 "Sometimes, when I am watching through my
telescopes, the question comes to me Ö what would life be like without a
telescope?" - Leslie C. Peltier
I know my life would not be as pleasant without a telescope to wander
the night sky. But sometimes a hazy summer night can ruin any motivation for observing.
Think again though because there is still a lot to see. Hazy skies usually mean steady
skies, and steady air is just what the doctor ordered for observing planets and double
stars.
Mars is well past opposition and becoming less an item of interest as
it shrinks in size, but Jupiter and Saturn are well placed in the early morning August
sky. This month the rings of Saturn will reach their maximum tilt of 21 degrees.
I like to look at double stars that display color differences. One such
star is 70 Ophiuchi located on the eastern side of Ophiuchus in an easily seen
"V" shaped asterism called the "Bull of Poniatowski". The double is
composed of two dwarf stars about 16.5 light years away. Their magnitudes are 4.2 and 6.0.
They are currently separated by 3.8 arcseconds, which makes them an easy target for small
telescopes. The colors I see are reddish-orange for one star and yellow for the other.
This will be an interesting double to follow during the next couple of decades because
they are separating at a rapid rate. By 2024 they will move an additional 3 arcseconds
farther apart.
Almost directly overhead in August is the constellation Cygnus. On the
northwestern side of the constellation you a find a very interesting planetary nebula that
stands out nicely in hazy skies. NGC 6826, also called "The Blinking Planetary",
is magnitude 8.8. It has an easily observed 10.6 magnitude central star. If you stare at
the central star for a few seconds, the nebulosity of the planetary seems to fade to
practically nothing. Move your eyes to an averted position and the light-blue nebulosity
snaps back into view. ItÒs fun to compare the view between large and small
telescopes. In my 10 inch Newtonian the central star is very bright, and the blinking
affect is very evident. In my 3.5 inch Questar the central star is not as bright. This
causes the nebulosity to fade at a slower rate, but interestingly it blinks back just as
fast as in the 10 inch when I move my eyes. Compare this with a planetary of similar
brightness and size on the other side of Cygnus, just east of Deneb, called NGC 7027. It
doesnÒt have a bright central star like 6826, so you can stare all night long without
it doing a disappearing act.
Cygnus is also host to a lot of small open star clusters that stand up
to inspection under hazy skies. M29 and NGC 6910 for example, are within a small telescope
bump of the central star of the "cross".
So get out there and observe even if it is hazy. In our busy lives
observing time is very precious. DonÒt waste a bit of it.
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ÓSehr Gut Fernglas!"
On a recent trip to Mainz, Germany, I happened to be walking by a camera store that had a lot of used equipment in a display window. As I am always somewhat intrigued by optical equipment, I stopped to take a look at what they had to offer. Tucked away in a corner of the display was a used pair of binoculars. The price on the tag was 29 Euros, which is about 30 American dollars. A cursory inspection through the window indicated they might be of fairly good quality, so I decided to walk inside and see if they would let me take a closer look. The salesperson was very friendly and promptly took the binocs out of the window and handed them to me. The finely engraved logo on the eyepiece plate stated that they were 10 power with 50 mm objectives, manufactured by Weltblick. The salesperson told me they were older binoculars of West German origin. As I hefted them in my hand I noticed they seemed light weight despite the fact that they were all metal construction, which indicated they might have a magnesium frame. There were a few wear marks here and there on the metal parts, but the heavy duty black pebble covering on the body was in excellent shape. The eyepieces didnÒt seem to have much of a coating, but the objectives were nicely coated on both the front and back surfaces. All optics were crystal clear and exquisitely polished. There was one tiny scuff mark on the left objective coating which I guessed would not make any detectible difference in the view. I next held them to my eyes and checked the field and collimation. Looking out over the town plaza while focusing and adjusting the right diopter, it became instantly apparent to me that the optics had high quality. The view was bright and with stunning detail. As I alternately opened one eye and closed the other I could see that the collimation was as near to perfect as it could be. The apparent field of view was about 50 degrees, which produced about a 5 degree true field. Everything indicated they would make excellent astronomical binoculars, so I plunked down 29 Euros. There wasnÒt any case for them, so I walked out of the store with my purchase in a plastic bag.
On the way back to the hotel I decided to celebrate my good luck with a beer at a small worker pub that I also like to take dinner at. Inside, the pub is quite smoky, but they sell Beck beer on tap. While sipping my brew I pulled out the binocs to admire again. An older gentleman sitting next to me took an interest and tried to strike up a conversation in German. As I speak little German, I asked the bartender to translate. She said that he was a retired worker who used to work at the Schott glass factory, and that he wanted to take a look at the binoculars. I placed them in his hands and his face lit up with a smile. He turned them over and over as I did in the photo shop. ÓMy glass.Ô He said with his smile still intact. As he handed them back to me he said, ÓSehr gut fernglas!Ô with an even bigger grin. The bartender explained that he made the glass for the lenses and that they were very good binoculars. Although they are of an older manufacture, the company still makes the same model.
