Sky Quality

I borrowed Vectis AS' Unihedron Sky Quality Meter a couple of weeks ago, to see what the sky in the back garden is like. I live in a rural area, although light domes are apparent in the distance from Newport, Sandown and Shanklin, and during nights when the Moon is not about I often get skies of NELM (Naked Eye Limiting Magnitude) 6.5, although usually it's anything between 6.0 and 6.5. Someone mentioned the SQM at one of our observatory nights a couple of weeks ago so I asked if I could borrow it. Unfortunately, I have only been able to use it on one occasion, due to the awful weather just recently. However, I took several readings over the course of the evening, which I'd describe as a very average evening, and got readings of 20.9 which correspond to NELM 6.1. I need to take the SQM back in time for the IW Star Party but I'll borrow it again and try it on a very dark night after midnight, which is when I suspect I'll get even better readings.

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked if I could step into the breach and do a talk on visual deep sky observing at the February VAS monthly meeting this Friday just past. I agreed, as I don't mind public speaking, and I'm pleased to say that, despite me forgetting I was doing the talk until Wednesday and therefore not doing any practice with it at all, it went well, with no inadvertent swearwords, no collapsing into giggles and no stuttering! I think I managed to convince at least a couple of people that visual observing is a viable alternative to imaging.
I mentioned my clear night spreadsheet and eyebrows certainly were raised when I mentioned that, in January and up to 25th February we'd had a decent proportion of nights - apart from a long cloudy spell between 9th and 24th January, then another seven nights of clouds between 11th and 17th February - when some observing was possible, corresponding to 33% of all 56 available nights to date. I pointed out that it is a far from scientific method and it only highlights observationally usable nights, where you can get any observing in from a long session with the big dob to an hour with a pair of binoculars - if I was only including totally clear nights, then that total would easily be cut by half to two thirds. However, I have still not managed any observing since 4th January (the night before the snow), mostly due to laziness and cold - we got some nice nights when the snow was on the ground but sheet ice and compact snow made conditions that were bordering on lethal and it was just not safe to lug the scope out.

Texas, here I come!

I booked my flight to Texas this morning. I could have booked online or phoned an airline but, wanting a change of scene, I headed to town and went to a travel agents. My flight is with United Airlines and I fly to San Antonio via Houston (and return the same way) on 7th May. It wasn't as expensive as I thought, only costing £457; last time I paid nearly £600 but that was because I'd left it very late to get a ticket.

Less than three months to go; I am looking forward to seeing everyone again!

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Through a link on Cloudy Nights I found this lot. Cloud Appreciation? I take it none of them - or not many - are astronomers. Mind you, having said that, I suppose there's a slight crossover when you think of noctilucent clouds, which astronomers love. Noctilucent clouds notwithstanding (and they dissiapate after nightfall), I hate clouds - at night - and I don't think I'll be joining any love-in over them. However...maybe the CAS can have their clouds in daytime and we astronomers can have clear starry nights? That way we'd all be happy as the cloud-people won't moan about astronomers complaining about the clouds.
Mind you having just said all that...I am not above saying 'Hey that cloud looks like the starship Enterprise, or an elephant, or a bird, or the starship from Alien...' and so on. I may not like 'em much but clouds can be entertaining, for a few minutes, anyway.

Starting again at 40

I have signed up to do a BSc (Hons) degree with the Open University. The first course I am doing is a basic science course in order to get some practice in as, since doing a Foundation course in Science during 1995/96 and starting then abandoning, through lack of funds, a BSc Geology degree the following academic year (96/97), I have done nothing academic whatsoever.

The reason for this decision to do something academic after so many years? Well, I was 40 back at the end of January and the realisation that, a stint in the Royal Navy until 1992 and the aforementioned foundation degree aside, I have actually done bugger all with my life and achieved nothing. So, instead of being depressed about it, I decided to do something about it and contacted the OU who sent me a prospectus. I phoned them and registered to do the basic science course as a preliminary to doing a more in-depth course, as a first step to getting a degree. I have initially linked it to a Geosciences degree (I can make it more astronomy-oriented by doing courses which have Planetary Science content) but there is scope to change it to an Astronomy and Physics-related degree if I decide my maths is good enough and if I decide that's what I want to do. I have more interest in Astronomy and Physics than I do in Geology but these are very maths-heavy so I might stick with the rocks.

Hopefully, I can get the degree done in five years, or even four if I put some effort in, so I will stand some chance of getting a decent, if short, career before I get to my sixties. However, as I am doing this for interest and a sense of achievement, a career will be a bonus although, to be honest, I really don't want to spend the whole of the next 20-25 (or even more) years temping and working in shit retail jobs!
I have begun a blog about this, rather lamely titled 'Science, me and starting again at 40'.

