Then the ASUS netbook computer did as well. The Sony recorder appeared to be a couple of minutes fast. S'OK.
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9:57 PM, Thursday 20 July 2017. Just got off the phone with my sweetie. She was still struggling home. Stoopid traffic.
Finished my vindaloo. I popped outside to quickly check conditions. It was relatively clear. No clouds per se. None in the area. The afternoon wisps had burned off. It was hazy still.
Occurred to me that I did not have astronomy case α in the GBO. Still in the car. I'd need the t-ring and 2" tube for imaging.
Still a ways to go to astronomical twilight.
Noted I had a ton of web page tabs open (from the CHDK research). I started up SkyTools. I put it into red mode. Put my Alcatel phone aside as I did not have a red screen for it.
Before closing the Facebook tab, I noted Mr Park posting lots of remarks on Starfest. Hopefully, the early arrivals would be able to take advantage of the possible good conditions tonight. Someone posted it was currently "Soakfest" with all the day-time rain. I stopped looking at Facebook. Time-sucking, mind-numbing Facebook.
Had a flashback to using Squirrel email when I was doing late-night checks in red light mode. I had set a custom dark theme. Can't do that in RoundCube. Turned off the preview and reduced the window size. Moved the window to the internal monitor.
Congested. Still. Gah. Stoopid sinuses.
Noticed a recent aurora alert. It was to go to kp 5 in the next 4 hours. Huh. I'd have to keep an eye to the north...
Connected my red keyboard light.
Added Polaris to my observing list as a reminder to look north for aurora. Added Jupiter and Saturn. Added the Moon. Added a reference HD 172825 to my evening observing list to serve as a link or gateway to the previously-made double star campaign list. The HD primary contains a neglected star, SLE 235 D, according to the WDS. With the entry I could flip back and forth between the lists quickly.
The whiskey was good.
I had my bug kit ready, for the mozzies.
Readied to fire up the Paramount. Started the Dell laptop. Having this computer out would mean I could later reconfigure the supervisor user accounts with the Kendrick software... Opened the roof. Started Software Bisque's TheSky6.
Occurred to me I did not have my keys for the eyepiece cabinet. They were in the house.
I noted a gravelly noise when I turned the Optec temperature-controller focuser on. That's different. Motor? Gears? But it worked as prescribed: drawing in and returning to the original position. I exercised it. Put it to 3500 and did a graceful power-down. Powered up. All's well.
10:15 PM. Did some double star project checks. Connected the laptop to the mount. While the mount ran through the Home process, I collected items from the house and vehicle.
Put on my eyeglasses strap.
Grabbed some eyepieces: the 27mm Panoptic for the Celestron 14 and the 18mm Radian for the Tele Vue 101. Found both 'scopes loaded with 1¼" adapters.
Slight breeze.
Made TS6 look south. Noted Saturn was left (east) of the meridian and Jupiter, obviously, to the right. Slewed to Jupiter.
10:25. Remembered to check the fire bottle in the GBO to complete my inspection.
Viewed. Jupiter. Seeing was not great. Saw four moons. No Great Red Spot.
10:28. I had been meaning to check the local conditions via the on-site Davis weather station. Loaded the custom page and reviewed the graphic images as of 10:21. The 10-minute average wind speed was 8 km/h. The direction (the thin point) was west-south-west. The immediate wind speed was 8 km/h with a high of 30.6. The humidity was already high at 96%. Oh boy. Dewey. We'd need the heaters at max. Barometric pressure 1012.0 hPa. Just above the low marker. Outside temperature was 20.1°C. Dew point was calculated at 19.4. Pretty close. The house temperature 23.8.
Oh hey! The historical charts were updated! Cool. Friday to Thursday. Hadn't seen that in a long time. All right. Humidity was 100% late Sunday, through Monday, dropped a little bit, spiked Monday night, then started to fall. The barometer dropped Saturday evening and then slowly climbed to Tuesday mid-day. The temperature from Saturday through to today varied between 26 and 15. I was very happy to see the charts working again.
The Kendrick dew controller was running.
I thought of the people at Starfest possibly getting dewed out. If you don't have a dew heater for your 'scope, sucks to be you. Welcome to summer astronomy in Canada.
After some double star target planning, I found I had some time to kill. Considered objects from my July 15 observing plan. SkyTools said Moonrise was at 12:30. Huh? Oops, wrong date. It was New Moon. Astro twilight ended at 11:12. I could go for DSOs then. Unfortunately, I'd be ramping up on my double project.
One of the choices from the list was Antares! A double star system... While the mount slewed, I dropped the south wall panels.
The breeze was lovely.
10:47. Viewed orange Antares with the 27mm. Noted the bright star HD 148563 to the south-east, part of a Y-shape asterism. Noted the pair of stars, with HD 148606, east of the HD 148563. Spotted the faint star, away, to the east, GSC 06803-2124, at magnitude 12.4. But, sadly, I did not see an obvious companion to Antares proper. When I consulted SkyTools and learned the separation was 2 arc-seconds, my heart sank. Such a close partner to such a bright primary would be very challenging. It would likely be lost in the glare. I considered bumping to the Radian 10mm. In fact, ST3P recommended that. I headed to the telescopes to exchange the oculars.
Collimation looked pretty good.
10:53. I thought I saw the partner... Something seemed to be there, to the north-west. It almost looked brown. A very dim brown star in the bright glare of the primary. Brown? It must have been the same colour as A. Considered increasing the power higher.
Checked the Kendrick system. The objective heaters were not running; the eyepiece ones were. Probably due to the temperature differential. I wondered if this would be a problem.
Thought I had the Tele Vue 10mm eyepiece in already; nope, it was the 18mm. Tried the ocular yielding 391x, hoping for an obvious result. Unfortunately, it was very soft. Went back to 217x. Wished I was at a more southern location for viewing this target.
When I compared the view in SkyTools, it showed the B star to my right or west. Noted a triangle of stars to the south-west. Realised it was a bit late in the season to view it. Hmmm. Not a good split. It needs to stay on the View Again list...
Slewed to Saturn.
10:59. A pretty nice view! Still had the 18mm in. Saw the shadow of the planet on the rings on the left (east) side. Thought I saw five moons... in a zig-zag pattern. Noted a star, well off-line to the north-east, bright at magnitude 8.8, about the same brightness as the biggest moon. Titan was south-west, at my 4 o'clock to 4:30 position. A line between Titan and the star would skirt just below the gas giant's north pole. I saw Dione east-south-east. Just for a second I spotted Tethys, quite close, opposite Dione. Rhea was no problem, directly left of the Titan. Went back out to find Enceladus and others... The eyepiece was a little fogged.
Noted a triangle of points well to the west. Oh! That included Iapetus. Seeing got good but I still could not spot Enceladus or Hyperion. Looked for Mimas. No joy. Eyepiece was clear this time.
Reviewed the Canada Day observing list again. Kept ignoring the deep sky objects.
Panned to nearby Sabik. 27mm in the C14; 18mm back in the refractor.
11:18. Sabik, aka η (eta) Oph, was centred. Noted a wide pair at my 6 o'clock to 6:30 position, near the edge of the field (east). I was sure I saw the C and D elements, to the south, to the west respectively. Oh my. Noticed that the AB separation was just over a half second of arc. Headed back to increase the power and wait for good seeing.
I was feeling a little tired. Yawning. I wondered how I would fair later, given the early start today...
Checked the big corrector plate.
11:22. Really tough. Not high in the sky. Marked Sabik to re-observe. C was quite faint, surprisingly so. D was brighter. I guessed the A and B were oriented straight up and down or north-east to south-west. They appeared to be the same brightness. A light cyan colour. Almost a hint of green.