Later that night at the hotel, I walked outside to use my new binoculars under a clear, but somewhat light polluted German sky. Jupiter appeared as a perfectly round tiny yellow-white disk. Ganymede and Callisto flanked the left and right side, and either Io or Europa was just coming out from behind the planetÒs disk. It was very nice view. M42 in Orion gave a good performance, as did M35 in Gemini. The Pleiades appeared as a cluster of tiny sparkling diamonds. Stars appeared pinpoint even as they approached the edge. Saturn was overhead and displayed a hint of ring structure. Overall I was very satisfied.
The next day as I passed through customs in Chicago, I was somewhat concerned that they might not believe the 30 dollar cost I listed on the declaration form. To my relief, I was waved on through anyhow.
Back at home in Ohio I was able to compare the German binoculars to my Chinese made 11 X 56 Oberwerks. The Oberwerks have a very apparent advantage in light gathering ability and a wider, 60 degree apparent field. The German binocs seem to have a better color correction, and perhaps a crisper image, although this is very close. The view through the Oberwerks was more dramatic and satisfying. I think my German ÓfernglasÔ will make a great companion to stuff in my suitcase on trips in the future without worrying about accidentally breaking an expensive pair of binoculars.
Clear skies to my observing friends,
Mike Allen
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Within Ten Degrees of Polaris
The circumpolar region of the sky is an area that is often overlooked by amateur astronomers. Most people looking for a decent observing site consider a southern view of the sky a priority. An equatorial mount can even make observing the polar region difficult. Anyone who has tried to observe the northern regions with a fork-mounted equatorial scope, understands the gymnastics required when pointing it in that direction. A German equatorial mount becomes maddening when pointing north.
The mechanical difficulty involved in observing far northern objects can be avoided by using a Dobsonian, or other type of alt-azimuth mounting. Equatorial mounts can also be turned around so that the polar axis points south, producing a modified alt-azimuth configuration. A clock drive wonÒt work in this fashion, but you really donÒt need it when observing close to Polaris. The movement of objects across the sky in this region is very slow compared to areas closer to the celestial equator. Manual tracking is sufficient, and star hopping is more leisurely.
Having solved the engineering of how to get there, IÒll describe what I saw during a recent night of discovery. I chose an area within a ten-degree radius of the celestial pole because everything in this region stays at least thirty degrees above the horizon. All objects located here will be above the thickest part of the atmosphere, and hopefully, most light pollution. Of course the added bonus is that observing this area can be accomplished at any time during the year.
My search was conducted on a night in early February when the sky was very dark, transparent and steady. The instrument I chose to use in this search was an 8-inch Celestron Schmidt-cassegrain, because this is the type or size of scope that many amateurs use. Light pollution towards the north at my location was less than moderate. The corrector plate on my SCT was fairly dirty, and dew was a persistent problem. The outside temperature was 20 degrees F.
I began with planetary nebula IC 3568, located in Camelopardalis. This is one of the brightest deep sky objects within the ten-degree radius, shinning at magnitude 10.6. It displayed a bright central core with nebulosity near the edges. 3568 is small and spherical, and can easily be mistaken for a star when using low magnification. Its color was white with a hint of powder blue. If you stare directly at this planetary, it will very slowly fade from view. Return to averted vision and it instantly brightens.
Next, I easily located the open cluster NGC 188 in Cepheus. The magnitude of this cluster is listed at 8.5. This figure is misleading because I estimate that most of its 120 stars are much fainter. I could see at least 20 faint stars enclosed by a trapezoid of four brighter stars. Almost beyond the limit of detection I could see many other stars occasionally twinkling. They formed an eerie nebulous glow across the face of the cluster. NGC 188 is of particular interest to astronomers because it is composed mostly of yellow giants. This indicates it must be very old.
NGC 2300 and NGC 2276, also in Cepheus, are a pair of galaxies that are close enough to appear in the same low power field of view, however I could only see NGC 2300. It appeared as a fairly bright round patch of nebulosity, with a bright central core. Even though it is listed at 11.0 magnitude, I found it to be an easy target for my 8-inch scope.
Up until now I had been using Sky Atlas 2000. The next targets on my list required the horsepower of my Uranometria atlas. NGC 2268, in Camelopardalis, is a very faint galaxy. To make a point, I underlined Óeasy to missÔ in my notes. Although it shines at only magnitude 11.5, it displays an elongated shape that gradually brightens towards the center.
The next object in Camelopardalis was the most frustrating of all. NGC 2336 is listed in my Sky Catalog 2000 as magnitude 10.4. It most certainly is nowhere nearly that bright. I searched for over 30 minutes without success before I took a break. My problem was I believed the 10.4 figure, and was looking for something that bright. After returning to the eyepiece I was finally able to locate it using averted vision while slowly sweeping the charted position. It was incredibly faint, and on the absolute edge of visibility. This left me confused enough to search my Night Sky ObserverÒs Guide for any additional information. I found a photo of the galaxy and from the position of the surrounding stars was able to confirm my observation. The solution to the problem was found when I consulted my old dog-eared Burnhams guide. It listed the magnitude of 2336 as a more believable 12.4.
