Jupiter

Got up this morning and Jupiter was up, though it was a bit hazy. Temperature was about 32F with slight haze, which obscured the moon initially. I set up at 0515 hours (5:15am) and got my first view of the planet with the 5.2mm ED, which proved to be too much and I couldn't get good focus, though I could see the moons. I tried my 10mm Plossl and it, too, was a bit much. Switched to 25mm Plossl and it was clear, but fuzzed up a bit when I used the 2x Barlow. I tried a red filter but it blocked too much light and some of the moons. With the blue filter I could see four moons and some striping on the planet. Three moons were straight West of the planet, one was to the Northeast and I think I saw one flickering to the Southeast. As the scope cooled down I was better able to see detail on the planets surface, but the scope never completely cooled down before it started to get light. Though the seeing was marginal, I did get occasional moments of stunning clarity which made it all worthwhile. Glad I got up in time.

New Dark Site - 29 MAR 08

Today I reconnoitered a new dark site near Schafhausen and headed out there this evening. It was pretty clear all day, but a light haze moved in as it got dark. Temperature was about 40F. I got out to the site about 19:00 (7pm) while it was still light. I sighted the scope on Mars, as it turned out, it was the first bright object to appear. Mars is headed away from us now and it was kind of small, a little bigger than a BB in the 5.2mm ED. I tried the red filter on it and it gave me a bit more definition occasionally. "Seeing" (the condition of the atmosphere) was fair to poor and inconsistent in different directions. Working the focuser and sticking with it, I was able to make out the dark spot on Mars, as my eyes got adjusted. It was fun and interesting as I nudged the scope and worked at bringing resolution to her. The Barlow did not help with the 5.2mm EP at all. Since it was still a bit hazy, I found Saturn. I was able to see one moon, Titan, and when I put on the red filter, I couldn't see the moon at all. However the filter did allow me to see some striation in the surface of the planet and the rings were very, very clear. I could see the Cassini division quite clearly in the rings. Interesting that the seeing in this part of the sky was clearer than with Mars. As it had gotten darker, I tried to look at the Orion nebula. It was very dim, with the Trapezium fading in and out and then it all faded as the haze completely obscured the view. By this time, there was only a small hole of clear seeing almost directly overhead, so I decided to call it quits. Time was about 2035(8:35pm). I may try tomorrow morning to see Jupiter or Venus, if I can get up early enough. Even in spite of the dodgy seeing, I really enjoyed the opportunity to get out. I've only had four nights this month where I could even see the stars.

Finally, a break in the clouds

Got some viewing in from 1930 to 2030 Central European Time tonight. I'm really grateful, since we have not had a break in nearly two weeks. Only got to look at the moon and the Orion nebula and as scattered clouds were a problem. Did get a glimpse of the trapezium and the nebula, though, which improved a bit with my skylight filter. I was viewing off the balcony, so light pollution was a real factor as well. All things considered, I decided to move on to the moon - it was beautiful and bright enough so that the light cloud was not a serious problem. I used my new 5.2mm ED from Agena and it worked superbly. Very, very sharp, clear views, much better than I got with my 10mm Celestron Plossl, barlowed. I am really happy with it. Looked at Clavius, Maginus, Tyco, Longomontanus. Moon was 3/4 full. For kicks I barlowed the new EP to see what would happen; actually got some pretty good views, but lacked the sharpness I had at 230x. Frankly, I was amazed they looked as good at they did at 560x - I was expecting a blur since the scope's theoretical limit is 400x. I'm sure it would have been ugly if I'd been looking at a planet though. Clouds finally ended the session, but I'm grateful for that precious hour. I love this stuff.

Lousy Weather

I suppose I should not be surprised by lousy weather in Germany in March, but this month has been pretty dismal. I had one short session on about the 4th of March before things clouded over. It is partly cloudy today and looks dicey for any stargazing tonight. Picked up a few things, including a Telrad finder, which I am really anxious to try out. A Telrad is a 1 x finder for a telescope that works like a gun sight. You mount it on your scope and it provides an illuminated reticle that you can aim at celestial objects. I was having trouble locating stuff with my finder scope, since even the finder scope is sort of like looking through a soda straw at the sky. the telrad will allow me to see the entire sky as I line up the scope. They also sell star charts for telrads at a website called www.sky-spot.com. I also bought an observers chair, a pretty handy seat, for stargazing. Got a good price at www.buyastrostuff.com. I really need the weather to clear so I can stop buying gadgets and start using them. Maybe tonight...