Leo J. Scanlon

 The e-mail has just arrived. Tonight’s star party has been cancelled due to rain, clouds and muddy fields. I had an idea that this was going to happen. There is a good chance that tomorrow’s activities at the Wagman Observatory will be cancelled also. They tend to go hand in hand, plans for anything astronomical and bad weather.

    Even though it is doubtful, I am still keeping my fingers crossed for Saturday night. We can’t give up hoping!

    Along with Independent Bookstore Day, which won’t be hampered by rain, tomorrow is also Astronomy Day. This is a day when astronomers, both amateur and professional, share their knowledge, enthusiasm and love of the skies above us.

    This year’s Astronomy Day comes at a good time, it is the day before the birthday of a man who spent his life promoting astronomy. On April 30, 1903, Leo J. Scanlon joined the human race. 

    In his 20’s, he built his first telescope and not long after, he and Chester Roe formed the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh. (AAAP) The club is still thriving. He was a plumber by trade but his real love was the stars above!

    Shortly afterward, he and friends, no doubt club members, designed and built the Valley View Observatory.

Leo sitting on the dome to prove its strength

Placing the dome

Almost ready for use

    Located in his backyard in the North Hills of Pittsburgh, it was the first observatory to have an aluminum domed roof on it. His design was copied by numerous professional observatories and gave us the image we picture when we think about observatories. It was dedicated in November of 1930 and stood there until 1997, 67 years later, when it was dismantled.

Leo and Albert Einstein

    In 1934, he sent a letter to Albert Einstein inviting him to visit the AAAP display at the convention of the American Association for the Advancement of Science which was being held in Pittsburgh. When Einstein arrived, he spent about 20 minutes at the display and later corresponded with Leo.

    During the same year, he was invited to watch the pouring of the glass which would form the 200” mirror for the Hale Telescope at the Corning Glass Works.

    Leo was influential in getting the city to build the Buhl Planetarium. After it was built, he and Nicholas Wagman, the director of the Allegheny Observatory were the first two speakers to give lectures at the facility.

    He also had a part in helping to create the Astronomical League in 1947.

    In 1998, a historical marker was placed on McKnight Road, not far from where his observatory sat. During the ceremony, he was told that an asteroid had been named after him!

Leo at First Light of the Brashear Telescope at Wagman, 1995

    Leo passed away in 1999. He led quite an exciting astronomical life for a plumber. He is another person who set an example for us, of what a person can accomplish.

    While we watch the rain falling outside our windows, let's give a little thought to the people like Leo and think about how we can follow in their footsteps!

    Happy Birthday Leo, thanks for all you’ve done for us!

Star Party Season is Almost Here!

If you are at all like me, you remember the two bright objects, very close to each other, in the western skies a few weeks ago. They weren’t stars, they were planets. The brighter one of the two was Venus and the fainter one, Jupiter. Since then, Jupiter is neared the horizon in the evening skies while Venus still stands strong in the twilight.

    Did you know that the planet Uranus will be close to the bright planet Venus towards the end of the month? You can see the pair from your backyard, use binoculars to see the fainter Uranus, OR, you can come up to the Wagman Observatory and see them there.

    The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh will be holding star parties on the last day of March, (the 31^st) and the first of April. (no joke!) Being held at the Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park, the club members will show you these objects and many others during the nights. Star parties are held in the warmer (?) months of the year. The March/April parties will be the start of the 2023 Star Party Season.

    The club holds these events to allow the general public to come and look through the telescopes belonging to the club and its members. There are two permanently mounted scopes at the observatory, an 11” refractor built by the prominent Pittsburgh optician John Brashear (above) and a 21” reflector. The mirror for the reflector was made by the same company that John Brashear founded over a century ago. (We are a very Pittsburgh oriented club!)

    There is no charge for these parties; they are open to anyone who wants to see more of the sky above them. Bring the family, please! The observatory is in a darker portion of the county and almost everyone will see many more stars than at home in their light polluted neighborhoods.

    Are you thinking about getting a telescope and aren’t sure how to go about doing it, not sure what kind or what size to get? There are lots of options available. At a star party there are always a variety of scopes, different styles and sizes, you can browse among them and see how the views differ and ask the owners what their opinions are.