After my exhausting search for 2336, I was ready pick off a few double stars. Of course you canÒt talk about double stars near the celestial pole without mentioning Polaris. Polaris is actually quite a beautiful double when viewed through a telescope. The primary is a 2.0 magnitude star with yellow-white color. It is also a Cepheid variable that varies only slightly in a period of about four days. The 8.2 magnitude companion lies about 18 arc-seconds away. It has a color described as white by some, but appears almost pale blue to me. The Polaris system is 820 light years away. I often use the de-focused image of Polaris to collimate my telescopes because of its negligible apparent motion across the field of view.
W. Struve 1694 is a fairly wide double with components nearly identical in brightness. This gives the appearance through the telescope of a pair of golden yellow car headlights approaching from the distance. 1694 is located in Camelopardis. The 5.5 magnitude twin components are separated by over 21 arc-seconds. I could discern this star by naked eye, which indicates how dark the sky was that night.
W. Struve 2034 is a more difficult target. The nearly identical 8th magnitude companions lay only 1.4 arc-seconds apart. Both are white in color. In my C-8 at 400X they appear as two tiny Airy disks separated by a small gap of dark sky. You can locate this double on page 11 of Uranometria 2000 Vol. 1, near the top of the chart. Its coordinates are 15h 48.7m, +83 deg 37 min.
I should mention that I previously observed most of the above objects in December with my 15 inch Obsession Dobsonian. Many exhibit impressive detail in this scope. It seems that almost every object plotted on the Sky Atlas 2000 is an easy target for the Obsession. NGC 2276, although undetected in my 8-inch, was seen in enough detail to allow me to make a pencil sketch. Uranometria shows many fainter deep sky objects that were not part of this search, and these will certainly be worthy of a future observing session with the 15-inch.
By now I was ready for some fireworks in the southern sky, so I placed the crosshairs of my 10 inch Newtonian on V Hydrae near the border of Crater and Hydra. This is a carbon star with shimmering blood red color. I hadnÒt seen V Hydrae in many months, and was happy to find it near its maximum magnitude of 6.6. What a show! It is second in beauty only to the great R Leporis. This variable star has a period of over 500 days, so now is the time to see it at its very best.
It was now past 3AM, and I had been observing for six hours. The noise of distant civilization had faded away, leaving only the whisper of a faint breeze. New star patterns appeared in the east, but fatigue and frozen feet were draining my enthusiasm. Both my telescopes had a thick coating of frost on their tubes. After closing the roof on my observatory, I carefully walked across the pasture towards the house. I smiled as I thought about what comment my wife Marilyn would have as I slid my frozen body under the blankets of our bed. Glancing up I noticed the familiar shapes of Lyra and Cygnus. Bootes was nearing the meridian. ÓGood night old friendsÔ, I said to the stars above, ÓWe will meet againÔ.
Clear skies,
Mike Allen
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THE 2002 BLACK FOREST STAR PARTY
"I can feel it coming in the air tonight, Oh Lord.
IÒve been waiting for this moment, all of my life, Oh Lord."
The haunting lyrics from Phil Collins 1981 hit tune ÓIn The Air TonightÔ greeted me on the truck radio as I pulled out of my drive near Bucyrus, Ohio. At 6:15 in the morning I was heading eastbound towards Pennsylvania. I glanced at the dawn sky above and noticed how clear it appeared. It was a good sign for the coming weekend. My truck was filled with camping and astronomical gear, but the most important and indispensable cargo item was my fifteen-inch Obsession telescope.
The route I had chosen was mostly four-lane expressway. The initial portion of the journey on I- 71, I-271, and I-90 were unremarkable and tedious. As I intercepted I-86 near the border of Pennsylvania and New York, the scenery changed. Forested hills appeared around me and the drive became more interesting. After crossing Lake Chautauqua, I was deep inside Seneca Indian land. A sign marking the Allegheny River crossing had the word ÓOh-Hee-YoÔ beneath the English name for the river. Another sign informed me where to find the Seneca Indian Cultural Center. Before reaching the city of Olean I left I-86 and continued my journey on two-lane state roads.
The 16-mile journey back to the Pennsylvania border on state route 417 was slow going. The speed limit here is 35 mph because of residential areas. When I turned on to Pennsylvania State Route 44, a sign welcomed me to Potter County and ÓGodÒs CountryÔ. The sign is prophetic. The hills around me became very steep and densely wooded. The residential areas were gone and my speed picked up to a more reasonable 55 mph. Passing through the tiny hamlet of Shinglehouse I noticed a hardware store with racks of camouflaged hunting clothes sitting on the sidewalk. I felt like I was home again.
At Coudersport (pronounced Cow-ders-port) I stopped to fill my gas tank and grab a sandwich. This tidy little town of about 3000 people is a gem in the middle of the wilderness. Its numerous 19th century homes are extremely well maintained. The downtown storefront area is a delight to the eyes. I would like to live there. A few miles east of Coudersport I began the final leg to Cherry Springs State Park. Route 44 from here is a twisting and tortured two-lane road that slowly climbs towards the park. I saw deer and flocks of wild turkey. I was told I might even spot a bear. Near the park is an overlook that really shows how wild the surrounding countryside is.