SkyTools showed inconsistent magnitude information on the Interactive Atlas chart and Object Information box:
| star | IA | OI |
| A | 2.4 | 2.42 |
| B | 5.7 | 3.48 |
| C | 12.2 | 12.2 |
| D | 11.6 | 10.7 |
Looked like B and D chart values were wrong.
It was already in my View Again list.
11:29. Checked the time.
After a trip to the house, I started my double star research prep.
Amazingly not buggy. None on the observatory floor! Weird.
1:05 AM, Friday 21 July 2017. Popped outside between a drift shot. Thought I heard some voices to the west. Seeing was poor at the 30 degree level. Milky Way was visible. Not great though. Could see the dark rift.
Looked north for aurora. Nothing. Checked the Android tablet. The Widget did not show anything big. Checked Spaceweather web site. Not great. kp 4.
Thought of the die hard Starfesters. They'd be getting a good show tonight.
1:25. While walking between the house and observatory, I thought the sky looked better.
Between double star drift images, I checked the local conditions, as of 1:06. Looked like things, the daily highs and lows, had reset at midnight. The 10-min average wind speed was 4.8. Now coming out of the west. Immediate, 4.8, with a high of 16. Humidity had dropped a bit to 91%. Pressure, 1012.2, at the low mark. Outside temp was 19.6 with a dew point of 18.1. The historical graphs had updated again
3:50. Completed my double star project, collecting the light frames.
Fired up the dehumidifier. Closed the south panels. Closed the roof.
Spotted a super-bright object over the hill. Must be Venus!
Disconnected the Optec focuser software then shutdown the hand paddle. Grabbed things for the house and closed the observatory.
Enjoyed the eastern sky from the walkway. Pleiades, Taurus, and Auriga. Very cool. Nice finish.
§
4:50. You know the humidity's high when you hear the dew dropping off the roof.
collected data for SLE 235 D (Blue Mountains)
10:15 PM, Thursday 20 July 2017. I wondered when my target would hit the peak. I recalled it was around midnight. Turned on the horizon and meridian lines in SkyTools 3 Professional to check. Set the Interactive Atlas chart to Real Time then toggled it off. Moved forward. Yep. Around midnight it would move into the western hemisphere.
Noted my target was along the neck of the Dragon, as per ST3P, roughly between Grumium aka ξ (xi) Draconis and Nodus Secondus aka Altais aka δ (delta) Dra. I had to zoom a bit to the appropriate level but TheSky showed this well above the roof. Yeh. The altitude was around 60 to 70 degrees. Oh, no problem at all.
Reviewed the operational setup. The CAO laptop driving the Paramount was OK. And using it to remotely operate the Optec TCF-S focuser was OK. That offloaded tasks from the ASUS netbook which would be consumed with image capturing. Made a note to close all the browser tabs. Closed Evernote on John Repeat Dance.
Quickly planned out things. If the target crossed the meridian a little after midnight, I could begin my integration and setup around 11:00 or 11:30. I could have everything connected before midnight and do focusing. After midnight, in theory, the sky would be darker. Did some other things in the meantime.
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11:30. Considered focus control. I found the custom Optec cable. I found long serial cable. I popped the screen a bit and passed it through the window. I would need the USB-serial adapter. Checked the assigned port: COM7. Adjusted the Optec software, connected, and tested operation. Put it back into Auto mode.
Closed unneeded apps on the netbook computer. Activated Super Performance mode.
Readied for camera control. Hooked up my USB-ethernet 2.0 extension kit (with power supply) with the subterranean cable. Attached the 2" nosepiece to the 40D body and connected the DC coupler. Hate the Canon power supply design. Bolted it up to the SCT 'scope and powered it on. Oops. Forgot the USB cable...
11:48. EOS Utility launched once I had the cable in place. Huh. Nothing. Tapped the shutter; it seemed the camera had gone to sleep. Switched the body to Manual to allow Live View at the computer.
Went to the camera, turned on the back display Live View, adjusted the exposure settings, ISO, white balance, a longer exposure time, and did crude focus, still on Sabik, with the telescope's mirror control. Forgot how easy that was to do, at the camera.
Operated the Optec software, starting from 3528, using the Dell computer, while monitoring the image on the ASUS computer (and external monitor). Everything was working just fine. No issues. Went down to 2528; went up. I thought it better when I went down. Stopped at 3328.
My target star was very close to the meridian. Slewed to a brighter star. Watched closely for cable binding. Wow. Nearly straight up. Bonkers.
12:01 AM, Friday 21 July 2017. Noted the Kendrick controller was now sending power to the objective dew heaters.
Pointing was off a bit so I manually panned. The refractor and SCT were fairly well-aligned. Decided on the 5mm eyepiece so to reduce the field, to make the 101 act as a finder. Opened TheSky's motion control dialog box. Fine-tuned the refractor alignment. Noted nearby the two sets of wide pairs, with HD 163769 on the west, and PPM 36276 on the east.
Now HD 172825 was over the meridian.
Initially, for me, the camera view was upside,-down, north was down, almost straight down.
Gauged the pointing off-set in TheSky versus the camera view. Chose Orientation, Zoom To... Used Telescope (Ctrl-t) and Finder. The Finder was too wide. The Telescope field (on the long edge) was 1 degree. The telescope was pointing slightly above. The offset was not bad: a fraction of a degree. 8 arcminutes. Rotated the field in TheSky. Put north down. Activated the camera field in SkyTools.
Adjusted the camera settings in EOS Utility.
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Except where noted, all photos were shot with a Canon 40D, daylight white balance, on a Celestron SCT 14-inch, f/11, atop a Paramount ME, Software Bisque TheSky 6, unguided. Initially manually focused using the SCT mirror shifting control.
These first few preparatory images were shot using ISO 1600. Initially used Canon EOS Utility. All the images were processed using Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) 3.8. All images are oriented north to the top and east to the left unless noted otherwise. Lots of hot pixels. While dark frames were shot, none were applied to these images. Remember to click on images to enlarge; right-click to view in a separate tab or window at full size.
Performed crude focus and telescope(s) alignment with γ (gamma) Draconis. Did a test shot.
12:11 AM. Gorgeous Etamin (aka Eltanin and Burnham 633). 10 seconds.
This is a multi-star system with 7 elements. The primary star is a lovely gold. B is faint, to the south-east, very close to the bright main star. Is it gold too? Or is that colour coming from the host? C is a very pale, dim partner to the south-west. It is the faintest star in the group. D is to the north, further out, and only slightly brighter than C. The white comrade E is beyond C, about the same brightness as B. Ally F is pale orange, further out still, to the east-south-east. Lastly, beige G is above or north-north-east, the brightest off the squad. Very cool to spot all the elements.
Searched for the star in TheSky using the SAO designation and manually accommodating for the offset. Did more checks and tests with my main objective, HD 172825 (aka SAO 17961 and HJ 2836A). I'm after the D companion...
12:22. 10 seconds. North is down; east is right.
I was happy to spot all the elements. Good correspondence with SkyTools. See below for the identification of all components.
Checked the infrared black and white satellite imagery. It was looking fine over Ontario.
Made a reminder note to get darks, at the end. Opened Evernote on the laptop to review my double star shooting notes (since the ASUS tablet was screwed up). Right. Do the "squaring" step...
Turned the camera in the focuser and did some manual drifting to better align the camera frame. A long run given the proximity to the pole. Used the grid in EOS Utility.