    Have you recently gotten a telescope and aren’t sure how to set it up or how to use it? Bring it with you and chances are someone will be there that can give you a hand or some advice. Ask at the desk to see if someone can help you. Just setting up a scope will bring club members over to see what you have! You can also join the club if you're interested!

    The kids enjoy being able to look through the scopes and seeing planets they’ve read and learned about. There are a couple programs available for the kids to participate in. Those between 2^nd and 6^th grades can work on the Passport to the Universe Program. They are given a passport and the idea is to find the various astronomical things listed in it. After finding them, they are awarded a certificate and a book. For the older kids there is the Junior Messier Program. After finding some things a little bit harder, they also can get an award and a certificate. Club members are happy to help them find the objects they are searching for.

    Weather permitting, (a big condition here in Pittsburgh) during these star parties, we will be able to see Jupiter and Mercury, very close to the western horizon. They will be setting soon after sunset. Higher in the sky will be Venus and beside it, the planet Uranus. Since Uranus is so much dimmer than the brilliant Venus, you’ll probably need some binoculars or a telescope to see it. Club members will direct you to it, it won’t be hard to find, especially when you have a bright planet to lead you to it!

    Chances are, the moon will be the first thing the telescopes will be pointing towards, since you can easily see it while the sky is still bright. As the sky darkens, Venus and Uranus will come under scrutiny by the observers. Then things such as Mars, Orion and it’s nebula, star clusters, galaxies and double stars. If we are lucky, we will see a pass or two of the International Space Station or maybe the Chinese space station, Tiangong. There is also the possibility of seeing a couple “falling stars”. You never know what you might see at a star party till you get there and see for yourself. That’s part of the fun of them, what new things will I see tonight?

    Bring your binoculars; you’ll be amazed at how much you can see with them! Leave your flashlights at home, the moon will be providing more than enough light to see. Bright lights are frowned upon because the darker the area is, the easier it is to see the fainter objects and to see more details. So being, please, turn off your car headlights as you enter the grounds.

    For more information about star parties or the A.A.A.P., click here, 3AP.Org. Directions to the clubs two observatories can be found there along with the dates of future star parties. If the weather looks doubtful, call the observatory (724- 224-2510) to see if the party is still on. Inclement weather, clouds, rain or snow will be cause to cancel the event.

    It is a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night, after a hard week of work, relaxing under the stars in the fresh air. Best thing of all…it’s free!

    If you come, look me up. Hope to see ya there!

Ghosts of the Past

The November meeting of the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh was held at the Allegheny Observatory, perched on a hill in Riverview Park. We haven’t had a meeting there in quite awhile. There were about 18 members that braved the downpours outside. The early darkness of Standard Time along with the pounding rain made the drive difficult. The other club members attended via the wonder of Zoom.

    The original observatory was built in 1859, on a hill overlooking Allegheny City, now Pittsburgh’s Northside.  

The present observatory was built in 1912 a few miles away. 

    This month’s meeting was devoted to the club's annual photography contest. It was extremely hard to pick your favorites out of the submitted shots. The members have a lot of skills, and the photo contest shows it!

    As the pictures were being shown, I noticed someone in the shadows, in the back of the auditorium, I thought I recognized him. It looked like Albert Einstein, could that be…maybe it was just one of the ghosts of the observatory!

    After the meeting, a few of us stayed behind and got a quick view of the new telescope in the Keeler Dome. Behind a locked door, we climbed a narrow set of stairs to another locked door which led us up a smaller set of stairs into the dome. The telescope towered above us as we climbed up the steps. A 24” PlaneWave telescope, it is the 4^th scope to take residence in this dome.

    Since it was still raining outside, we didn’t get to see anything through the scope but we did get to see how quickly it can slew from one side of the sky to another! While looking at the telescope and the 100 year old dome it is under, I was reminded of all the ghosts that roamed these halls. John Brashear served as the Acting Director of The Allegheny Observatory when it was located closer to the city. He and his wife Phoebe’s ashes are interred beneath the Thaw Telescope at this location. The halls here have been walked by hundreds of famous and learned scientists and astronomers, I’m happy to say that I know a couple of them!