345 miles, 6 hours and 45 minutes, and two rest stops after leaving home, I pulled up in front of the registration tent for the Black Forest Star Party. It was 1 PM and many people had already arrived. I drove around the field a while looking for a suitable place to make camp. Before unloading the truck, I introduced myself to surrounding neighbors. Having completed all the tasks of setting up my home for the next two days, I wandered around to check out the facilities. Near the entrance was MayÒs Munchables. This is a family business run out of a trailer that sells hot sandwiches, soup, snacks, coffee and cold drinks. It is open 24 hours a day. The marinated chicken breast sandwich is wonderful. A short distance from here is a pavilion constructed from logs. The pavilion is where the lectures are given. There were lectures on both Friday and Saturday. Pit toilets and potable water sources are abundant. Central Pennsylvania Observers and state park staff members were everywhere making sure that their guests were comfortable. They even sprayed the gravel road with water to help keep the dust down. The park rangers have been very enthusiastic about preserving and even improving the site for use by amateur astronomers. The dark skies are considered a natural resource. What a refreshing attitude!
About 3PM I found a cool shady spot under a tree to take a nap. A couple of hours later my stomach complained to me it was time to visit MayÒs for supper. As darkness fell over the observing field I noticed a few bothersome cirrus clouds above. I fidgeted over the collimation of my telescope to make sure everything was just right. Under total darkness the sky was absolutely awesome. No indication of light pollution was visible in any direction. The Milky Way formed a bright slash across the meridian from horizon to horizon. The Scutum star cloud stood out like a sore thumb. The Andromeda galaxy was plainly visible with direct vision. I estimated that stars slightly fainter than magnitude 6 were visible. After midnight the cirrus clouds disappeared. My observing plan began with deep sky objects in Cepheus and Perseus. Later I moved on to galaxies in Pegasus. All five galaxies in Stephens Quintet were bright and plainly seen. The Pegasus and Perseus galaxy clusters were phenomenal. The central star in the Ring Nebula was glimpsed. I occasionally took a break by observing Messier objects or scanning the sky with binoculars. To my amazement, I discovered that I could plainly see both the east and west lobes of the Veil nebula with my 11x56 binoculars. My observing neighbor Bob Polluck, who runs the Telescope Blue Book web site, came over to have a look also. About 4 AM fatigue overwhelmed me. After a quick look at Saturn rising in the east, I went to bed.
At 9:30 I woke up to a tent that was getting warm from the rising sun. A quick sponge bath was refreshing (no showers here). I informed all of my neighbors that I was going to Coudersport for breakfast and asked them if they would keep an eye on my equipment while I was gone. In town I had a hearty country style breakfast at Kayes Diner. After stopping at the local grocery store for items my neighbors requested, I headed back to the star party.
Back at the observing field I took a long walk to check out the various telescopes people were using. You can see just about any kind of instrument made, past and present. Lots of big Dobsonians were set up. I think the largest scope I saw was a 25-inch Obsession. My favorite was an old 8-inch Criterion Newtonian on a tripod-like pier. Around 2:30 PM I walked over to the pavilion to listen to Sky and Telescope author Sissy Haas lecture on the perception of color in double stars. Late in the afternoon I had an unsuccessful attempt at taking a nap. A quick sandwich at MayÒs around 6 PM prepared me for another night of observing.
As the sky darkened, a strange glow appeared along the northern horizon. Bob asked me if I thought it might be an aurora. Indeed I did. The whole field was buzzing with talk of aurora. When total darkness came again, the sky lit up with a magnificent display of color. From Perseus rising in the northeast, to Arcturus setting in the west, the sky was filled with hundreds of dancing vertical yellow-white rays. They emanated from the horizon, all the way to the zenith. Patches of blood red and green erupted all over the northern sky. Observers were so impressed they broke out into cries of joy and applause and the field echoed with exclamations of amazement. I ran to the tent to get my camera, but noticed that I had only one picture left. Worse yet, I didnÒt have a tripod to steady the camera. I fumbled with the shutter control to set it to remain open when pressed. Quickly kneeling down on the ground and resting the camera on my observing table, I steadied the camera as much as I could. Holding my breath, I pushed the shutter button and held it down for about twenty seconds. I didnÒt know if twenty seconds was even in the ballpark for a good exposure. After the silly attempt at aurora photography, I just stood there under the night sky and watched the show. The sky was filled with color in the north. The southern sky was velvet black. The Milky Way ran from overhead to the southern horizon. Every couple of minutes I could see a sporadic meteor flash across the sky. Humbled by the magnificent display above, thoughts of Psalm 19 came to mind; ÓThe heavens declare the glory of GodÔ.
The aurora began to fade around 11PM, so I decided to do some more deep sky observing with my scope. I started in northern Aquila. Working south, I picked out many faint planetary nebulae. Near the northern edge of Sagittarius, I began a backward sweep into Cetus and Pisces searching for galaxies. Later I used Sanner and KeppleÒs field guide to pick out globular clusters in M31. By 3 AM I was physically exhausted again. Even a giant cup of MayÒs black coffee could not keep me going. Before heading to my tent for some sleep I took one last long look at the sky above. It was just too beautiful for words.
The next morning I broke camp. Saying goodbye to my observing neighbors Bob, Dennis, Wendy, Steve, and Benjamin was difficult. We shared a wonderful experience together that will never be forgotten. The drive home was uneventful. As I pulled up to my home in Ohio I wearily looked up at the hazy sky above, and sighed out loud. It was just not the same. Not by a long shot.