Ran a stopwatch app on Ananke to measure the full drift time. Figured out the timing: turn off tracking (a couple of seconds), expose (for 2:15), turn on tracking, slew back to the (previously selected) starting point (couple more seconds), wait for the next shot (about 10 seconds). Put the camera in bulb and programmed the interval to 2:35. Captured the multiple long exposure trails, using Etamin once again, using EOS Utilities script controls. These images will be used to measure the camera's orientation against the sky's declination.
1:20. 135 seconds. Pretty good alignment on the long axis. I'm not sure which way north is. Shot 15 images.
I just love the look of these traces...
Reviewed the process:
Stayed in the BYE tool for its advanced filenaming and scripting controls.
Remembered to drop the ISO to lower the noise in the subsequent images.
OK. Next up was the image scale calibration stars, starting with ω (omega).
1:52. Also known as 28 Dra and SAO 17576 and FOX 203. 10 seconds.
A is pure white. The B companion is very faint, a fair distance away, to the 4 o'clock position, or west-south-west. Also shot it at 20 seconds. BYE said the camera sensor was 29°. Shot it at 5 seconds and I could still see the B star.
The FOX 167 entry on the list seemed strange. Not sure how it got there.
Next up was Grumium. Couldn't see the companion so I shot a longer exposure.
2:03. AKA ξ (xi) Dra, 32 Dra, SAO 30631, and LDS 1457. 20 seconds.
The main star is a pale gold. If I'm interpreting things correctly, the B colleague is the dark orange star to the west-north-west, well away. Really far. ST3P presents a chart that is different than the image. It's either bad data in the app or a bunch of these stars are moving around... Fascinating in any case.
Headed to T Dra, a M-class variable star. That is not a hot pixel.
2:07. aka HIP 87820 and ES 20. 10 seconds.
Wow. What an amazing colour! That might be the deepest orange-red star I've ever seen. The B partner, nearly equal in brightness, is close by, to the south-west. ST3P says it is also a variable, UY Dra. Wow.
I used the HD feature in Frame & Focus for the first time. It reminded me of the integration feature of the MallinCam, doing on the fly stacking.
Our next destination was HD 164330, a triple.
2:13. Other designations include: SAO 17695 and STT A 163. 5 seconds.
The primary star, near the centre of the photograph, is a beige or grey colour. The equally-bright B friend to the north-east is blue-white. Due north, well away, is the C star, dim, same colour as A. Also shot at 2 seconds.
Headed to HD 164984.
2:22. Other labels: SAO 17717 and Σ (STF) 2273. 10 seconds.
This might appear, at first glance, a simple pair. "Moth Eyes," as it were. But if you look closely, you'll see faint companions. SkyTools shows this to be a 4-star system. The A star is to the left or east. It is a pale blue-white. B is very slightly dimmer. And has a touch less blue. Further west, but at the same angular separation as A and B, is faint C. It looks grey. For bonus points, look near A and B, slightly north, to tag P, the very dim fourth star.
Lots of other interesting colourful stars in the field.
Took the big dew cap off to reduce wind-shake. From the floor I noticed clouds! That explained why some of the exposures were wonky. One shot showed a lot of vibration.
Did some shots of the main goal, HD 172825, in case the sky turned bad. Got the D star. Programmed a run for 5 images. Was feeling a little tired. Took stuff to the house. Some images were faded with clouds; some were shakey.
Slewed to HD 238823. A delicious treat. A quadruple.
2:38. SAO 30778, PPM 36404, or Σ2300. 10 seconds.
A is the brightest star, of course. Blue-white. It is on the right or west side of the group. B is the next brightest distant furnace, tan in colour, along the north edge. Below and tight to B is the delicate little C element. Not directly south of B, it is slightly west. Finally the D star is to the east. Hint of orange. About the same intensity as C. An amazing little collection.
There's a red dot about the D star. Sorry. Hot pixel. Please ignore.
Neat system.
Had trouble finding my next Skytools suggestion in TheSky so I moved on to 36 Draconis.
2:43. HR 6850, HD 168151, SAO 17828, PPM 20819, HIP 89348, and STT 586. 5 seconds.
A simple wide double. A is white. B is far away to the west, pale orange. Also shot at 2 seconds.
Skipped to HD 170508. There seemed to be clouds again as I could not see the stars in the HD view. Peeked outside. Wasn't terrible.
Checked the weather conditions. 10-minute average was 6.4 out of the SW. The immediate wind speed was 8 with a high of 22.5. Humidity 94. Pressure 1011.9, still falling. Temp 19.2, dew 18.2.
2:50. AKA SAO 17882 and ES 2666. 2 seconds.
An easy faint pair with robin's egg blue and grey stars. B is due west.
Next up: HR 6979. Could not see anything at first.
2:55. Also referred to as HD 171653, SAO 17912, and KUI 86. 5 seconds.
Another pair of stars. The host is blue-white while the partner is a very dim white to the north-east. Is B greenish?
The astronomical twilight would beginning around 3:45.
Centred on HD 172323.
2:59. AKA SAO 17936 and STF 2365. 5 seconds.
White and orange stars with the dim sidekick to the north-north-east. SkyTools makes them look nearly equal in colour and magnitude. Nope.
Came to the main target in the observing list so gathered more data. Could see the B, C, and D stars in the 5 second shot.
Found dew on the corrector even with the dew heaters running. Grabbed the hair dryer to clear the fog. Switched the controller to our winter configuration.
Off to 46 Dra, a wide triple. Bright stars in the area.
3:08. HR 7049, SAO 31119, and H 6 37. 5 seconds.
Bright A is blue-white. B is a good distance away to the south-south-east, dull white. C is opposite B, double the separation, and is brighter. It is a very pale peach. Curious. Why wouldn't the star to the south, with the same brightness as C, almost the same sep., not be considered part of 46? Or the orange star to the west? Oh well...
Selected the double SAO 18068.
3:21. Also known as ES 2669. 2 seconds.
A very faint pair. A pale orange primary and a faint white secondary, close, to the south. It was very obvious in the 5 second exposure.
Targeted triple HR 7191. Shot for 1 second. Shot again.
3:14. HD 176668, SAO 18082, and Σ 2440. 2 seconds.
The leader is off-white or beige. The second point is at the 8 o'clock position or east-south-east, close. It might be a light yellow or very light orange. The third member of the group is a good distance away to the north-east, slightly dimmer than B. Also whitish in colour.
Went to the faint pair PPM 21295. Short slew. Had a hard time seeing it in Frame & Focus.
3:17. The Washington Double Star database designation is MLB1082. 5 seconds.
A is blue-white; B, to the north-east, is a dull orange. Also tried 4 seconds.
If passengers would look out the forward port window, they will see Altais or δ (delta) Draconis. I could see the B in a 5 second exposure.
3:21. SkyTools calls this target Nodus Secundus. Other designations are 57 Dra and BUP 186. 20 seconds.
This simple double is comprised of the very bright, yellow component with the dim nearby white star to the north. Why the other stars aren't included is beyond me. Regardless, a lovely field.
I thought it odd that the star GSC 04444-1629 did not show in the image. SkyTools plots this mag 10.6 star to the south-west.
[ed: Learned in 2020 that Altais is a triple! From Stella Doppie, the C star has a position angle of 22° and a separation value of 135.4 arc-seconds, magnitude 12.0. Curiously, the discovery date is the same as the AB pair: 1879. In the image, that's the beige-white star at the 11 o'clock position, a bit further than B, and a bit brighter. SkyTools 3 Pro has star GSC 04444-1492 at this location, (poor quality) mag 11.3.]
Slewed to HR 7361, a double.
3:25. aka SAO 18287 or BUP 188. 5 seconds.
An intense blue-white primary. Again, you'd think this a multi-star system with all the nearby points of light. The companion is south, due south. White or grey. Nice field. Shot again at 3 seconds.