    The ghosts are also memories of times spent here. The time I viewed Saturn through one of the big scopes, club meetings that were held here and the Christmas/Holiday parties held in the basement. Being taken on tours and seeing the multi-storied library and wishing that someday I’d have one just like it. Seeing the offices and workrooms, the machine shop and of course, being able to see the telescopes and the equipment used to do the research, soaking in the history that exists in the building!

    John Brashear’s statue sits in the hallway, greeting visitors as they enter the building. Like many before me, I rubbed his foot for luck as I passed the statue. John Brashear is a man that the people of Pittsburgh looked up to, the same way as many of the members of the AAAP do!

    Before we left, we squeezed through a small wooden door and a narrow unfinished corridor and went out onto the roof of the observatory. The biggest dome of the three, the Thaw dome was in front of us. The rain had slowed down a bit and we went out and looked around and then hurried back inside.

    After that, I returned to the main floor, got my hat and jacket and went out to the car, leaving the history and the ghosts behind.

Searching For Satellites

The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, (AAAP) had scheduled a club event for the 29^th and 30^th of July. It wasn’t a star party; it was a club get-together to see how many satellites we could spot in the course of a night. There had been a previous record of 62 set by two club members many years ago, it was time to try and break the record.

    As so many of our clubs' events go, the weather on Friday was rather “iffy”. An e-mail was sent out cancelling that night's event. Four of us showed up anyway.

    A beautiful sunset appeared as I drove up to the observatory. It was that time of the day where the colors seem more intense. The tiny crescent moon was located a short while after the sun set, a mere 2% illuminated. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen a moon as thin as this before! That was the highpoint of my night, but the rest didn’t let me down either.

    We sat on the concrete pad beside the observatory and watched as the sky darkened. The brightest satellite we saw was the International Space Station, (ISS) making a 5-minute pass. It skimmed stars in Ursa Major (The Big Dipper) and Ursa Minor (The Little Dipper) before cruising through Cygnus and then disappearing in the earths’ shadow and the clouds.

    In the couple hours of darkness that I was there, I saw 8 satellites, 9 if you wanted to count the moon! I went home a happy sky gazer.

    Saturday delivered another nice night sky. The moon, a little bit larger than the night before was located around 8:30. As the sky darkened, (sunset was at 8:37) it became much easier to see.

    I took a walk over the hill to get some pictures of the moon and the observatory. While I was playing with my camera, I missed the first sighting, the ISS. I was watching for it but between the lower position on the hill and the bright sky, I missed it. (I know…excuses, excuses) I did see it on its second pass 90 minutes later.

    There was at least 14 people that showed up on Saturday. It is hard to say since it was dark when some arrived. By the time I returned to the top of the hill, they were well on their way accumulating their numbers.

    The rules are pretty simple. It has to be an artificial satellite; the moon doesn’t count. There also has to be at least two people that see it, it needs confirmed. That was it, nice and simple.

    Thank heavens for the members with good eyesight, that and laser pointers. They would see a satellite and then point to it with their pointers, enabling me to find the satellites with my binoculars. I was able to see the brighter ones by eye, but most of the ones I saw were seen with optical aid.

    We saw Saturn rise and we saw some falling stars. In-between sightings I browsed around the constellations, checking out things I normally only observed with telescopes.

    I left a little after 11, there were some clouds moving in and I had to get up early the next morning. I saw one final satellite as I was getting into my car bringing my total to 30. I had watched a couple satellites that appeared to be crossing each other’s paths, which was pretty cool. I saw three in the sky at the same time, though I’m sure there were probably more up there, I just didn’t see them. 

    The most satellites I’ve seen in the sky at one time was well over 15 or 20. It was right after a Starlink dump. They stretched across the sky, coming from behind a cloud and disappearing near the horizon. It was a morning I’ll always remember. There were over 30 satellites in the parade passing overhead.

    Sadly, the official grand total for Saturday as computed by our esteemed official, Eric Fischer, was 42. That is 20 less than the current club record. Cirrus clouds moved in and hid the fainter satellites from view as the night progressed. Since we are moving into August the angle of the sun isn’t favorable for long nights of satellite viewing. We will try again next year, maybe the Pittsburgh weather will co-operate with us for a change.

