Astronomy: Adventures in Stargazing

[Mother-Music]

Here's the situation: I have a not-so-bad site. Yes, there's some light pollution from surrounding small cities, but they are blocked pretty well by the surrounding hills. This doesn't give me access to the best horizons, but on good nights I can see most stars above about 10 degrees.

From the lot in front of my house I have a good east and south view, but west and north are obscured by trees and my house (house faces south). My house is a two-story. Getting on the roof would put me above all the surrounding street lights and most of the trees, and open up my view to the west and north.

Here's what I've wondered: how possible would it be to build something on top of my house to hold my scope? Could it be turned into an "observatory"? What are some ideas for designing such a thing? I've thought of everything from a simple railed platform secured to the ridge of the roof, to an enclosed, climate controlled observatory.

This is all subject to moneys and time available, of course, but it never hurts to dream and bat around ideas with friends who understand about optics and what have you.

I use binoculars and an Orion Starseeker 130mm GoTo. Someday, funds permitting, I might upsize to a larger dob.

I can post pics of the house, if there is interest.

I should mention that I live in Central Texas. I don't think that leaving Stargirl (my 'scope) set up is an option unless the structure is climate controlled to at least some extent...it probably gets upwards of 150 degrees up there on many hot July afternoons.

I would assume that is a consideration? Would somebody share with me if that extreme temperature would do damage to Stargirl?

Anyone game to comment?

mm

[johobbit]

Mother-Music, 'tis wonderful to see you here! I'm enjoying reading your very interesting posts about your astronomy experiences. Thinking it would be great to get a lazer pointer (with care ), and I'm asking for stronger binoculars for my birthday. The old ones we have (7 x 35) are okay, but I'd quite like 10 x 50.

The astronomy course sounds fascinating, M-M, particularly the final project, which I would love to see sometime! How special that you created it with your grandchildren in mind. And the scrapbook too.

"Stargirl" ... very nice. Yes, I will refrain mentioning the related character we made such fun of at a Moot, which I am positive you have heard about. Did a clear night grace you for star-gazing at the State Park?

Awesome for the burned-out streetlight! And finding the Messier objects! W

Brief notes of my own:

*Mars is so red and beautiful now in the evening's eastern sky
*Venus and Jupiter's conjunction in the west was amazing last night. Thankful for a clear sky!
*seeing Saturn rise in the east about 9:30 p.m. (EDT) is lovely. I look forward to when our youngest son gets home from university at the end of April so he can get out the telescope to see its rings.
*The few cloudless nights we've had, I continue to head over to a schoolyard close by that has an extra clear view of low in the west, where I've been able to spy Mercury as it disappears into the low western sky.

Thanks for the further info on Leo, stargazer. Also, your backyard campfire and stargazing time sounds wonderful.

Did anyone see the northern (or southern) lights? Ooh, I love that photo of the auroras over Split Rock Lighthouse! So beautiful and mysterious.

Ithi, I'm glad you're getting a chance to look at the night sky.

What a treat this must have been, fantasia. Wow, I don't think I've ever seen a meteor mid-day!

Mother-Music, not being overly versed in observatories and such, I am unable to really comment further, but I hope that somehow this dream comes to fruition some day. It would be amazing to have something like this readily available ... and even climate-controlled so you can just leave Stargirl up there. Kudos to you for beginning to pursue this!

[Mother-Music]

Jo and all;

Over at the astronomy forums I have already been blessed with expert but depressing news: building a platform on top of the house would most likely have no real good results on my stargazing: due to vibration ("it will vibrate like a tuning fork"), and heat escaping back into the atmosphere ("it will cause you to see the stars as if looking at them through boiling water"), the roof is a bad choice.

Meh. It's ok. It really takes me less than 5 minutes to be set up out in the lot in front of the house. If I want northern and western exposure, I'll just hop up to the cul-de-sac.

I will try to take pictures of both projects--the original one for class and the scrapbook version--and put them up online here soon.

mm

[stargazer]

I meant to comment on your inquiry, Mother-Music, but got distracted.

Alas, what you've heard coincides with what I've heard as well. The big issue with scopes is that they reach thermal equilibrium - the same temperature as the air around them - so that the image doesn't 'boil.' This is true whether you have observatory or just keep it in your house, garage, etc. If the temperature difference is large, this can take several hours.

The roof site might also suffer from continued heat (or cooling) coming from the house itself.

I'm glad you've been able to spot Mercury, jo! I've missed it this apparition; too many trees and houses and twilight. [/whine]

I did, however, have a nice view of the Jupiter-Venus conjunction last evening, and hope to spot it again tonight (along with a -2 Iridium flare at 2053). It was almost like a pair of unevenly matched eyes in the western sky, though Venus looked more golden white compared to Jupiter's bluish hue (often, those colors are reported as the opposite ).

The only Northern Lights view I've had recently was the one at my brother's house last month. The many city lights here tend to wash out all but the really good displays.