This time 'round, I was able to find the double HD 234577. Did I type it wrong before? Shot blind. Whoa. Interesting stuff going on here... Shifted a bit and shot again.
3:31. AKA SAO 30796, PPM 36426, and AG 217. 5 seconds.
There appear two doubles in the image. The right-hand pair, which are slightly tighter, is the target in question. The A star is the upper-left light tan point; to the south-west is the pale white slightly dimmer B star.
The east-most pair, with a slightly greater separation than HD 234577, is the pair HD 234579 (WDS VBS 27). Here the A star is bright with a very pale orange hue with the dim white B partner to the north-east.
Two for the price of one!
The blue-white star, HD 167103, to the west is unrelated.
Star hopped to Σ2332 using SkyTools as the target. Took a while. Near the neck. Shot blind. Got it! A delicate double.
3:36. 5 seconds.
A is blue white. B, west, is very dim, grey. Orange?
Star hopped to another faint pair, STI 894. Shot blind again. Nailed it.
3:41. 5 seconds.
A is white, possibly pale blue. B, close, to the north-west, is white, a couple of notches dimmer.
From lessons learned during previous double star runs and considering the sketchy sky conditions, I grabbed data on the target multi-star system HD 172825 along the way. Returned to shoot a 5 second image. Moved west a bit. I wanted one very long exposure to get the field stars.
3:45. 30 seconds. Neat.
The primary star is the brightest in the field. It is white with subtle hints of blue. The B member is to the north-west or 2 o'clock position. Quite a bit dimmer than the lucida. A touch of pale orange. SkyTools shows B much dimmer but it is similar to C. The C element is to the west, slightly south, about double the AB separation. It is white. A fraction dimmer than B. Beyond B, about 5 times the distance, is a bright star. The software says this is D, specifically SLE 235 D. I went on this campaign as D is considered a neglected star in the Washington Double Star database.
Lots of data for reduction.
Reviewed my light frame times. Initially I viewed the EXIF data inside Backyard which was painfully slow. Went faster when I remembered the exposure value was in the filename. Programmed the dark frames run for all the exposures with 30 second delays. It would finish at 6 in the morning. Parked the 'scope. Monitored for cable wrap. Before installing the C14 cover, I dried off the corrector.
Fun. Overall, everything worked well. It took longer than I anticipated. Perhaps primarily due to taking more drift images and capturing more calibration stars. What I had forgotten is that targets near the North Celestial Pole have longer drift times.
The dew was incredible.
I'm thankful for the relatively clear skies.
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Wikipedia links: gamma Draconis; omega Draconis; xi Draconis; delta Draconis.
Instruments: Celestron 14-inch SCT, Tele Vue 101 refractor
Mount: Paramount ME
Method: Go To
I also wondered about the visibility, with respect to the roof gable of the Geoff Brown Observatory. HD 172825 was a decent distance from Polaris so was there the possibility it would be behind the roof line. In SkyTools, I noticed the horizon line was smooth. I thought I had made a profile for the GBO. Switched to the other computer to display the simulated horizon line with GBO intrusions.Mount: Paramount ME
Method: Go To
Noted my target was along the neck of the Dragon, as per ST3P, roughly between Grumium aka ξ (xi) Draconis and Nodus Secondus aka Altais aka δ (delta) Dra. I had to zoom a bit to the appropriate level but TheSky showed this well above the roof. Yeh. The altitude was around 60 to 70 degrees. Oh, no problem at all.
Reviewed the operational setup. The CAO laptop driving the Paramount was OK. And using it to remotely operate the Optec TCF-S focuser was OK. That offloaded tasks from the ASUS netbook which would be consumed with image capturing. Made a note to close all the browser tabs. Closed Evernote on John Repeat Dance.
Quickly planned out things. If the target crossed the meridian a little after midnight, I could begin my integration and setup around 11:00 or 11:30. I could have everything connected before midnight and do focusing. After midnight, in theory, the sky would be darker. Did some other things in the meantime.
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11:30. Considered focus control. I found the custom Optec cable. I found long serial cable. I popped the screen a bit and passed it through the window. I would need the USB-serial adapter. Checked the assigned port: COM7. Adjusted the Optec software, connected, and tested operation. Put it back into Auto mode.
Closed unneeded apps on the netbook computer. Activated Super Performance mode.
Readied for camera control. Hooked up my USB-ethernet 2.0 extension kit (with power supply) with the subterranean cable. Attached the 2" nosepiece to the 40D body and connected the DC coupler. Hate the Canon power supply design. Bolted it up to the SCT 'scope and powered it on. Oops. Forgot the USB cable...
11:48. EOS Utility launched once I had the cable in place. Huh. Nothing. Tapped the shutter; it seemed the camera had gone to sleep. Switched the body to Manual to allow Live View at the computer.
Went to the camera, turned on the back display Live View, adjusted the exposure settings, ISO, white balance, a longer exposure time, and did crude focus, still on Sabik, with the telescope's mirror control. Forgot how easy that was to do, at the camera.
Operated the Optec software, starting from 3528, using the Dell computer, while monitoring the image on the ASUS computer (and external monitor). Everything was working just fine. No issues. Went down to 2528; went up. I thought it better when I went down. Stopped at 3328.
My target star was very close to the meridian. Slewed to a brighter star. Watched closely for cable binding. Wow. Nearly straight up. Bonkers.
12:01 AM, Friday 21 July 2017. Noted the Kendrick controller was now sending power to the objective dew heaters.
Pointing was off a bit so I manually panned. The refractor and SCT were fairly well-aligned. Decided on the 5mm eyepiece so to reduce the field, to make the 101 act as a finder. Opened TheSky's motion control dialog box. Fine-tuned the refractor alignment. Noted nearby the two sets of wide pairs, with HD 163769 on the west, and PPM 36276 on the east.
Now HD 172825 was over the meridian.
Initially, for me, the camera view was upside,-down, north was down, almost straight down.
Gauged the pointing off-set in TheSky versus the camera view. Chose Orientation, Zoom To... Used Telescope (Ctrl-t) and Finder. The Finder was too wide. The Telescope field (on the long edge) was 1 degree. The telescope was pointing slightly above. The offset was not bad: a fraction of a degree. 8 arcminutes. Rotated the field in TheSky. Put north down. Activated the camera field in SkyTools.
Adjusted the camera settings in EOS Utility.
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Except where noted, all photos were shot with a Canon 40D, daylight white balance, on a Celestron SCT 14-inch, f/11, atop a Paramount ME, Software Bisque TheSky 6, unguided. Initially manually focused using the SCT mirror shifting control.
These first few preparatory images were shot using ISO 1600. Initially used Canon EOS Utility. All the images were processed using Canon Digital Photo Professional (DPP) 3.8. All images are oriented north to the top and east to the left unless noted otherwise. Lots of hot pixels. While dark frames were shot, none were applied to these images. Remember to click on images to enlarge; right-click to view in a separate tab or window at full size.
Performed crude focus and telescope(s) alignment with γ (gamma) Draconis. Did a test shot.
12:11 AM. Gorgeous Etamin (aka Eltanin and Burnham 633). 10 seconds.
This is a multi-star system with 7 elements. The primary star is a lovely gold. B is faint, to the south-east, very close to the bright main star. Is it gold too? Or is that colour coming from the host? C is a very pale, dim partner to the south-west. It is the faintest star in the group. D is to the north, further out, and only slightly brighter than C. The white comrade E is beyond C, about the same brightness as B. Ally F is pale orange, further out still, to the east-south-east. Lastly, beige G is above or north-north-east, the brightest off the squad. Very cool to spot all the elements.