Clear skies to all, Mike Allen
Postscript and advice:
The photo of the aurora did turn out. The stars captured in the Ursa Major were not sharp, but the photo does give a sense of grandeur to the display.
I wore shorts during the day, but changed into long pants for observing at night. I put on a winter coat and stocking cap in the early morning hours. Mosquitoes were not a problem.
Dew was not a problem this year, but was a major deterrence to observing last year. Prepare accordingly.
Use precaution when storing food. Critters may pay you a visit.
There were 534 people registered this year, up from 400 last year. This convention will grow fast. If you want to go next year, register and arrive at Cherry Springs Park as early as you can.
My cell phone did not have coverage at the park. There is a public pay phone across the road.
Throw away all your perceptions about what is not visible through you telescope or binoculars.
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A REVIEW OF PENTAX XL EYEPIECES
(and a tiny bit of philosophy)
SMC Pentax XL eyepiece series, from Pentax Corporation, 35 Inverness Drive East, Englewood, Colorado 80112. Internet: www.pentax.com. Price varies from $259-299.
The first thing you notice about them is how big they are. They are also very heavy. Hold one up to your eye and its huge eye lens looks like a small telescope objective. ÓHand grenade size chunks of optical glassÔ would be a fitting description. It seems impossible they could be 1®-inch eyepieces. I have also discovered they offer top-notch performance.
My introduction to the Pentax XL series came one night last year while observing at Hidden Hollow. Eric Krause, of McAlister Camera in Westerville, Ohio, had his Meade SCT set up. After sharing some of his views with me using Pentax eyepieces, I decided to buy one. While attending the Apollo Rendezvous in Dayton last summer, I purchased a 7mm XL. Since then I have bought a 14mm and a 28mm from Eric.
Pentax offers the XL series in 5.2, 7, 10.5, 14, 21, 28 and 40mm focal lengths. Every eyepiece in the series has a very comfortable 20mm eye-relief. Each of them is constructed with high refraction, extra low dispersion (ED) optical glass. All except the 28mm offer a very pleasant 65-degree apparent field of view. The 28 mm is optimized with a 55-degree field. All use a 1®-inch format, except the 40mm, which has a 2-inch barrel. Pentax has constructed the XL series with an adjustable height, hard rubber shield which aides in eye placement, and helps block the eye lens from stray light. Observing with your glasses is very easy.
I find that the XL series provide magnificent color correction. While observing Delta Cygni, I was able to see a faint salmon color in the component star that was not visible with an orthoscopic or plossl eyepiece of equivalent focal length. For the first time I have been able to see vivid blue color in festoons on Jupiter. Red spots on JupiterÒs north equatorial belt display almost as much contrast as Jovian eclipse shadows.
The size and weight of the XL eyepieces may prove to be a problem for some telescopes. The 5.2 mm, which is the biggest and heaviest of the series, stands over 5.5 inches tall and weighs almost a pound. They work fine on my 10 inch Newtonian, however my 8- inch SCT has trouble with weight and balance. If the SCTÒs 1 ® inch diagonal is not tightened firmly to its visual back, the whole eyepiece/diagonal assembly will sometimes twist left or right. My little Questar has no problem with the XLs because the eyepiece holder is very close to the declination axis. Dobsonian scopes are very sensitive to balance and would require a counterweight at the opposite end to the tube.
A few observers have mentioned that they have seen astigmatism near the edge of the field of view with low power XLs. I have only seen a small amount of this at the extreme edge of the field when using a 28 mm on my f/5.5 Newtonian. Astigmatism is a natural aberration seen in all short focal length scopes. What I have seen while using the XL is certainly less than in some other wide field designs.
The field of view is aesthetically pleasing to me. The human brain can only accurately process about 45 degrees a time, so anything extra serves to frame the field. When using scopes without a drive, its wider field also helps in delaying the requirement to reposition the scope. TeleVue Nagler eyepieces have a much wider field, but for some reason I have not been satisfied with their performance. I think part of the problem is that I find Nagler images to be a little on the ÓsoftÔ side. Eye relief with Naglers can be quite short also. Pentax, on the other hand, is a very comfortable eyepiece for me to use because of its long eye relief and tack sharp images. Some eyepiece designs may not work well for all people, so I recommend you try any eyepiece out before purchasing.
There is no doubt that XLs are very expensive. For the price of just one Pentax you can buy three high quality plossls. I like the XLÒs performance enough to shell out the extra bucks. My time under the night sky is precious and I try to make the most of it. Also, many of you already know, IÒm just crazy about optics. Most people will be quite satisfied with the excellent performance of plossls, orthoscopics or even a good kellner for that matter. However, if youÒve got the itch for a very high quality eyepiece with a wide field, long eye relief, outstanding color correction, and cost is not a major factor, then consider the SMC Pentax XL series. Take care in noting that even if your scope will handle the extra weight, you will certainly have to get a bigger eyepiece case.