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On a sadder note, I see on the Texas Star Party website that John Robert Prude, the patriarch of the famous Prude Ranch, the home of the TSP and my favourite place in the world, passed away on Tuesday. Quote from the TSP website:

"TSP and its attendees which to express condolences to the Prude family, for the passing of John Robert Prude on Tuesday February 9, 2010. John died at his home ("the Big House"), where he kindly gave permission for TSP 1982 to be hosted on the ranch. Over the past 27 years, we have enjoyed a lot of astronomy-inspired history because of the Prude's consideration and efforts. Vaya con dios, John! You will be missed!"

Stuff...

I haven't gone away, I am still here. However, since getting off to a flying start 2010's observing has taken a nosedive, with endless crap weather and almost constant cloud cover. We did have three clear(ish) nights at the end of January, but these were - typically - around a Full Moon, so I didn't bother. I haven't even seen Mars this opposition.

Like other amateurs, I am hoping that the coming spring will bring clear skies and galaxies.

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I got my registration confirmation for TSP a couple of weeks ago. It's looking likely that I'll be there but that's subject to an upcoming temporary work contract which begins on 15th February. If that falls through and I can't get anything else, I'll have to give TSP a miss. My fingers are crossed that all will be well, though
In the meantime, we have the now annual Isle of Wight Star Party to look forward to in March, from Thursday 11th to Monday 15th March. I am a volunteer for this event, so I'll be there from the Friday night until the Sunday evening. Obviously, I hope we have good weather for this, not only for the - hopefully lengthy - observing sessions, but because I am camping and don't fancy it if the weather's unpleasant.

No observing last night!

Because of a hefty amount of some unfamiliar white stuff landing on the UK. Usually the Isle of Wight escapes and we get murk and rain. Not this time. We got some unforecast (as far as the island was concerned) snow. It is 5 inches deep this evening and it looks like tomorrow will be another unscheduled day off work as it is due to freeze, making driving even more treacherous than just the snow by itself.

Life - and observing - in the freezer

Or 'Christ, it's cold!' could be a subtitle. The UK, unusually, has been in the grip of subzero temperatures for a couple of weeks now, with daytime temperatures barely getting above zero and night-time ones plummeting down to minus ten or colder. A lot of the country has got snow - except us on the South Coast, fortunately (or is that 'unfortunately'? If you have to have precipitation of some form, at least let it be of the picturesque-but-not-a-chance-of-getting-to-work-today type), instead we have had sleet, freezing rain and black ice making lethal driving conditions...and a few clear nights. In fact, 2010 is off to a flying start and out of four nights I have had three observing sessions, two binocular and one telescopic.

Tonight was the telescopic night. The Moon, which is 77% of Full, wasn't to rise until 2131 GMT so when I arrived home from work, via a doctor's appointment, I set my scope up and left it to cool for an hour.

Conditions:

Very cold -6C, No wind, icy underfoot (frozen dog pee!)

No Moon (rose at 2131 GMT)

Seeing Ant III-IV, transparency II

NELM 6.2

Instrument: 12 inch (30 cm) f5 Dobsonian

I will update this post when I get home from work tomorrow, with the objects I observed, except for Abell 12 which I'll mention now. I reobserved it this evening and this time it DID pop out with the OIII filter, as described by numerous people. I know, such a doubting Thomas...

Other objects I did observe were NGC 1514, a planetary nebula in Taurus, NGC 1980, NGC 1981 and NGC 2024 (a poorer view than the one I had a couple of weeks ago - if the Flame's crap, don't even bother looking for the Horsehead). I also looked for Abell 4 in Perseus and didn't find it, although it is fairly near the bright open cluster M34, but I really need to download some charts with that in, as it wasn't on my Sky Atlas 2000.0 (didn't try Uranometria, though). Not a hefty return from an evening's observing, admittedly, but I wasn't out there that long, too bloody cold.

NGC 1514, planetary nebula in Taurus. This was a piece of cake to find. At low power, and at first glance it looks like a bright, if fuzzy, star - indeed this is the 9th magnitude central star - but with averted vision a halo of fuzz pops out at you. Popping in the OIII filter really brings it out. At a higher power (190x), I could see darker areas between the outer halo and the central star and there are brighter areas in the halo itself. Slightly elliptical. As well as the central star, there is a much fainter, smaller, star next to it probably a foreground star. 61x, 190x + OIII

NGC 1980, open cluster in Orion. North of M42 this is a nice open cluster which is richer than nearby NGC 1981. I counted around 31 stars of which 10 are fairly bright, All the stars are white. 38x

NGC 1981, open cluster in Orion. Beautiful but sparse. Dominated by very bright white star plus a slightly fainter double which is also white, plus 17 other, much fainter, stars. 61x

I couldn't track down Jonckheere 320 again, but as I was having problems with the icing up of my finders I will give that another go before the end of the winter. I have read reports of it being seen in a 10 inch under comparable sky so there's no reason I shouldn't see it.

