Posts Made By: Bob MacArthur

Yeah I keep going back and forth... I have a glass filter for my bigger scope. I just like how cost effective the black polymer is.


Ahhhh :-)

Hello Everyone!

It has been awhile since I posted.  Good to be back on astromart:-)

I’m am going to try for a Pluto observation.  Anyone out there in Astromart land have any suggestions for successfully observing Pluto?

Keep Looking Up,

Bob 

Keith,

Thank you for your reply.  I have tried twice now.  First try I had a bad outdated app that gave me the wrong position.  Saturday night I tried again with two better sources and I got to the spot then the clouds rolled in... I’m going to give it another shot this week before the moon comes up.

Keep Looking Up,

Bob

Keith,

I am pushing the limits with a 12" dob.  I need that magical perfect night to get the 14.2 mag Pluto.  Crossing my fingers:-)

I have been cross referencing Pluto's position with Stallarium and theskylive.com

Keep Looking Up,
Bob

Sounds like you have had some great observing sessions.  The skies around Yosemite are amazing!  

I grew up in Arizona.  I remember some great skies there.  Now I live in Colorado.  We have some good skies here also but not as consistent as AZ.  The summer monsoons are tricky here.  This summer has also been tough for viewing with the smoke from all the fires out west.  I generally like to travel east out on the plains verses the mountains.  The plains tend to be more stable and still around 5,000 to 6,000 ft.  The various mountains ranges cause little micro climates.  So the times I been in the mountains here for observing it has not been that steady. 

My 1st Pluto attempt this summer was with an 8" dob in August.  It was our first non hazy night for about a month.  I recently picked up a 12" dob.   and went 2 hours east of Denver.  The skies started great then the humid and skies went bad.  So I just gonna keep going for it.

I have seen Pluto before.  I worked at Lowell Observatory during my undergrad 20 years ago in Flagstaff.  I used the 24" Clark refractor to spot it.  I made a sketch of the sky one night and came back 3 days later to track the movement and there it was!  That was a great moment.  And the perfect historical scope to do it on:-)

Now I am trying for it with my own equipment.  Unfortunately tonight the seeing and transparency is not the greatest.

Clear Skies:-)

Bob

Success!!!  Tonight at around 9:30 PM MDT I found Pluto:-) It was faint but I was able to pick it out.  It actually aligned nicely with 4 other 13/14th mag stars to make a sideways “M” asterism.

I went about an hour east of Denver.  The clear sky clock predicted about 2 hours of good seeing and transparency. 

I brought my 12 year old son with me.  He was also able to pick it out also. 

I hit up these other objects before I had to force myself to go home:-)

M31
Pluto
Saturn
Mars
M57
M13
M8
M11
M15
Neptune
Veil nebula
Perseus double cluster. 


Keep Looking Up,

Bob

Fred,

Good work on completing your observation challenge!  I enjoy looking at the bright brilliant NGC and M objects, but I will say I have a new found respect for these long term challenging observation adventures.  Having more aperture opens up a whole list of new objects to look at.  I think I am going to have to shot for G1 now that you have mentioned it:-)  I also would to try for Triton.

Sounds like you had a great night of observing with good sky conditions.  That always helps.

Keep Looking Up,

Bob 

Hello Everyone,

So I am heading to Chaco Canyon in a few weeks.  I want to take advantage of some dark skies.  I am hoping to get some suggestions on good camping sites at Chaco Canyon for dark sky observing.

Keep Looking Up,

Bob

Hello Everyone,

So I am heading to Chaco Canyon in a few weeks.  I want to take advantage of some dark skies.  I am hoping to get some suggestions on good camping sites at Chaco Canyon for dark sky observing.

Keep Looking Up,

Bob

Hello,

I was wondering what time of year is the best to bag the most Caldwell objects in a night?  I live at 39 north so I know I can’t get all of them. 

I was just curious on what others experiences are?

Keep Looking Up:-)

Bob