Searched for the star in TheSky using the SAO designation and manually accommodating for the offset. Did more checks and tests with my main objective, HD 172825 (aka SAO 17961 and HJ 2836A). I'm after the D companion...
12:22. 10 seconds. North is down; east is right.
I was happy to spot all the elements. Good correspondence with SkyTools. See below for the identification of all components.
Checked the infrared black and white satellite imagery. It was looking fine over Ontario.
Made a reminder note to get darks, at the end. Opened Evernote on the laptop to review my double star shooting notes (since the ASUS tablet was screwed up). Right. Do the "squaring" step...
Turned the camera in the focuser and did some manual drifting to better align the camera frame. A long run given the proximity to the pole. Used the grid in EOS Utility.
Ran a stopwatch app on Ananke to measure the full drift time. Figured out the timing: turn off tracking (a couple of seconds), expose (for 2:15), turn on tracking, slew back to the (previously selected) starting point (couple more seconds), wait for the next shot (about 10 seconds). Put the camera in bulb and programmed the interval to 2:35. Captured the multiple long exposure trails, using Etamin once again, using EOS Utilities script controls. These images will be used to measure the camera's orientation against the sky's declination.
1:20. 135 seconds. Pretty good alignment on the long axis. I'm not sure which way north is. Shot 15 images.
I just love the look of these traces...
Reviewed the process:
- I ended up monitoring TheSky (that was better than watching the timer in EU).
- As the 'scope indicator drew near the edge of the frame. I would glance at the EOS Utility. I'd see the exposure timing around 2 minutes or 15 seconds to go.
- I'd return to TheSky.
- I'd choose Telescope, Options and hover the mouse pointer over the Tracking command.
- A quick glance at EU would show it the exposure time of 2:03 or so.
- Then I'd listen... When I heard the camera shutter close, I'd click the mouse, to turn the tracking on.
- Immediately, I'd hit the Slew button (using the previously selected point) and confirm the action to return to the start point.
- I'd choose Telescope, Options and hover over the Tracking command again.
- I'd watch EU count down to the next shot. About 8 seconds to go.
- At 2 seconds before, I'd click the mouse, turning the tracking off.
Stayed in the BYE tool for its advanced filenaming and scripting controls.
Remembered to drop the ISO to lower the noise in the subsequent images.
OK. Next up was the image scale calibration stars, starting with ω (omega).
1:52. Also known as 28 Dra and SAO 17576 and FOX 203. 10 seconds.
A is pure white. The B companion is very faint, a fair distance away, to the 4 o'clock position, or west-south-west. Also shot it at 20 seconds. BYE said the camera sensor was 29°. Shot it at 5 seconds and I could still see the B star.
The FOX 167 entry on the list seemed strange. Not sure how it got there.
Next up was Grumium. Couldn't see the companion so I shot a longer exposure.
2:03. AKA ξ (xi) Dra, 32 Dra, SAO 30631, and LDS 1457. 20 seconds.
The main star is a pale gold. If I'm interpreting things correctly, the B colleague is the dark orange star to the west-north-west, well away. Really far. ST3P presents a chart that is different than the image. It's either bad data in the app or a bunch of these stars are moving around... Fascinating in any case.
Headed to T Dra, a M-class variable star. That is not a hot pixel.
2:07. aka HIP 87820 and ES 20. 10 seconds.
Wow. What an amazing colour! That might be the deepest orange-red star I've ever seen. The B partner, nearly equal in brightness, is close by, to the south-west. ST3P says it is also a variable, UY Dra. Wow.
I used the HD feature in Frame & Focus for the first time. It reminded me of the integration feature of the MallinCam, doing on the fly stacking.
Our next destination was HD 164330, a triple.
2:13. Other designations include: SAO 17695 and STT A 163. 5 seconds.
The primary star, near the centre of the photograph, is a beige or grey colour. The equally-bright B friend to the north-east is blue-white. Due north, well away, is the C star, dim, same colour as A. Also shot at 2 seconds.
Headed to HD 164984.
2:22. Other labels: SAO 17717 and Σ (STF) 2273. 10 seconds.
This might appear, at first glance, a simple pair. "Moth Eyes," as it were. But if you look closely, you'll see faint companions. SkyTools shows this to be a 4-star system. The A star is to the left or east. It is a pale blue-white. B is very slightly dimmer. And has a touch less blue. Further west, but at the same angular separation as A and B, is faint C. It looks grey. For bonus points, look near A and B, slightly north, to tag P, the very dim fourth star.
Lots of other interesting colourful stars in the field.
Took the big dew cap off to reduce wind-shake. From the floor I noticed clouds! That explained why some of the exposures were wonky. One shot showed a lot of vibration.
Did some shots of the main goal, HD 172825, in case the sky turned bad. Got the D star. Programmed a run for 5 images. Was feeling a little tired. Took stuff to the house. Some images were faded with clouds; some were shakey.
Slewed to HD 238823. A delicious treat. A quadruple.
2:38. SAO 30778, PPM 36404, or Σ2300. 10 seconds.
A is the brightest star, of course. Blue-white. It is on the right or west side of the group. B is the next brightest distant furnace, tan in colour, along the north edge. Below and tight to B is the delicate little C element. Not directly south of B, it is slightly west. Finally the D star is to the east. Hint of orange. About the same intensity as C. An amazing little collection.
There's a red dot about the D star. Sorry. Hot pixel. Please ignore.
Neat system.
Had trouble finding my next Skytools suggestion in TheSky so I moved on to 36 Draconis.
2:43. HR 6850, HD 168151, SAO 17828, PPM 20819, HIP 89348, and STT 586. 5 seconds.
A simple wide double. A is white. B is far away to the west, pale orange. Also shot at 2 seconds.
Skipped to HD 170508. There seemed to be clouds again as I could not see the stars in the HD view. Peeked outside. Wasn't terrible.
Checked the weather conditions. 10-minute average was 6.4 out of the SW. The immediate wind speed was 8 with a high of 22.5. Humidity 94. Pressure 1011.9, still falling. Temp 19.2, dew 18.2.
2:50. AKA SAO 17882 and ES 2666. 2 seconds.
An easy faint pair with robin's egg blue and grey stars. B is due west.
Next up: HR 6979. Could not see anything at first.
2:55. Also referred to as HD 171653, SAO 17912, and KUI 86. 5 seconds.
Another pair of stars. The host is blue-white while the partner is a very dim white to the north-east. Is B greenish?
The astronomical twilight would beginning around 3:45.
Centred on HD 172323.
2:59. AKA SAO 17936 and STF 2365. 5 seconds.
White and orange stars with the dim sidekick to the north-north-east. SkyTools makes them look nearly equal in colour and magnitude. Nope.
Came to the main target in the observing list so gathered more data. Could see the B, C, and D stars in the 5 second shot.
Found dew on the corrector even with the dew heaters running. Grabbed the hair dryer to clear the fog. Switched the controller to our winter configuration.
Off to 46 Dra, a wide triple. Bright stars in the area.
3:08. HR 7049, SAO 31119, and H 6 37. 5 seconds.
Bright A is blue-white. B is a good distance away to the south-south-east, dull white. C is opposite B, double the separation, and is brighter. It is a very pale peach. Curious. Why wouldn't the star to the south, with the same brightness as C, almost the same sep., not be considered part of 46? Or the orange star to the west? Oh well...
Selected the double SAO 18068.
3:21. Also known as ES 2669. 2 seconds.
A very faint pair. A pale orange primary and a faint white secondary, close, to the south. It was very obvious in the 5 second exposure.
Targeted triple HR 7191. Shot for 1 second. Shot again.
3:14. HD 176668, SAO 18082, and Σ 2440. 2 seconds.
