[AZ-Observing] Re: Great observing
- From: "Wayne (aka Mr. Galaxy)" <mrgalaxy@xxxxxxxx>
- To: haclist@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 24 Jun 2012 22:52:56 GMT
Benson, AZ 85602
hm ph: 520-586-2244 Thanks, Dick, I was mostly interested in the two most
challenging (on your list of Test Pairs, epoch 2008) objects that I have been
able to see: Bu1270 (both components were orangish-white and about equal in
magn) and delta Equ (both off-white and about equal in magn). I saw the two
pairs as notched in my 13-in f/5.5 at about 400x (using a 9mm with a 2x
Barlow). The seeing on June 22/23 was very good, though the transparency was
only pretty good, but I can't complain: last night we were totally clouded out.
Clear skies,
Wayne (aka Mr. Galaxy)
---------- Original Message ----------
From: "Richard Harshaw" <rharshaw2@xxxxxxx>
To: <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: [AZ-Observing] Re: Great observing
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2012 23:04:04 -0700
Wayne et al,
You can log onto VizieR (http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/VizieR) and
enter this for the catalog you wish to browse: b/wds/wds. That will take
you to the WDS query form (here is a direct link:
http://vizier.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/VizieR-2). You can use the default data
display or customize it by checking the boxes of the data you want (and
clearing what you don't want). The WDS is now updated nightly so by checking
this source, you can get up to the minute data on any pair in the WDS. The
input form allows you to enter the star id either as the WDS designation
(hhmmm+/-ddmm, as in 02174+2353) or the discoverer code (like STF 240) but
be careful. WDS discoverer codes are standard 7-ascii characters in length,
so a star like STF 2 must be entered as STF_ _ _ 2, and BU 34 is BU _ _ _
34, etc.
Richard Harshaw
Cave Creek, Arizona
-----Original Message-----
From: az-observing-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:az-observing-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Wayne (aka Mr.
Galaxy)
Sent: Saturday, June 23, 2012 9:10 PM
To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [AZ-Observing] Re: Great observing
Benson, AZ 85602
hm ph: 520-586-2244 Yes, Gene, that's one of the copies I have. Del, our
webmaster at the time, probably asked Dick for a copy and placed it on our
website. However, I would like to see an update of the _challenging_ doubles
for each season just to see how much the elements (separation and position
angle) have changed. For example, for the star Porrima in Virgo the sep and
pa have changed dramatically and the star is no longer considered a
challenge object, though it is still quite pretty.
Clear skies,
Wayne (aka Mr. Galaxy)
---------- Original Message ----------
From: "Gene A. Lucas" <geneluca@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [AZ-Observing] Re: Great observing
Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2012 17:55:08 -0700
Wayne, Are you perhaps thinking of Richard's list of colorful doubles,
available on the HAC web pages ?
http://www.hacastronomy.com/pdf/astro/Double_Stars_Most_Colorful_Northern_Sk
y.pdf
Gene Lucas
Foluntain Hills
On 6/23/2012 17:07, Wayne (aka Mr. Galaxy) wrote:
> 15480 Empire Rd.
> Benson, AZ 85602
> hm ph: 520-586-2244 In spite of the spate of smoke from surrounding
> fires, windy conditions (which kick up the dust in addition to
> jostling the telescope around) and even excessive airglow, the
> observing in my area hasn't been too bad lately. The skies have been
> fairly bright, but the seeing has been very steady and I've had to
> adjust my deep sky observing list from galaxies to double stars, open
> and globular clusters, and planetary nebulae. It's been painful and I
> have caught myself sneaking peaks at the Coma-Virgo Cluster of
> Galaxies and the area around M81/82 and M51, but for the most part I
> have been trying to look at objects within our Milky Way galaxy. Of
> course it's been enjoyable seeing a wide variety of objects. I do not
> have any digital setting circle system so anything I find I have to
> star hop to it. Sometimes it can be a long and arduous process,
> especially at 4am when I'm looking for one final object and dawn is
> rapidly approaching and none of the patterns on
th
> e sky are matching those on the chart. The stellar planetaries are
> especially difficult unless you possess a chart of the particular
> object or you have the proper filters to blink them. I have had good
> luck with the NGC/IC planetaries, but cringe at the thought of trying
> for the P-K planetaries because I know there is a reason why the early
> observers missed them. I admire Kent Wallace and his tenacity with
> finding the impressive amount that he has. I admit that I am not a
> great planner when it comes to observing. I was brought up in Buffalo,
> NY, which is known for cloudy, humid observing conditions when it is
> not snowing. We frequently had to observe through holes in the clouds
> and you never knew which part of the sky was going to be available for
> observing. It was very hit-or-miss. Observing in Arizona or California
> is totally different, but old habits die hard. I am of the David Levy
> school of observing, like it or not. He (and I) just point the
> telescope at the sky and
sa
> y give me what you've got. My eye stays can stay glued to the
> eyepiece usually for about an hour at a time depending on how
> interesting the area is without referring to a chart. I don't know
> whether it's a good method or not, but it's the way I find
> contentment. Lately I have been trying to beat the monsoons by staying
> up late and capturing objects in the Milky Way. Open clusters are a
> mixed bag, especially for a larger telescope with moderate
> magnification. Many of them are not well isolated from their
> background and are large so that it's a case of not being able to see
> the forest for the trees; for the most part you look right through
> them. Again I've had fairly good luck with the NGC/IC open clusters,
> especially in the winter Milky Way, but many of the later catalogs
> (like Collinder, etc) were of objects with miniscule and scattered
> populations and unless you have a good image of the object you can
> forget about finding them. I can see why observers like Brian Skiff, w
ho
> is an open cluster guru, enjoy them with a fairly small refractor. I
> had my best views through my 20x100 binoculars because you could
> actually observe those objects in context of their environment much
> like you can with galaxies in a larger telescope. Globular clusters
> are very enjoyable because, despite their reputation for all being the
> same, there is a good variety in their appearance and ninety percent
> of them are usually fairly bright and resolvable. Summer is a great
> time to capture them except in Arizona where we usually give our
> telescopes a rest because of the rainy monsoon season. A couple years
> or so ago we had a speaker, Dick Harshaw from Phoenix, come talk to
> the Huachuca Astronomy Club (HAC) in Sierra Vista about his interest
> in double/binary stars. He handed out a couple sheets with challenge
> and colorful doubles which I stuck in my charts for occasional
> reference. I have attempted the challenge objects a couple times in
> the past but usually without much luck since, even though AZ skies are
> very transparent, they are not particularly stable especially in the
> low-lying desert areas. Every once in awhile we get very good seeing
> and last night was one of those chances I got to chase down a few good
> challenge doubles and achieved some very good results. The sheets that
> Dick passed out are now a couple years old and it is very interesting
> to see how much the separation (and position angle) can change in that
> amount of time. I make no claim to be an accomplished double star
> observer but it was fun to see how close of a star I could resolve as
> a measure of the sky quality, instrument quality and observer ability.
> They are a challenge. I wish I had a guided scope to make the observat
io
> ns easier and more scientifically meaningful, but I just had a good
> time making the observations. Two stars that I was not able to resolve
> are beta Delphini and 97 Aquarii and I offer them as "teasers" to see
> whether anyone has _currently_ been able to resolve them. Beta is a
> short period binary of about 26 years, but I don't know anything about
> 97. Enjoy! Clear skies, Wayne (aka Mr. Galaxy)
> --
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> please send personal replies to the author, not the list.
>
>
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