I was just thinking!

The sun is quiet. Just one tiny sun spot to hunt down and it's cloudy! My telescope has been stuck in it's case for what seems like months. The central Florida night sky is so light polluted I'm lucky to find the major constellations. Those of you in dark sky locations are really fortunate. NH has passed a "Dark Sky Bill" and so has a few MA cities and/or towns. Across America people are beginning to really listen to all the night sky lovers and everyone will ultimately benefit from less light pollution. In the long run the newer, more efficient lighting systems are more economical, last longer and provide more "beneficial" lighting, meaning much less glare and darker skies. Times are very difficult currently. Give yourself and your family a few moments of "me time" and go outside on a clear night well after sunset with a chair (perhaps with a pair of binoculars) and sit back and look up. Let your eyes digest the darkened dome and splash of stars above you. Let your mind wander as you did as a child. Watch for patterns, "shooting stars" and satellites. As you look deep into the darkness consider the great distances and sizes of the tiny lights you see. This tiny "rock" that we call home is incredibly small in comparison to every star you can see. Then consider how special we must be to be able to watch as the Universe in all of its glory "goes" by each night.

The perigee Moon of 2009

January 11, 2009
So long “Big Fella”

I hope many of you managed to see the “perigee Moon” a few nights ago (Jan. 10). The Moon was its biggest and brightest of 2009. We’ll have to wait until sometime next year for another chance to see it at it’s closest to Earth. Pat and I got to see it last night after work.
There’s also a tiny gathering of sun spots to watch creep across the surface of the sun. (Just remember; never look at the sun without the aid of a proper solar filter.)
We also had another evening with our Canadian friends. The Moon was too bright to see much else but we’re all looking forward to the New Moon coming up.
We’ve been enjoying some terrific weather while the North seems to be getting “one-two punches” week after week.
Till next time.

Keeping busy and a new comer to the eyepiece!

January 7, 2009
How did we ever get anything done while we were working?
All the appointments, household repairs, shopping, etc. were packed into a small part of our work day. Now, it takes us nearly the entire morning to get up, have a coffee, take a walk, maybe take in a little shuffleboard and plan the day. An errand to the store takes us an afternoon! What’s up with that? Our days go by like water through a broken dam. To top it off, it seems like all we do is plan our days around eating! Yikes! The campground offers an evening meal, an afternoon BBQ, and more than a couple of ice cream deserts over the course of each week. Between our meals, we’re on the go or taking part in park activities.
Recently, I’ve connected with a family from Canada and held an impromptu “Star Party” for their daughter, Tanya. We had more than a little fun trying to decipher each other’s language as I pointed out several celestial objects in my telescope. The brief time under the stars was exciting for Tanya and her Mom regardless of our language barrier. The moon, Venus, Jupiter, double stars, the Owl Cluster and even the Great Orion Nebula all seemed so new and unique to my new guests at the eyepiece.
The next day I loaned Tanya “The Nightwatch” by their fellow Canadian, Terrance Dickenson. Aside from the text being in a foreign language to them, Tanya, her Mom and Dad visually devoured the pictures and maps in the book for the next two days. I then spent an hour or so showing them a few astronomy websites and made suggestions to help Tanya with her new found interest in Amateur Astronomy. I plan to do more “Sidewalk Astronomy” with them throughout their stay here at the park.
Introducing people to the wonders of the night sky is by far one of the most rewarding aspects of Amateur Astronomy. It’s all free for the taking. I hope Tanya will remember her first night at the eyepiece for the rest of her life.
Keep looking up,
Dave

Oh, the weather up North is Frightful...

Good grief! Winter hasn't even started and the Northeast has literally been blasted by a "Monster" ice storm, bitter cold temperatures and follow-up snow storms. Enough is enough! Sitting out the winter in the south is terrific, but we've been through many storms so we fully understand what people and property at home are going through and hope and pray "Mother Nature" calms down for the Northeast over the coming winter months.
I still haven't had the telescope out for any stargazing. Light pollution, moisture in the sky and just a hint of laziness is hampering my observing. To boot, the sky is relatively void of planetary objects for a while. Orion is creeping higher in the sky which will be worth setting up for.
I hope you all had a change to observe the "largest" full moon of 2008! If not, there will be another chance to see the "largest" full moon of 2009 in January. Saturn is slowly making its way into the night sky. The rings of Saturn are a real crowd pleaser to view but they are slowly tilting and will soon "disappear!" Fear not, they're tilting edge-on and as they are very thin, the rings will "disappear" for smaller amateur telescopes. However, without our sun's light reflecting off the rings we may actually begin to see other features of Saturn. We may even be able to pick out one or two of Saturn's larger moons. Now that'll make me take out the scope!
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Till next time....