My ISS viewing chances are in hiatus right now, but next week it'll return to morning visibility. Not sure I'll be awake for it then.

[Mother-Music]

Well, I was very blessed that the sky cleared enough to see the conjunction last night, as well as several constellations which my son-in-law was able to accurately locate since our little educational seminar on Sunday night!

Yesterday afternoon I took 15 minutes to photograph the projects I mentioned a few posts ago. There are quite a few photographs, so I secured permission from johobbit to double post just this once, in order to make perusing the pictures and projects more clearly.

Below, find the pictures of the first project, originally assigned as the final exam project for the astronomy course.

The above is a composite shot of the expandable file folder, and several file folders both opened and closed.


Inside one folder, right hand page. Fabric paint, craft crystals and labeling form a reasonable facsimile of the constellation, with assigned details added.


Inside the same folder, left hand page. Copy/paste photos and typed information according to the assignment.


Front of folder: part of the assignment was to include the legend or story that is associated with the constellation. I tried to make it somewhat personal.

In addition, there was an introductory folder containing a letter to the children/grandchildren and a poem we were required to write. Since these are included in the second project as well, I left off photographing them--you should be able to read them in the next post, which, I warn you, is much longer due to more pictures.

mm

[Mother-Music]

The following are pictures of the subsequent "scrapbook" project, based off the original above.

Here is a picture of the letter page: you can't read it, but I've also posted a view below that you CAN read...you just can't get a full view of the page in the readable version.



Next is the introduction page, and a picture of the poem tab opened so it can be read.



I am working on the Sagittarius page now--Sagittarius is my favorite because it looks like a teacup. That is the theme I am going with on the information page: it will have a little teacup, and information will be written on the napkin.

Before you ask: no, there's not really any method to which constellations I am choosing to put into the scrapbook. I chose Orion because so many other constellations can be found using The Hunter as a guidepost. Other than that, it is pretty random.

mm
Next is a page of scriptures about stargazing...


Turn the page to see information about Orion. I love these papers I found in a scrapbook store. Some of them have little stars on them.


Opposite is the constellation page:


I have close ups of the information page if you're interested in reading what is written there.

Below find the Canis Major/Minor information page:


Again, close ups are available. Here is the constellation page:


Here is the Star Classification fold out, uhm...folded out ;P


The Gemini information page:


The Gemini constellation page:


That's all that is complete so far. Now I am working on the page for Sagittarius. It is my favorite because it looks like a teapot. The info page will be themed with a teacup and information written on the napkin.

mm

[stargazer]

Thanks for sharing your artwork, Mother-Music. It's a fascinating blend of artistic talent and scientific info (a combination I don't have, though I try sharing my thoughts in prose ) I can see it becoming a family treasure to be passed on.

I like the Canis Major and Minor dog pictures.

Some friends capped off today's glorious weather by hosting a blazing evening bonfire. Multiple neighbor kids joined us for hot dogs and S'mores, and after sunset we showed them the view of Jupiter near Venus. Very pleasant, except for some unwelcome guests: some mosquitoes - in March!

And Abby and her family really enjoyed the spectacular -8 Iridium flare near Mars (their first one) once darkness fell.

[Mother-Music]

Ok...so. Iridium flares? I see them tracked on my Starry Night, but I've never actually gone out looking for them, and they weren't mentioned in the astronomy course. I know what they ARE, I just don't know what I'm looking for. A flash? A traveling light? My understanding is that one has to be looking at just the right place at just the right time to see them. Is that right?

Also: Can someone suggest a list of easily identifiable variable stars, viewable with the naked eye, binoculars, or a small scope like mine? I'd like to get started watching some.

mm

[stargazer]

Your impressions of Iridium flares are generally correct, Mother-Music; unlike the ISS or other satellites that can remain visible for up to 7 minutes, Iridium flares are bright flashes that last only seconds (though with practice and experience, you'll be able to watch the satellite for a while before and after it flares, extend visibility to perhaps a minute, and total path length from 15-30 degrees).

Once you've seen one - especially one of the glorious -8 flares - you'll have no trouble identifying them in the future.

Unlike the ISS, your location is crucial for accurate predictions - just a few miles can make a significant difference. (I've found that city name is adequate, as long as you're in the town; if you're in a rural location the nearest town might work - or you can enter the precise coordinates from your GPS).

Time to a few seconds is also important; look away and you might miss it (though a -8 will likely catch your peripheral vision). For this, your cell phone always knows what time it is, so it can provide the accuracy you need.