Finally, IÒd like to offer a personal note of caution. It is not necessary to spend a lot of money to enjoy the night sky. IÒve been observing for almost 40 years now. It has taken me that long to get up enough nerve to buy super-duper eyepieces like Pentax. Newcomers to amateur astronomy tend to want everything Óright nowÔ. But the universe doesnÒt care how impatient you are. She doesnÒt even care how much you spend. The amateur who stands outside night after night with binoculars, or a small telescope and star atlas will be rewarded. A new guy or gal with an attitude who spends a fortune on the biggest and best of everything will soon burn out, and be deemed unworthy. Ken Fulton says it best in his book, The Light-Hearted Astronomer, ÓYou see, you must approach the universe on your knees. She demands humility, respects perseverance, and abhors being taken for grantedÔ.
Clear skies to all,
Mike Allen
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HEAVENÒS FIRE
There are some nights I spend under the sky with a telescope, which can only be described as a test of endurance, frustrating, or even disappointing. Most nights I would classify as very relaxing and satisfying. Once in a great while though, circumstances produce a sort of mystical experience. Nights such as these cut right through my objective exterior, and pierce to the depth of my soul. If you have had such an experience, you would also know an amateur astronomerÒs sense of wonder could be reborn on such a night.
On the evening of May 23, numerous thunderstorms were moving through Crawford County. In the south a particularly vicious line of severe weather produced lightning, hail, and a couple of tornadoes. There was spectacular lightning, which looked like flashbulbs going off at a nighttime sports event. Over my house the sky had cleared producing a very inviting opportunity to do some observing. The telescope of choice for me on such short notice was my Questar. With a velvet black sky above and flashing thunderheads to the south I began my journey.
The first object on my list was Delta Serpens Caput. Delta is a double star composed of a white 4.2 magnitude primary and a light blue 5.2 magnitude companion. The blue companion lies 4.3 arc-seconds directly south of the primary. Delta is a very pretty sight, but only a warm-up exercise for the next object.
Alpha Hercules, also called Rasalgethi, is one of the prettiest doubles you can find in the sky. The primary is a fiery red-orange star with a magnitude that varies between 2.9 and 3.7. It is listed as an M class star, but to me it appears redder than some carbon stars. 4.6 arc-seconds to the east is a very green companion star shining at magnitude 5.4. The color contrast of the pair is very beautiful.
After spending some time admiring Rasalgethi, I paused to check on the progress of the fireworks display still going in the south. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the northern sky was completely washed out with red and yellow streamers of a spectacular northern lights display. It was also getting brighter very fast! I ran into the house to get my wife Marilyn. Holding hands in the darkness, we ran into an open field to get a good view of the northern sky. Her house-slippers got soaked in the wet grass. As we looked north, I realized this aurora was the best I had ever seen from our latitude. To the northeast the sky danced with what appeared to be a red curtain of light. North and west of us white and yellow rays of light waved across the sky. Veils of light extended to the zenith. I did a slow turn. Lightning to our south, the stars above and the Aurora in the north produce a surrealistic image. The sky looked like it was on fire!
After about 30 minutes the aurora slowly faded and clouds approached from the west. As the fiery show disappeared from view, I collected my thoughts. This had been a special night. The sky had put on a spectacular display. My sense of wonder for the night sky was rekindled. I was reborn.
Clear skies,
Mike Allen
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A STAR FOR MY WIFE
On a recent October night I was observing in my backyard with a 10-inch Newtonian. The sky was very steady, but there was a little more sky glow than normal because of dust from farmers harvesting crops. Overhead the Milky Way was clearly visible, so I proceeded with my plans to observe some bright double stars.
Eta Cassiopeiae was my first target. I first met Eta a few weeks before while wandering the night sky with my Questar. It had a bright yellow primary with a tiny, but very distinct, ruby red companion. In my 10-inch the red star looked glorious next to its yellow primary. Sky Catalog 2000.0 lists the primary as a G class star, and the companion as a very red M class object.
Next was Gamma Andromedae. The colors and magnitudes are similar to Alberio in the constellation of Cygnus. Separation is 9.8 arcseconds, making it a much closer double than the 34 arcseconds of Alberio.
Gamma Arietis comes at you through the eyepiece like a car at night, appearing as two headlights in the distance. Both stars are equally brilliant and white in color. This double is definitely one of my favorites.
By early morning I worked my way south into a strangely barren area of Aquarius where I found 94 Aquarii. It has the most delicate color I have ever seen in the heavens. The soft rose and green shades of its components reminded me of the colors on a Wedgwood vase I brought home from England years ago. Stars with colors this subtle can sometimes be seen a little better by defocusing the eyepiece slightly. As I stood alone in the darkness pondering the colors of 94 Aquarii, I recalled the smile my wife had when I gave her the Wedgwood vase. Smiling myself now, I reached for a pen and wrote on my star atlas next to the position of the double, ÓMarilynÒs StarÔ.
By now the distant rumble of civilization had faded and the only sounds I could hear were a deer walking through the woods and the sudden thud of hickory nuts hitting the ground. The wind began to pick up slightly, and the normally crisp diffraction patterns of stars began to break down from turbulent air. However, the sky was much darker now.
Before the first light of dawn I decided to probe some deep sky wonders in Auriga, which by now a risen high in the northeastern sky. NGC 1931 is an emission and reflection nebula near M36. In my 10 inch it appears as a faint glow surrounding a very faint and tight group of three stars. It was also bright enough to be seen in my Questar.
