Posts Made By: Dave Mitsky

Asteroid 1 Ceres is stationary at 13:00 UT. The GRS transits Jupiter's CM at 10:55 p.m. EDT (2:55 UT on 2005/07/01).

Dave Mitsky

A type II supernova was recently discovered in M51. The discovery magnitude was 13.5, which is rather bright. For further information and images of SN 2005cs see http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2005/sn2005cs.html

Dave Mitsky

Here's my list of extended deep-sky objects situated between 16 and 18 hours of right ascension.

Dave Mitsky

Sixty-five deep-sky objects for July: NGC 6140, NGC 6236, NGC 6340, NGC 6395, NGC 6412, NGC 6503, NGC 6543 (Draco); IC 4593, M13, M92, NGC 6106, NGC 6166, NGC 6173, NGC 6181, NGC 6207, NGC 6210, NGC 6229, NGC 6482 (Hercules); B61, B62, B63, B64, B72, IC 4634, IC 4665, LDN 42, LDN 1773, M9, M10, M12, M14, M19, M62, M107, NGC 6284, NGC 6287, NGC 6293, NGC 6304, NGC 6309, NGC 6356, NGC 6366, NGC 6369, NGC 6384, NGC 6401, Tr 26 (Ophiuchus); NGC 6440, NGC 6445 (Sagittarius); B50, B55, B56, Cr 316, M4, M6, M7, M80, NGC 6144, NGC 6153, NGC 6192, NGC 6231, NGC 6242, NGC 6302, NGC 6337, NGC 6451 (Scorpius); NGC 6217, NGC 6324 (Ursa Minor)

Challenge deep-sky object for July: NGC 6380

Venus is at its greatest heliocentric latitude north today. Earth reaches aphelion (152,102,378 km from the Sun) at 5:00 UT. The GRS transits Jupiter's CM at 10:04 p.m. EDT (2:04 UT on 2005/07/06).

Dave Mitsky

Hello from Almost Heaven, West Virginia, with apologies to John Denver. My friend Tony Donnangelo and I are currently attending the Green Bank Star Quest II on the grounds of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. (In fact, I'm posting this from a Faraday cage shielded computer room in the visitor's center.) The driving time to Green Bank was about 5.5 hours from Harrisburg but we stopped several times en route so it took us considerably longer to arrive. Speaking of routes, traveling on Route 250 through the Shenandoah Valley was something else. We've never seen so many switchbacks on one stretch of highway.

It was almost clear here on Wednesday night. However, the transparency was poor for the most part, although at times it improved somewhat. There was heavy dew and, later, ground fog. Everything was soaking wet by the morning. Despite the less than ideal conditions, we were able to observe SN 2005cs, the recent type II supernova in M51, with the help of my friend Tony Donnangelo's 14.5" Starmaster Sky Tracker Dob. I also viewed the supernova, albeit it with more difficulty, through a neighbor's 12.5" Starmaster Dob.

We tried for comet 9P/Tempel but below 40 degrees or so of altitude there was little visible but the brighter stars and haze. The same applied to the supernova in Libra, SN 2005cf (see http://www.rochesterastronomy.org/sn2005/sn2005cf.html for further information).

I had looks at Delta Cygni and M92 through a rather unusual 12" f/8 truss-tube Newtonian on an equatorial mount, M13 through the 12.5" Starmaster, and a number of deep-sky objects such as the eastern and western segments of the Veil Nebula and some binary stars that I hadn't seen before through Tony's telescope. I also showed a woman from West Virginia a few objects using her Dob.

Earlier in the evening we observed the transit of Virgo A, known to optical astronomers as M87, with the old 40 foot radio telescope, which is now used for educational purposes. We took a class on using the telescope on Thursday and observed Virgo A again that evening.

Yesterday we attended some good talks throughout the day, including one on telescope optics and designs by Bob Royce, and heard the preliminary results of the 110 meter telescope's observations of 9P/Tempel. Very little H2O was found, which is going to cause some controversy, I daresay.

It rained a good part of Thursday and I was lulled to sleep by the constant pitter-patter of raindrops on the tent on Thursday night.

The 110 meter Robert C. Byrd (AKA the King of Pork) Green Bank Telescope is amazing. We haven't even gotten close to it yet and the GBT dominates the landscape. We plan on taking the guided tour today.