I've found the predictions on heavens-above.com (once you enter your town name or coordinates) to be extremely reliable. As an example I'll use the prediction for last night's flare:

Search Period Start: 11:20, Friday, 16 March, 2012
Search Period End: 12:20, Saturday, 17 March, 2012
Observer's Location: Eden Prairie ( 44.8547°N, 93.4706°W)
Local Time: Central Daylight Time (GMT - 5:00)

Date 16 Mar
Local Time 21:15:53
Intensity (Mag) -8
Alt. 48°
Azimuth 111° (ESE)
Satellite Iridium 62

The local time will be DST, if your area is currently observing it.
Intensity, or brightness, is measured in magnitude; the lower the number the brighter. -8 is almost as good as it gets for Iridium flares.

Next is where to look: altitude (0 is the horizon and 90 is overhead) and azimuth (measuring clockwise along the horizon with north = 0, east = 90, etc). If you're familiar with the altitude-azimuth system for locations, you're right at home here.

Lastly it tells you which Iridium satellite you're seeing.

Your interest in variables puts you in some famous company, Mother-Music, including author Leslie Peltier. I've found a list of 12 'top' variables, including famous ones like Algol and Delta Cephei:

The Top 12 Naked-Eye Variable Stars

Included are links to other helpful articles about estimating brightness, predictions for maxima and minima, etc.

[wolfloversk]

Well now that I've figured out the star chart is suppossed to be viewed as though you are looking up at it... and not down on it like a map, I'm ready for star gazing... We spotted the Ursa Major, Orion, Venus, and Jupiter again. Possibly Mars as well, but as this was before we figured out the directions of the star chart we are not sure... Which is depressing because Mars was pretty much oriented right under Leo... but I didn't figure that out until Dad insisted we go back in since he was getting cold...

Praying for some cloudless and homework free nights at college so I can look again.

[Mother-Music]

Thanks for all the information, stargazer: Next time it clears up around here, I'll check for any predictions and see what I can find. I believe I've actually seen at least one bright one: I thought it must have been lightning at the time, but...the sky was clear . I've heard that really bright ones can be seen in daylight, if you know what you're looking for. It makes perfect sense that a few miles distance or a few seconds time would make a difference in spotting them, since it's basically a reflection of the sun off of the panels on the satellite.

It will be interesting to see if my Starry Night software is accurate in predicting them.

I've been familiar with heavens-above.com ever since the astronomy course, and found my first stars and planets using that. Then I purchased Stargirl and received the free version of Starry Night with her. I like it better than Stellarium, which I downloaded free after learning of it on the astronomy forum. I do use Stellarium sometimes, as I can get a view that closely resembles the view through my telescope to confirm if I've actually seen some deep sky object, but that's pretty much all I use it for: Starry Night has a more intuitive search function and more realistic close-up views. Stellarium seems to have resorted to retouched and filtered photos for those close-up views, and they just aren't realistic for my little unfiltered scope.

For those interested, I believe Stellarium is still a free download, and if you are inclined that way, it is open source, too, so there are different versions of it out there which you may be able to use to your advantage or change to fit your needs.

mm

[stargazer]

Today marks the March equinox, when the sun appears over the earth's equator on its apparent journey north. The exact time is 0514 GMT (12:14 am in my timezone). It rises almost due east and sets almost due west; and day and night are approximately equal length worldwide. Spring begins in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern.

But these rapidly-lengthening days mean lomger waits for night to fall for stargazing.

[wolfloversk]

Well thanks to the lovely aid of a star chart (which I finally figured out how to read) I spotted Leo I also spotted Ursa Major (aka the Big Dipper), Orion, Venus, and Jupiter again.

I may have seen Mars if it's visible... but I'm not sure if it is... I also think I saw the tail end of Draco, but it was blocked by a few trees.

Also thanks to the wonderful world of glasses... I believe I saw the Pleiades (aka the Seven Sisters)... whatever it was it was the "Micro-Dipper" I saw before. (Perhaps nearsightedness/ going blind has it's upsides?)

I tried to see the Little Dipper, but either we have too much light pollution, it was too far over the horizon, or I wasn't looking in quite the right spot.

[Mother-Music]

Wolfloversk, if you saw Leo, you saw Mars...Mars is in Leo just now. I've put up some pictures below to help you confirm your observations of The Pleiades and Leo with Mars (mars is the little orange dot). Right now in the sky, Mars looks like the brightest star in the constellation of Leo, and has a definite red tint.







mm

[wolfloversk]

I thought so... It was a rather orange star and yes it was essentially a part of Leo. My roommate said she thought her professor said it wasn't visible, but she may have confused it with something else.

I'm pretty sure it's the Pleiades... I don't suppose you would know where they were? I know that The Big Dipper and Leo were to my East in front of me and Orion was to the west behind me... they were in the west too, but I think they were further North of Orion...

[Mother-Music]

Wolfloversk, below is a picture of the location of the Pleiades. It sounds as if that was, indeed, what you saw. When we look at at through binoculars, it looks to us like a rubber duck!



If you draw a line from Orion's shoulder (Betelgeuse) through Taurus's eye (Aldebaran) and straight out, you should find the big, sparkly, fuzzy spot of Pleiades.

mm