Emission nebula IC405, also called the Flaming Star Nebula, can be easily missed in a 10-inch scope. It appears as an extremely small faint wisp of nebulosity extending from a faint star. Averted vision was not necessary, but I recommend detailed charts when searching for this elusive ghost. Both IC405 and NGC 1931 are high on my list of things to look at during my next observing session with the 31 inch.
Data for double stars above:
Eta (24) Cassiopeiae mag 3.4, 7.5 sep 12.9Ô 00h49.1m +57d49m
Gamma (57) Andromedae (Almach) mag 2.3, 5.5 sep 9.8Ô 02h03.9m +42d19m
Gamma (5) Arietis mag 4.8,4.8 sep 7.8Ô 01h53.5m +19d18m
94 Aquarii (MarilynÒs Star) mag 5.3,7.3 sep 12.7Ô 23h19.1m -13d28m
Clear skies to all of you, Mike Allen
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Black Forest 2003
ÓWell, in those days Mars was a dreary uninhabitable wasteland much like Utah, but unlike Utah, Mars was eventually made livableÔ Ö Professor Hubert Farnsworth in 1999 television episode of ÓFuturamaÔ
At 6:05 AM on August 29 I started my journey east towards Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania. Along the way I stopped at Orrville to pick up fellow RAS member Terry McQuistion. I had carefully stowed all of my observing equipment in the bed of my truck so as to allow room for TerryÒs gear. The forecast for Friday night called for a 50% chance of rain and partly cloudy on Saturday. It was supposed to be kind mediocre weekend for observing. I never realized at that point how bad, and how wonderful, the sky would be.
At TerryÒs house we quickly loaded his gear and continued on. I traveled the same roads as in 2002; interstate 90 to I86, then State Route 417 to SR44. We packed a sack lunch to eat while driving. Although the sky behind us was overcast, it was only partly cloudy as we gazed eastward. When the truck rolled downhill and around a hill on I86 near the Allegheny Reservoir in New York it started to rain. It rained for about 30 minutes then stopped. When we passed though the little town of Shinglehouse on SR44 I knew we were getting close, and memories of great times I had during the 2002 convention filled my thoughts. The sky was still only partly cloudy at this point, so our conversation turned to the possibility of a decent night of observing.
Shortly after 1PM we were standing in front of the convention registration desk. The camping area was filled with tents and telescopes. A number of people had been there for a few days and had already done some observing. After choosing a spot with a decent view of the south, we pitched our tent. We stored our scopes in the tent just in case it rained. Later, Terry and I decided to take a walk and survey the facilities. This was a great opportunity to meet our neighbors and pick out scopes to visit at night. Along the way we stopped to look through a Takahashi 4-inch refractor with a Denkmeier binoviewer and Coronado hydrogen alpha filter. The view was indeed awesome. There were multiple giant solar flares in progress, and absolutely amazing detail on the solar disk. Another individual had an antique 4 ¬ -inch Cooke refractor. It was in original condition with a weight-driven clock drive. The rotating shiny brass flywheel was mesmerizing to watch. Its owner explained that the scope was built in England and originally purchased by a school in Cardington, Ohio around 1880. The largest scope we encounterd on the field was a 30-inch Dobsonian. Many friendly people were glad to talk to us about their equipment.
When we finished our walk the sky was still partly cloudy. Fortunately, as it turned out, we decided not to take our telescopes out from the protection of the tent. At about 5PM we drove 10 miles down the mountain to Coudersport for dinner. Near the bottom of the mountain we were greeted by an ominous sight. Rolling in fast from the west was a storm with angry black clouds moving low over the mountaintops. Our hearts sank as rain began to pour down. In Coudersport we parked the truck in front of KayÒs diner and made a mad dash inside. We feasted on some of the tastiest fish I had ever eaten and then drove back to camp. It was still raining when we crawled into our sleeping bags that night.
I was awakened next morning by the sound of rain pattering away on the tent. Terry and I wandered over to MayÒs Muchables restaurant-camper and had a breakfast sandwich of ham and eggs with a large cup of black coffee. Shortly after breakfast it stopped raining. Our first scheduled activity was a tour of some homemade telescopes. Terry and I were able to pick the brains of each owner and get some very interesting ideas for future projects. Afterwards we assembled in the campground pavilion for a lecture on the status of amateur astronomy in Great Britain. We took a break from the next couple of lectures to wander the field again. I met our camp neighbor Anthony Davoli, who was a self-taught machinist. His skills were quite magnificent. He had machined two German equatorial mounts that were identical to the Losmandy G-11 mount. Details were the same right down to the knurled knobs and shiny black anodized aluminum. On one he mounted a Takahashi FSQ 4-inch, and on the other an orange tube C-8. He was one of 12 members present from the Buffalo Astronomical Society. We also met Susan Elm who was using a 6-inch homemade dobsonian with an f/5.6 Mark Harry mirror. She is the secretary of the Oil City Region Astronomical Society in eastern Pennsylvania. Around 5PM we went back to the pavilion for a lecture on cosmology by Joshua Roth, senior editor of Sky and Telescope magazine. After the last lecture, door prize drawing began. I was fortunate to win a 6mm University Optics high definition (HD) orthoscopic eyepiece.