The leader is off-white or beige. The second point is at the 8 o'clock position or east-south-east, close. It might be a light yellow or very light orange. The third member of the group is a good distance away to the north-east, slightly dimmer than B. Also whitish in colour.
Went to the faint pair PPM 21295. Short slew. Had a hard time seeing it in Frame & Focus.
3:17. The Washington Double Star database designation is MLB1082. 5 seconds.
A is blue-white; B, to the north-east, is a dull orange. Also tried 4 seconds.
If passengers would look out the forward port window, they will see Altais or δ (delta) Draconis. I could see the B in a 5 second exposure.
3:21. SkyTools calls this target Nodus Secundus. Other designations are 57 Dra and BUP 186. 20 seconds.
This simple double is comprised of the very bright, yellow component with the dim nearby white star to the north. Why the other stars aren't included is beyond me. Regardless, a lovely field.
I thought it odd that the star GSC 04444-1629 did not show in the image. SkyTools plots this mag 10.6 star to the south-west.
[ed: Learned in 2020 that Altais is a triple! From Stella Doppie, the C star has a position angle of 22° and a separation value of 135.4 arc-seconds, magnitude 12.0. Curiously, the discovery date is the same as the AB pair: 1879. In the image, that's the beige-white star at the 11 o'clock position, a bit further than B, and a bit brighter. SkyTools 3 Pro has star GSC 04444-1492 at this location, (poor quality) mag 11.3.]
Slewed to HR 7361, a double.
3:25. aka SAO 18287 or BUP 188. 5 seconds.
An intense blue-white primary. Again, you'd think this a multi-star system with all the nearby points of light. The companion is south, due south. White or grey. Nice field. Shot again at 3 seconds.
This time 'round, I was able to find the double HD 234577. Did I type it wrong before? Shot blind. Whoa. Interesting stuff going on here... Shifted a bit and shot again.
3:31. AKA SAO 30796, PPM 36426, and AG 217. 5 seconds.
There appear two doubles in the image. The right-hand pair, which are slightly tighter, is the target in question. The A star is the upper-left light tan point; to the south-west is the pale white slightly dimmer B star.
The east-most pair, with a slightly greater separation than HD 234577, is the pair HD 234579 (WDS VBS 27). Here the A star is bright with a very pale orange hue with the dim white B partner to the north-east.
Two for the price of one!
The blue-white star, HD 167103, to the west is unrelated.
Star hopped to Σ2332 using SkyTools as the target. Took a while. Near the neck. Shot blind. Got it! A delicate double.
3:36. 5 seconds.
A is blue white. B, west, is very dim, grey. Orange?
Star hopped to another faint pair, STI 894. Shot blind again. Nailed it.
3:41. 5 seconds.
A is white, possibly pale blue. B, close, to the north-west, is white, a couple of notches dimmer.
From lessons learned during previous double star runs and considering the sketchy sky conditions, I grabbed data on the target multi-star system HD 172825 along the way. Returned to shoot a 5 second image. Moved west a bit. I wanted one very long exposure to get the field stars.
3:45. 30 seconds. Neat.
The primary star is the brightest in the field. It is white with subtle hints of blue. The B member is to the north-west or 2 o'clock position. Quite a bit dimmer than the lucida. A touch of pale orange. SkyTools shows B much dimmer but it is similar to C. The C element is to the west, slightly south, about double the AB separation. It is white. A fraction dimmer than B. Beyond B, about 5 times the distance, is a bright star. The software says this is D, specifically SLE 235 D. I went on this campaign as D is considered a neglected star in the Washington Double Star database.
Lots of data for reduction.
Reviewed my light frame times. Initially I viewed the EXIF data inside Backyard which was painfully slow. Went faster when I remembered the exposure value was in the filename. Programmed the dark frames run for all the exposures with 30 second delays. It would finish at 6 in the morning. Parked the 'scope. Monitored for cable wrap. Before installing the C14 cover, I dried off the corrector.
Fun. Overall, everything worked well. It took longer than I anticipated. Perhaps primarily due to taking more drift images and capturing more calibration stars. What I had forgotten is that targets near the North Celestial Pole have longer drift times.
The dew was incredible.
I'm thankful for the relatively clear skies.
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Wikipedia links: gamma Draconis; omega Draconis; xi Draconis; delta Draconis.
Thursday, July 20, 2017
deep red (Blue Mountains)
The Sun was deep crimson red. Amazing colour. Is this also caused by the BC fires?
orange haze (Blue Mountains)
Weird. The Sun was still high up, it would be some time until sunset, but it was hazy and orange-coloured. Actually, the whole sky was somewhat hazy. I wondered if the smoke and particulate from the terrible fires in British Columbia were reaching us. Transparency would be off. But I was hopeful. I just needed decent seeing...
cancelled CAO weekend visit
Stoopid weather. Peter and I conferred. The weather does not look good for the weekend. I cancelled my supervised visit.
imaged NGC 6946 again (Halifax)
BGO imaged NGC 6946 for me. I continue to monitor the supernova in the Fireworks galaxy. SN2017eaw is still fairly bright and plainly visible (despite the tracking issue).
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
I will add this to the data from 11 Jul '17.
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Didn't know that in mid-August the BGO image scale was changed. This is the last shot of NGC 6946 with a frame size of 1536x1536; subsequent shots captured at 1336x1336 pixels by default.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
I will add this to the data from 11 Jul '17.
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Didn't know that in mid-August the BGO image scale was changed. This is the last shot of NGC 6946 with a frame size of 1536x1536; subsequent shots captured at 1336x1336 pixels by default.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
imaged 70 Oph once again (Halifax)
The image of 70 Ophiuchi from 10 Jul '17 did not work out well so I asked the Burke-Gaffney Observatory robot to shoot it again. I also programmed it to shoot faster.
Luminance only, 1 second subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
That's better! I can see the B companion rather clearly now. I "unstretched" or compressed the histogram in FITS Lib to desaturate the image.
Centred on GSC 00434 02340.
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Annual image log:
2016 Aug
2017 Jul < you are here
2018 May
2019 May
2020 May
2021 May
Luminance only, 1 second subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
That's better! I can see the B companion rather clearly now. I "unstretched" or compressed the histogram in FITS Lib to desaturate the image.
Centred on GSC 00434 02340.
§
Annual image log:
2016 Aug
2017 Jul < you are here
2018 May
2019 May
2020 May
2021 May
shaking dark matter
Theoretical physicist Erik Verlinde believes that our ideas on dark matter are equivalent to the geocentric models of the solar system (and Universe) which held for over 1400 years.
He is working on a set of equations that explains galactic rotation curves by treating gravity as an emergent force. They don't necessarily account for other observations associated with dark matter. Still, I enjoyed reading the Shaking the Dark Matter Paradigm article at Symmetry magazine.
Theoretical physicist Kathryn Zurek says, "One should always poke at the paradigm."
He is working on a set of equations that explains galactic rotation curves by treating gravity as an emergent force. They don't necessarily account for other observations associated with dark matter. Still, I enjoyed reading the Shaking the Dark Matter Paradigm article at Symmetry magazine.
Theoretical physicist Kathryn Zurek says, "One should always poke at the paradigm."
Tuesday, July 18, 2017
Binary Universe: hearing the eclipse
The August RASC Journal was uploaded to the members area.
Spotted Bill's photo of Lunar X inside the back cover. Congratulated him. He said he's not a RASC member anymore. Spotted Malcolm's aurora shot from May on the back cover. Congratulated him. He wondered how I obtained the Journal.
It will be interesting to read Peter Hiscocks's article Maps of Light Pollution. Blair MacDonald continues his imaging software masks topic.
