[AZ-Observing] Re: M74 in Zodiacal light?!
- From: "Jack Jones" <spicastar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 25 Mar 2003 21:53:13 -0700
Nothing wrong with checking out the course before the run. It's a good
idea to have your stratagem down to get to that particular starfield
pattern. The sky can look very unfamiliar under the starting pressure of
the race. One year I had great difficulty finding M74 in the 14.5" and
Gerry Rattley was right there and he couldn't find it either! That
really 'rattled' me (#!) and it took a while for me to calm down after I
missed that one and a couple others because of it. Make sure you have
everything ready well in advance of start and take a few deep breaths,
becoming placid as you can, and you should roll right along. The other
bugaboo will be in the morning finding M72 and 73, if only because you
underestimate their difficulty, taking them for granted. A stratagem is
necessary there too.
Jack Jones
Saguaro Astronomy Club
Public Events
Lunar List Awards and
Messier Marathon Co-coordinator
Phoenix AZ
spicastar@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
----- Original Message -----
From: "Thad Robosson" <starstarcracker@xxxxxxxxx>
To: <az-observing@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Tuesday, March 25, 2003 11:54 AM
Subject: [AZ-Observing] M74 in Zodiacal light?!
> Hey All,
>
> Chuck Akers and I took a trip out west this past Sunday for a quick
observing session. One of the things that got our curiousity up was the
first few Messier objects, and we proceded to give ourselves a quick
refresher course of the locations of the first few. One thing that we
noted was that M74 is right smack in the Zodiacal light, and we were not
successful at locating it with his 17.5". (However, we did start about
1/2 hour later than we would have if it were the marathon, and M74 was
getting down to the horizon.) I hope to combat this by having a good
chart of the area ready, something we did not have with us at that time.
Just thought a heads up for the masses was in order....
>
> Thad
>
> Thad Robosson
> Double star enthusiast
> Member Saguaro Astronomy Club
> ATM group chairman
> Owner/operator Twin Points Observatory
> 33 27 N, 112 19 W
> Phoenix, Arizona, USA
>
> "In what was facetiously called 'the Univeristy of the Far East',
> the better-educated officers lectured enlisted men in history,
> French, and biology. Astronomy was the most popular class of all.
> Lying on their backs beneath the Southern Cross, the POWs followed
> the course of the stars and planets, bathed themselves in meteor
> showers, and took their minds off this world by contemplating others."
>
> From "Ghost Soldiers", an account of the Cabanatuan POW Camp
> during WWII,by Hampton Sides.
>
> The use of your 'delete' key is authorized...
>
>
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