There were at least a dozen venders present, including major dealers such as Mag 1 Portaball, Helix Manufacturing, Hands On Optics and Denkmeier Optical. Terry appeared to be on an important mission as he carefully checked out each venderÒs table. He purchased a number of items for his 12 -inch Newtonian scope including an erect image finder, and chesire eyepiece
A hamburger at Mays served as dinner while we waited for the sky to make up its mind for the night. It slowly began to clear and telescopes sprouted on the field like flowers in spring. By sunset it was apparent that we would indeed have clear skies. The only problem I anticipated was dew. Forecast nighttime temperatures were in the low 40Òs, well below the dew point. The sky did clear before full darkness. It was magnificent. A dark night at Cherry Springs makes Hidden Hollow look like downtown New York City. Great star clouds appeared in the Milky Way. M-31 and the North American nebula were seen with no optical aid. Wonderful dark nebulae were easily discerned with my 56mm binoculars. The sky was dark in all directions right down to the horizon.
Terry had brought his 8-inch Meade Newtonian and I had my 8-inch orange tube C-8. I left my 15-inch Obsession at home because of worries about rain. While waiting for Mars to make its appearance above the trees I did some deep sky observing. Amazingly, the Veil nebula looked just as good as it does at Hidden Hollow in my 15-inch. Details of the companion galaxy near M13 were also easily seen. As the temperature dropped I had to start using a 12-volt hairdryer to keep my optics free of dew. Since its power source is a 12-volt garden tractor battery, I decided to limit my deep sky work so as to have enough juice to get me though the evening with Mars. Mars finally climbed above the trees, and first glimpses were fantastic. The sky was very steady as I was able to see Syrtis Major getting ready to disappear behind the disk. Sinus Meridiani and Sinus Sabaeus looked like a tadpole swimming across the face of Mars. Hellas appeared as a blank area above Syrtis. Sinus Margaritifer formed a mottled bow like structure following Sinus Meridiani. Later, Mare Erythraeum made an appearance. Below them, Mare Acidalium was more subdued. My hairdryer was getting a real workout. I had to blow my optics dry about every five minutes. Dew came so fast that sometimes it formed inside my star diagonal in just the short period of time it took to change eyepieces. After a couple of hours of observing I began to get concerned about battery power for later in the night, so Terry and I took a break to look through some other telescopes.
We walked over to a 25-inch Dobsonian for a look through its binoviewer. The owner was happy to address our every request. I wanted to see NGC 891 in Andromeda. Within 5 seconds his Sky Commander digital setting circles had the big instrument pointed in the right direction. The view was awesome! The edge-on galaxy filled the field of view. A dark lane was clearly visible across the length of the galaxy. Next up was Mars. Let me tell you that if you have never looked at Mars with both eyes through a large telescope, you are missing out on a truly emotional sight. Words canÒt describe the detail visible, or the three dimensional aspect of the Martian globe. It was a sight I will never forget, and was the climax of the night.
Numerous bright meteors were visible. One was a very bright bolide that streaked from the Polaris region to the northwestern horizon. It appeared as a green ball of fire with a long orange tail. As it fell it seemed to throw off glowing orange pieces. Near the horizon it broke into at least 3 large green chunks. The meteor was so bright that the trees surrounding the field were lit up as in daylight.
After about an hour of checking out the view through other telescopes, we headed back to our campsite. Mars was now at its highest elevation in the sky. The view through my C-8 was excellent. Solus Lacus was now visible. I was even able to see the ragged edge of the southern polar cap. A large notch in the edge of the cap appeared below Mare Erythaeum. My Celestron SCT was performing better than ever under dark steady skies that night. Slowly my battery died from the drain of the hairdryer, so the only thing left to do was to cover the telescope with plastic.
Terry and I walked over to Mays for another juicy hamburger. I sat at a picnic table in front of Mays in the soft glow of their red lights. As I ate my burger, I looked up at the Andromeda galaxy with my 11x56 binoculars. It nearly filled the field of view. Two companions were also visible. A short movement to the right brought M33 into view. It was bright and full of detail in my binoculars. Everything in the world was right at that moment; a dark sky, friends, food, and starlight filling my eyes. Terry and I grinned at each other with huge smiles.
We packed it in about 3:30 AM. The night continued to get cooler and I woke up at 5AM with frozen feet. After some shifting around in the sleeping bag my feet got warmer and I went back to sleep. At 8 AM I was awake for good, and stepped out to inspect the scopes. Dew covered everything. A puddle of water had formed inside the tube of AnthonyÒs C-8. As he tipped it towards the ground water poured out the corrector cell. Mine faired better. Most of the dew disappeared after pointing it towards the sun.
We considered staying another night; however rumors of a sour weather forecast were circulating through camp. Terri and I finished packing up at 1pm, and after saying goodbye to our new friends we left Cherry Springs Park. On the drive back to Ohio I dropped Terry off, and finally arrive home at 8:30 PM.
Despite some rain on the first night, our trip was a tremendous success. Both of us declared that we would return next year. We also thought it would be fun to get at least half a dozen members together for a caravan to the next Black Forest convention. If you are interested, let us know.
I usually sign off with Óclear skiesÔ but my new standard now isÅÅ
Black Forest Skies,
Mike Allen
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