My software review column Binary Universe featured the Solar Eclipse Timer for iOS and Android. The inexpensive app accurately computes the times of first through fourth contact and will issue audio prompts during the eclipse. I reviewed the Android version (1.3) with assistance from the author.
It will be interesting to read Peter Hiscocks's article Maps of Light Pollution. Blair MacDonald continues his imaging software masks topic.
My software review column Binary Universe featured the Solar Eclipse Timer for iOS and Android. The inexpensive app accurately computes the times of first through fourth contact and will issue audio prompts during the eclipse. I reviewed the Android version (1.3) with assistance from the author.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
saw streaks
Had a look at Tony dS's SCT corrector. Lots of water streaks, meandering long streaks. They appeared to be on the outside. Offered to clean it. I also suggested not capping it at the end of a session until dry. And parking nose down. We looked at our calendars for a repair date.
checked the graphs
Fixed the Davis weather station historical reports! I found the 7-day graphs updated, the first time in months.
Yesterday afternoon I had performed two specific actions at the console. I disconnected and reseated the USB adapter converter thingee. I also rebooted the console (simply removing a battery for 20 seconds or so).
Very happy.
Yesterday afternoon I had performed two specific actions at the console. I disconnected and reseated the USB adapter converter thingee. I also rebooted the console (simply removing a battery for 20 seconds or so).
Very happy.
viewed fast movers (Blue Mountains)
10:00 PM, Saturday 15 July 2017. I visited the lads on the Observing Pad. Viewed Saturn in Ian's homemade Dobsonian. The Division was visible, the equatorial belt, dark at the pole, hint of the shadow, Titan, a bright moon opposite. Viewed Jupiter in Chris's new Dobsonian. Three moons nicely aligned. A pinpoint just off the disc, very close, but way out of line. I was assured it was Callisto.
The supervisor was asleep so I decided to do my own thing in the Geoff Brown Observatory. Started with some high-priority double stars.
10:34 PM. Viewed HD 120476 in Boötes. aka SAO 83011 or STF1785. One of the fast movers. I saw pale orange stars, A slightly brighter and paler than B. An easy split. Oriented roughly north-south. I estimated the PA is around 12. Uncle Tony had a look.
That was nice. A new binary double star for me.
Richard was fighting his mount. EQ Mod issues with the date/time.
10:59. I had been viewing eta Coronae Borealis for some time now. I could see faint C and D plus other stars.
11:10. Uncle Tony wanted to tested a Celestron 8mm ocular. It was OK. There was a slight collimation issue but overall it was OK. He said the views in his C11 were not good. Offered to have a look but he had buttoned up his observatory.
I split η CrB with the 10mm in C14! Yes! Extremely tight. Good to see them again.
11:16. Turned on Optec focuser. It seemed to be working fine. Normally ramp-up non-linear progression of the controls. But I was having a harder time now seeing things. The clouds were not helping.
11:39. We had a bit of rain. Richard called it out first; immediately I felt some drops. I panned the C14 horizontal. We had to close the roof.
We waited for a long time but the clouds just didn't seem to be letting up.
12:29 AM, Sunday 16 July 2017. We were back in the house...
12:40 AM. I checked conditions from the front deck. Still cloudy.
I checked again. Marginally better overhead but lots of clouds in the north-west. I retired.
The supervisor was asleep so I decided to do my own thing in the Geoff Brown Observatory. Started with some high-priority double stars.
10:34 PM. Viewed HD 120476 in Boötes. aka SAO 83011 or STF1785. One of the fast movers. I saw pale orange stars, A slightly brighter and paler than B. An easy split. Oriented roughly north-south. I estimated the PA is around 12. Uncle Tony had a look.
That was nice. A new binary double star for me.
Richard was fighting his mount. EQ Mod issues with the date/time.
10:59. I had been viewing eta Coronae Borealis for some time now. I could see faint C and D plus other stars.
11:10. Uncle Tony wanted to tested a Celestron 8mm ocular. It was OK. There was a slight collimation issue but overall it was OK. He said the views in his C11 were not good. Offered to have a look but he had buttoned up his observatory.
I split η CrB with the 10mm in C14! Yes! Extremely tight. Good to see them again.
11:16. Turned on Optec focuser. It seemed to be working fine. Normally ramp-up non-linear progression of the controls. But I was having a harder time now seeing things. The clouds were not helping.
11:39. We had a bit of rain. Richard called it out first; immediately I felt some drops. I panned the C14 horizontal. We had to close the roof.
We waited for a long time but the clouds just didn't seem to be letting up.
12:29 AM, Sunday 16 July 2017. We were back in the house...
12:40 AM. I checked conditions from the front deck. Still cloudy.
I checked again. Marginally better overhead but lots of clouds in the north-west. I retired.
Saturday, July 15, 2017
ran Kendrick seminar
Ran a little hands-on course, for a couple of the supervisors, on the Kendrick dew heater system on the C14 and TV101. Showed where the wraps should be mounted, how to check the operational status at the controller/keypad, how to select a stored configuration profile, and how to interface with the computer.
revised essay
Ian W and I cranked through another edit of our article. We used his computer to revise a local copy. Now we're looking to a pro to vet the material.
put back bits
Reinstalled the Optec temperature-controller focuser to the Celestron 14. Tested it. Seems to be working nominally.
Put the visual back accessory back on the NexStar 11.
Put the visual back accessory back on the NexStar 11.
viewed Sun (Blue Mountains)
Huge sunspot complex, stunning in hydrogen-alpha and visible in full spectrum.
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SuperGenius got a great photo.
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SuperGenius got a great photo.
Friday, July 14, 2017
received S&T
Grace found a few copies of Sky & Telescope at the Chapters-Sherway Gardens. She brought 2 copies to the CAO for me. Thank you!
imaged HR 8 (Halifax)
BGO imaged HR 8, aka STT 549, a multi-star system in Andromeda. Centred on GSC 01735 00996.
Luminance only, 4 seconds subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
Back in Sep '16 I had viewed this system but had not seen the C star. The photo is very interesting. Clearly, to the south-south-west, there is a double. This is the C and D pair. The curious thing is that the position of the D star is very different from the SkyTools software. The software chart shows C and D well separated and D almost due west of C; the photograph gives the impression they are on top of one another. Looks like D is moving fast to the east.
This seems to support the data in the WDS.
Now the strange thing with this multi-star system is the E star. I learned of the fifth element via the Washington Double Star database. But it does not appear in the photo even though I can see magnitude 17 stars. LAF 21 (AE) should be opposite B.
I don't see anything...
§
Using Triangle Calculator, I computed the D star with a:
The bad news is that I can't find the E. But then, I'm suspicious of the single entry from LAF.
§
Halved the exposure time on 1 Sep.
Luminance only, 4 seconds subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
Back in Sep '16 I had viewed this system but had not seen the C star. The photo is very interesting. Clearly, to the south-south-west, there is a double. This is the C and D pair. The curious thing is that the position of the D star is very different from the SkyTools software. The software chart shows C and D well separated and D almost due west of C; the photograph gives the impression they are on top of one another. Looks like D is moving fast to the east.
This seems to support the data in the WDS.
Now the strange thing with this multi-star system is the E star. I learned of the fifth element via the Washington Double Star database. But it does not appear in the photo even though I can see magnitude 17 stars. LAF 21 (AE) should be opposite B.
I don't see anything...
§
Using Triangle Calculator, I computed the D star with a:
- theta (PA) of 200 + 0.213° which I rounded to 201
- rho (sep) of 144.954" which I rounded to 145.0
The bad news is that I can't find the E. But then, I'm suspicious of the single entry from LAF.