Grumblings about the weather and things to do!

December 3, 2008
This afternoon we welcomed two fellow Winnebago Travelers to our campground. Phil and Carol S. settled in a short distance from us. They’ll be here for a couple of evenings and to top things off, the weather is looking nicer into the weekend. All we seem to be hearing on the weather front is that it’s cooler than normal in central Florida for this time of the year! Sure, we’re looking forward to the 70’s and we’re stuck in the 60’s and 50’s! I know, all of you sure “feel” for us down here!
We have to wear long pants and sweaters! Grrrrr!! At night we have to add a jacket to our outer wear! Actually, I’m not writing the above to complain, I’m angry because I’m one of those folks who can catch a cold easily when the temperature fluctuates so much… and I did! Of course, it wouldn’t have any thing to do with how busy we’ve been, enjoying Disney, biking, walking, shopping, eating, every thing outdoors and working! Come to think of it, it’s more likely that I caught the cold at work. Disney Quest has hot and cool attraction areas, some attractions that we oversee require a great deal of fast movement and there are lots of people to come in contact with!
As for astronomy, I’m trying to take advantage of getting out observing before the moon goes beyond its first quarter and Jupiter and Venus are still visible. Pretty soon the night sky will be void of any planets for a while; they will be entering a position in their orbits that doesn’t favor our position to view them. I guess we’ll just have to adjust and go back to looking at all those “faint fuzzies” and double stars the sky has to offer.
One of the “events” I really want to try here at the campground is what is referred to as, “Sidewalk Astronomy!” A number of years ago an amateur astronomer in California wanted to bring the night sky to people who rarely think about looking up at the night sky. Either their locale (city) or daily routine fails to offer them the opportunity to enjoy some spectacular (and free) visual treats the night sky has to offer. He would pack up his telescope, and head for any busy street with lots of people walking by. After setting it up, he would then, simply invite them to look through his telescope at the most common, bright celestial objects that were visible in the sky between all the city lights and buildings. People were awestruck! Many had never looked at the moon through a telescope let alone see a planet’s detail with their own eyes.
Now I have a mission!
Till next time!

December 2, 2008
The conjunction of the moon, Jupiter and Venus was beautiful. We all got a chance to have a good look at them before the clouds set in. Even the bright lights of Disney’s Hollywood Studios didn’t spoil our view. Here’s a photo taken from the parking lot, under a street light, resting the camera on someone’s van! (Venus is below the moon and Jupiter is at a right angle to the right from Venus.)
The moon will begin to rise higher into the sky but Jupiter and Venus will stay reasonably close for a few more days.
We made our way from HStudios to EPCOT. We thought we’d take in the “Candlelight Procession” and Christmas reading at EPCOT. Neal Patrick Harris was the guest reader but the line prohibited us from getting in to see it. Back we went to HS! We planned to see the Osborn/Sylvania 5+million Christmas lights set up on all the building of the “Downtown America area of Hollywood Studios.” WOW! “Snow” streaming off the building tops, Christmas music and every so often they would play an upbeat (loud) rendition of a Christmas song and the lights would “dance” to the music! It’s a must see. The lights will be there till after the holidays.
It seems so strange, everything says Christmas, but having the sun, mild temps and no heavy outer clothing certainly doesn’t say New England!
Till next time!

Settling in and back to work

Since the October Topsfield Elementary School “Star Party” we’ve packed, headed south and returned to work. How appropriate, we’re “Navigators” at Disney Quest. My refractor hasn’t seen “light” for over a month and to boot, the celestial event I’ve been looking forward to see might be clouded out!
If you haven’t noticed the very bright objects in the southwest of the early night sky, I’d suggest you take a look. Jupiter, Venus (extremely bright) and the crescent moon are in conjunction. All three will form a beautiful triangle on the night of December 1, 2008. I’ve been talking it up around our campground but we’re currently experiencing some severe weather which may carry over to Dec. 1st. I hope all of you get a chance to see it. Actually, I’m having fun trying to see how long I can get away with my secret identity (Prof. Cosmo Q. Redshift). I’ve begun posting a “What’s up Tonight” info sheet on the Club house bulletin board. I post it (along with a photo of the Prof.) when something interesting is presenting itself in the night sky. So far, I’m still anonymous!
On our way south, we experienced our first motorhome tire blow-out. Fortunately, everything worked out in our favor. Now we have five old tires and one new one! The problem is, we wanted to replace all of them in the Spring of ’09… with larger tires! That means I’m going to get rid of a brand new tire! We hope we don’t have another flat on the motorhome before we return home! If we do, we’re certainly not going to toss out two new $350.00 tires, we’ll just have to keep the same size tires and replace only the old ones. Oh decisions, decisions!
Clear skies and Happy Holidays to all of you!