Last evening at the observatory was amazing. The sky had cleared by 3pm and we knew we were in for some relatively decent skies. We arrived around 8pm and setup our telescope. The lesson for the month was on selecting a good star atlas based on your viewing preferences. We also learned about various software that can be used to map the sky and even control your telescope. A list of atlases that are easy to obtain are shown below. They are ordered by how deep they go in magnitude with the deepest shown last. I have Nightwatch, the Pocket Sky Atlas and Uranometria (excellent birthday present). Nightwatch is great for beginners and children as it essentially encompasses what you can see with your naked eye. The Pocket Sky Atlas is perfect for intermediate observers looking for deep sky objects and double stars. Those two both have constellation lines drawn to enable a more beginner friendly study of the sky. Uranometria is my go to reference if I am looking for something deep in the sky as it is incredibly detailed. Since it is such a large topic, I will write another blog entry on free software you can use to map the sky at a later date.
Nightwatch
Cambridge Star Atlas
Pocket Sky Atlas
Uranometria 2000.0
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| Setting up for a night of astronomy |
We went outside around 9:15pm and started looking at some easy targets. It had become more cloudy so most of us just observed Jupiter for awhile. Ganymede was just finishing its transit across the face of the large planet and we could still see its shadow. It was not too long until the clouds dispersed and we had the whole sky to select targets. I quickly found 17 Comae Berenices, a double star that had been eluding me under urban light pollution.
I then turned my attention to finding some galaxies in Leo and Virgo. I was able to find the Leo Triplet quite easily between Theta and Iota Leonis. I immediately noticed the two brighter members M65 and M66. Messier 66 was seen at the end of a 'checkmark' pattern of stars in its vicinity. Messier 65 could be seen if you drew and imaginary perpendicular line to the line connecting the small edge of the checkmark pattern. I was too excited at the prospect of finding a couple galaxies that I did not take the time to find the third, fainter galaxy NGC 3628. When the sky becomes clear and the weather improves I hope to take some images of this beautiful sight.
I also took some time looking at galaxies in Virgo. They were quite easy to see but difficult to identify. There are many forming what is known as the Virgo Cluster. I had several galaxies in my eyepiece at once but no idea which ones I was looking at. I will study a map of the region and plot out a course to hop between galaxies in order to identify them next time.
Also, as I was looking for another double star in Coma Berenices I saw my first globular cluster of 2017 -- Messier 53. It looked like a tight ball of stars sitting right next to Alpha Comae Berenices.
At 10:55pm the aurora came in very strong. We saw green lights dancing across the sky all across the North. At times, the aurora stretched all the way to the southern horizon forming what seemed like a 180° arc from North to South. This is a sight I will not soon forget. Some images of the aurora are shown below.
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| Aurora over the Wilson Coulee Observatory |
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| Green and Blue Aurora over the Wilson Coulee Observatory |
If anyone would like to join me at one of these NOVA meetings please do not hesitate to contact me. Next month will be the last meeting until September and if the sky is clear the Virgo cluster will be the prime target for most people!
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