§
Halved the exposure time on 1 Sep.
imaged epsilon Lyr (Halifax)
The BGO robot imaged epsilon Lyrae for me. A multi-star system typically referred to as the Double-Double. This image is centred on GSC 03122 01380.
Luminance only, 5 seconds subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
The Double-Double is well known for its 4 stars but it is actually a 9-star system. I wanted to view/image this region again so to tag the H star (aka SHJ 277). I had not spotted it on the evening of 8 Jun. SkyTools 3 Pro showed H was almost due north of G. In the image, it is obvious. It is the same brightness has G, arguably brighter. Is it a variable?
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Wikipedia link: epsilon Lyrae.
Luminance only, 5 seconds subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
The Double-Double is well known for its 4 stars but it is actually a 9-star system. I wanted to view/image this region again so to tag the H star (aka SHJ 277). I had not spotted it on the evening of 8 Jun. SkyTools 3 Pro showed H was almost due north of G. In the image, it is obvious. It is the same brightness has G, arguably brighter. Is it a variable?
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Wikipedia link: epsilon Lyrae.
imaged HD 350461 (Halifax)
The Burke-Gaffney Observatory imaged the double star HD 350461 for me. Located in Sagitta, aka HDS 2798 and SAO 105182. Centred on Tycho 1606 01248 1.
Luminance only, 4 seconds subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
I first viewed this system in Jul '15 and viewed and imaged many times since. I have not been able to split the A and B stars.
SkyTools shows the angle is 280 degrees or so. The image from BGO shows artefacts but I think I see something along the 346 line. Um. It's probably an artefact. Wishful thinking that I have extracted meaningful data. I will need to carefully examined the colour channel stacks.
TYC 01606-1923 1, north-north-west of HD 350461, appears to be a double star in the photo...
HD 186224 is obvious in this image, at the bottom of the diamond or kite.
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The colour channel stacks are no better.
Luminance only, 4 seconds subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
I first viewed this system in Jul '15 and viewed and imaged many times since. I have not been able to split the A and B stars.
SkyTools shows the angle is 280 degrees or so. The image from BGO shows artefacts but I think I see something along the 346 line. Um. It's probably an artefact. Wishful thinking that I have extracted meaningful data. I will need to carefully examined the colour channel stacks.
TYC 01606-1923 1, north-north-west of HD 350461, appears to be a double star in the photo...
HD 186224 is obvious in this image, at the bottom of the diamond or kite.
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The colour channel stacks are no better.
Thursday, July 13, 2017
August S&T is out
I learned from Grace that the August issue of Sky & Telescope is on Canadian newsstands.
For me this marks the occasion of officially becoming a pro-am astrophotographer.
The article entitled Eyes of the Dragon (starting on page 24) on double star systems in the Draco constellation includes photographs by Scott MacNeill, Mike Wood, and yours truly. They selected my shot of omicron Draconis from August 2014.
I must have been too early trying to find the periodical at my local stores.
For me this marks the occasion of officially becoming a pro-am astrophotographer.
The article entitled Eyes of the Dragon (starting on page 24) on double star systems in the Draco constellation includes photographs by Scott MacNeill, Mike Wood, and yours truly. They selected my shot of omicron Draconis from August 2014.
I must have been too early trying to find the periodical at my local stores.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
eat more cereal
Katrina shared a video link on how to make a quick-n-easy pinhole viewer for safely looking at the Sun. Will be handy when viewing the upcoming solar eclipse.
I found the source video at NASA's eclipse web site. A cereal box viewer is tad easier to use than a banana box viewer...
I found the source video at NASA's eclipse web site. A cereal box viewer is tad easier to use than a banana box viewer...
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
is the supernova fading? (Halifax)
Before clouds scuttled the imaging run, the BGO robot captured some more data from the Fireworks galaxy with SN2017eaw. Is it slightly dimmer now?
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
Will add to data from 6 Jul.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
Will add to data from 6 Jul.
Monday, July 10, 2017
shot 70 Oph again (Halifax)
Last August, I imaged 70 Ophiuchi with the Burke-Gaffney Observatory. I was able to see all the members of the multi-star system but A and B were merged in the 5 second exposure.
Luminance only, 2 seconds subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
Still too much...
There's also a glow. Perhaps from clouds?
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Reshot on 19 Jul at 1 second.
Luminance only, 2 seconds subexposures, 20 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, Paint.NET. North is up; east is left.
Still too much...
There's also a glow. Perhaps from clouds?
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Reshot on 19 Jul at 1 second.
consider York U's Solar Fair
Delaney tweeted details of the planned Solar Fair at York U.
Sounds like it will be a good show.
Mark the date of August 21 to join the @yorkobservatory as they celebrate and observe the partial eclipse of the Sun from @yorkuniversity pic.twitter.com/OHCO6unXDf— Paul Delaney (@astroguypaul) July 10, 2017
Sounds like it will be a good show.
couldn't find S&T
Tried to find the August issue of Sky & Telescope. In addition to some little stores, I checked a local Chapters and Coles but couldn't find it.
Strange.
Strange.
Thursday, July 06, 2017
imaged NGC 4214 at last (Halifax)
I asked the Burke-Gaffney Observatory to image NGC 4214 some time ago. A galaxy in Canes Venatici. Another of the RASC Finest NGCs. Finally got some data (albeit during a bright Moon). It is a disturbed system, amorphous and mottled.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
There seems to be a double to the south-east...
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I believe this also refers to NGC 4228, the Starburst Galaxy...
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Imaged again with a better outcome on 11 Apr '18.
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Wikipedia link: NGC 4214.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
There seems to be a double to the south-east...
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I believe this also refers to NGC 4228, the Starburst Galaxy...
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Imaged again with a better outcome on 11 Apr '18.
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Wikipedia link: NGC 4214.
checked the WAPs
Received a report of wifi problems at the observatory. I reminded the users of the password. Then I remotely access each wireless access point. All looked good... Strange.
another shot of SN2017eaw (Halifax)
Burke-Gaffney tagged the Fireworks Galaxy for me once again. I continue to monitor SN2017eaw.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
It still looks bright.
I will add this to the data from 25 June.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
It still looks bright.
I will add this to the data from 25 June.
Wednesday, July 05, 2017
imaged M109 (Halifax)
The Burke-Gaffney BGO robot imaged Messier 109 for me. A large barred spiral galaxy in Ursa Major. From my list of Messiers viewed once...
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
M109 is slightly canted. It features a large, pronounced central bar. Large spiral arms with a bright core. Some foreground field stars. The left/east edge of the galactic disc seems less defined than the right. Is this what our galaxy looks like?
To the north-west, there seems to be a double with GSC 03833-0437 and GSC 03833-0436.
South, there's a small fuzzy comma. MCG 9-20-45 aka PGC 37621.
East, I see a medium-sized oval. MCG 9-20-48 aka PGC 37700.
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Pretty scant notes from Aug 2011.
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Wikipedia link: Messier 109.
Luminance only, 60 seconds subexposures, 10 stacked shots. FITS Liberator, GIMP. North is up; east is left.
M109 is slightly canted. It features a large, pronounced central bar. Large spiral arms with a bright core. Some foreground field stars. The left/east edge of the galactic disc seems less defined than the right. Is this what our galaxy looks like?
To the north-west, there seems to be a double with GSC 03833-0437 and GSC 03833-0436.
South, there's a small fuzzy comma. MCG 9-20-45 aka PGC 37621.
East, I see a medium-sized oval. MCG 9-20-48 aka PGC 37700.
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Pretty scant notes from Aug 2011.
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Wikipedia link: Messier 109.
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