The facilities and folks here are great. There's a nice shower room in the bunk house and there are even washing machines.

The website for the Green Bank Star Quest II can be found at http://www.greenbankstarquest.org/

The Green Bank NRAO site is at http://www.gb.nrao.edu/

The star party ends on Sunday morning. Tony and I plan on taking a different route home and observing from atop Spruce Knob, the highest mountain in the state, on Sunday night if the weather is favorable.

Dave Mitsky

The tour of the NRAO at Green Bank was very enjoyable. It began with a discussion on radio astronomy in the auditorium and culminated with a drive (via a diesel powered bus) past all the big dishes, present and past, with a stop at the 110 meter GBT. It is truly a mammoth structure - the largest moving object on land. Watching that huge dish in motion is spellbinding.

Friday night began much as Wednesday. The massing of the young Moon, Venus, and Mercury was quite nice. Conditions were only so-so again at first but we did successfully observe SN 2005cf in Lbra through Tony's Starmaster. We also viewed two faint asteroids. I saw M57 through the 12" f/8 and a few objects such as M17 through an 18" f/4.5 ATM Dob. The transparency seemed to be improving but before too long fog started rolling up the valley. There were occasional breaks but by 2:00 a.m. we were completely fogged-out and I mean pea soup fogged-out.

Dave MItsky

There was a spectacular loop prominence yesterday. I was fortunate enough to observe it with my Coronado PST.

http://www.astrosurf.com/alcyoneastro/mosaique_050713_db2.jpg

http://spaceweather.com/

Dave Mitsky

There was a spectacular loop prominence yesterday. I was fortunate enough to observe it with my Coronado PST.

http://www.astrosurf.com/alcyoneastro/mosaique_050713_db2.jpg

http://spaceweather.com/

Dave Mitsky

Early Sunday afternoon Tony and I followed a fellow Green Bank Star Quest II participant to Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia. It was approximately 45 minutes from Green Bank. On the way up the mountain we stopped first at the Mountain Institute, a rather interesting and unusual place and the site of the Almost Heaven Star Party - http://www.novac.com/AHSP/index.php - that occurred in June. Tony had registered for the event but decided not to go due to the poor weather conditions. Speaking of weather condtions, we saw a number of conflicting weather reports on the Internet before leaving the observatory so we weren't really expecting to stay the night on the mountain.

We then went to the Gatewood campground (see http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/rec/rog_campgrounds/gatewood_campground.htm for further information). Two NOVAC members had been observing there the night before. The NOAA weather radio report called for clear skies despite Hurricane Dennis. (As we now know, Dennis lost steam and traveled well to the west before turning northward.) We decided to take a chance and set up camp. Since there were already 15 and 18" Obsession Dobs in the observing area, Tony didn't bother to unpack his 14.5" Starmaster. However, I readied my Tele Vue refractor and Melissa did the same with a 10" Orion Dob.

Tony, Melissa, and I drove up to the summit of Spruce Knob in my vehicle and had a fine time walking the nature trail and admiring the view from an observation platform. We drove back to Gatewood just before sunset. Tony took a nap while Melissa and I made coffee and espresso and filled thermos bottles with said liquids.

I rested for a bit and then ventured out of the tent. I could see Jupiter and a few stars but the skies were anything but clear. The transparency was very poor. Unfortunately, the Clear Sky Clock had been right in its prediction. There were occasional patches of somewhat clear sky and I observed about a dozen of the best targets of opportunity with my refractor and the 10". These included Albireo, Omicron Cygni, M8, M11, M13, M27, and M57.

On the way back, we drove northward through the Potomac Valley and stopped briefly at Seneca Rocks.

http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Potomac_Valley

http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/mnf/sp/sksrnra.html

There are photos of Spruce Knob and Seneca Rocks posted at http://www.ferenzi.com/maddie/pict/wva/mountain/mountain.html

Dave Mitsky

At the Green Bank Star Quest, GLP beams, some of which were definitely higher than 5mw in output, were flashing a foot or two above our heads at times. I had to shout more than once for the owners to be more careful.

On more than one occasion, I've had words with a fellow ASH member about his careless use of a GLP.

Furthermore, I was very nearly lased in the eye at Stellafane a few years ago and am a friend of the fellow who was lased at the Black Forest Star Party last year despite GLPs being banned there.

I supppose I don't have to mention that I am against the use of these blasted toys.

Dave Mitsky