It was 'one of those' sessions again - my OIII filter fell to bits, a retaining ring-type object dropped out of it and the thing just fell apart. Fortunately I screwed it back together again, only to drop it onto the concrete of the patio five minutes later with, luckily, no harm done. I also dropped eyepieces, charts and gloves, but that's because, despite gloves, my hands were a bit cold. I was definitely fortunate in that nothing actually broke; fell apart yes, but actually broke as in completely destroyed, no.

I packed up just after 9pm, and after bending over the eyepiece (my final objects of this short session were in southern Orion) I couldn't straighten up properly, a combination of lower back pain and stiffness due to cold and bad posture from being hunched over the eyepiece meant that I shuffled indoors to warm up looking like the Missing Link between humans and apes - that almost-knuckle-dragging stance of something that can't quite walk upright... Once the Missing Link phase had passed I carted everything back in, pleased I had done some observing, but not too pleased that I didn't do as much as I had intended.

I'll chuck in the descriptions tomorrow and maybe a drawing or two, if I get them tarted up and scanned in, which is a tad unlikely as I don't get in from work until nearly 6pm and if it is clear again I'll be observing.

Binocular observing session 3rd January 2010

Another nice clear night, 2010 is off to a decent start, may it continue, but again I decided to use the binoculars for a short session instead of the scope.

Cold -3C, very hard frost already on ground adding to that left over from previous night

No wind

Moon not yet risen at start of session (87% full, rises at 2005GMT)

Seeing II-III, transparency II

NELM 6.0 to 6.3

Instrument: 8x42 binoculars (handheld)

Markarian 6, open cluster in Cassiopeia. Six or seven bright stars in a line, surrounded by fainter ones. 1910 GMT

Melotte 15, open cluster in Cassiopeia. Just to the north west of Mark. 6, this is smaller and fainter. Not resolved. Star in foreground. 1915 GMT

Stock 23 (Pazmino's Cluster), open cluster in Camelopardalis. Small clump of stars. At least three are visible with direct vision but hazy look hints at quite a few more. 1925 GMT

NGC 1342, open cluster in Perseus. Another look at this, without moon in the sky. Much better view. Large triangular patch with at least 4 stars resolved and many more unresolved. 1930 GMT.

NGC 253, galaxy in Sculptor. A large, faint, elongated glow south of Deneb Kaitos. The observation of the evening, given the low altitude and murk at that level. 1935 GMT.

NGC 1807, open cluster in Taurus. easy to find, at the top tip of Orion's bow. Oval, dominated by line of 4 bright stars plus fainter ones in background. 1945 GMT.

NGC 1817, open cluster in Taurus. Right next to 1807. Same size, but rounder and not as bright. No bright stars. 1947 GMT.

NGC 1907, open cluster in Auriga. Dominated by its bright neighbour the huge cluster M38, this is a small, round patch immediately next to, and south west of, M38. No stars resolved with direct vision but it looks speckly with averted vision. 1951 GMT.

At 1953 GMT there was a nice fireball which went through south Monoceros and burned out just south of Orion's feet. It was bright orange/yellow and broke up.

NGC 2232, open cluster in Monoceros. Large, sparse-looking cluster. One bright star and five or six others. Slightly interfered with by Moon, which is about to rise. 2000 GMT.

NGC 2244, open cluster in Monoceros. Large, bright open cluster elongated north-south, with nine or ten bright stars visible with direct vision and more with averted vision. Nebula not visible, due to rising Moon. 2005 GMT.

NGC 2251, open cluster in Monoceros. Small, fairly round knot of stars. Patch looks granular but I can't see any individuals in that lot. 2012 GMT.

NGC 2264, open cluster in Monoceros. Much larger than 2251, twice its size. Counted 11 stars, hard to do with the handheld binoculars. 2015 GMT.

NGC 2281, open cluster in Auriga. Elongated hazy patch. Line of four stars surrounded by haze (fainter ones). 2020 GMT.

NGC 2301, open cluster in Monoceros. Faint fuzzy patch. Not well seen as quite low and moonlight washing it out. 2025 GMT.

NGC 2343, open cluster in Monoceros. Not seen. Too low and too much crap in atmosphere to allow me to see it, not to mention the moonlight. Will have to do this one again another night when it's higher and there's no Moon.

NGC 2403, galaxy in Camelopardalis. Faint elongated glow. 2037 GMT.

Packed in at 2040 GMT. I now have only ten more objects left to do on the AL Deep Sky Binocular list. I should get this finished in the spring.