    I believe we all enjoyed ourselves though, we talked, we laughed, we visited with each other unlike at star parties where we tend to our telescopes and only talk with the public and the members parked beside us. We relaxed and had a good time, sitting under the stars and the satellites.

A Few Notes About the Past Week

 

Just a few notes about the past week.

        * I found out that a local hardware store was closing. Winchel Hardware has been located in Etna since 1906, a hundred and sixteen years! It originally was opened as a department store but evolved into a hardware store shortly after World War Two.

        It was the place I would go if I needed a trap for a sink or a switch to replace a broken one on a lamp. Whatever you needed, chances are you could get it there. I remember one time going there to find a hanger for one of my gutters. I was taken up a set of stairs and half way down them, a door was opened and inside was a selection of different types of hangers. Naturally, there were some exactly like what I needed. I bought two, that was all I needed.

        They weren’t prepackaged, sealed in hard to open plastic, they were hanging loose on a nail. “How many did I need?” I got them and some friendly talk in the process. It was always a great place to shop; you were always treated as someone special. It was so much better than a big box store. I’ll miss them!

        *I hid a couple geocaches this week in the local area. One of them was found before I finished hiding it! I met a couple of local geocachers that I knew via e-mails but never met in person. It is always nice to put a face to a name!

        They were searching the spot I was going to hide the cache in. I was running late, the cache is supposed to be hidden before it is submitted to Geocaching.com. I was in the process of replacing the container when I met them. I asked if they were geocachers and when they replied they were, I held up the cache and told them, “You found it!” I had only submitted the cache a few hours earlier; I didn’t know it had been approved already. Live and learn! 

        The other cache I placed had been submitted five or six days earlier and still wasn’t released. It ended up being released the next morning. Here is a shot of the lucky FTF (First to Find) signing the log.

        *The last thing. The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (AAAP) had another star party on Saturday night. The night before there were thunderstorms and the morning was filled with misting rain. The day was full of thick clouds covering the sky. Around 5 in the afternoon, bits of blue started showing through. I packed the car and drove towards The Wagman Observatory, hoping for the best.

        We had a small turn out of members and guests. Eleven members showed up to share the skies with about 30-40 visitors. We dodged the clouds, going from one object to another as they were covered over. 

        We were treated to a nice conjunction of Venus and a thin crescent moon hanging over the western horizon. (Sorry, no picture) Jupiter and its moons, Saturn and its rings, a few double stars and the Andromeda Galaxy were some of the other things shown.

        A short while after I arrived, I met a woman as I walked to the observatory. She told me that it was 15 years since she was here last. She was in the Girl Scouts at the time and enjoyed it so much she always wanted to return.

        It just goes to show you never know how long a good thing will take to pay off. We showed the scouts a good time back then and she remembered it! We must have done something right! Whatever it was, it paid off, she brought some people with her to share the experience! Hopefully the guests who visited last night will be back also, preferably sooner than 15 years. I think everyone there had a good time, I know I did!

        *To finish these notes off, it is two in the afternoon while I am typing this. I am sitting in my backyard listening to a live band performing over the hill. They sound really good! While I was typing away at my laptop, a brown hawk landed on a fallen tree 20 feet away. He/she sat there looking around, preening a bit and then flew off after “hangin” with me for eight minutes. (Always happens when I don’t have a camera handy!) It was a nice compliment to the sunrise I saw this morning! Suburban Glenshaw, live music and wild life…no complaints here!

Enjoy the week!

Finally, Another Star Party! August 14, 2021

         After nearly two years, 21 months to be exact, the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh (AAAP) has finally been able to hold another star party! The one scheduled for the night before, (Friday the 13^th of Aug.) was cancelled due to rain, or possibly bad luck! Saturday had turned out to be a perfect night to hang out in a field and share the skies with others.

        I arrived early, around 7PM, joining 7 or 8 other members setting up their scopes.  We watched a weather balloon for awhile as we waited for the darkness to arrive.

        A couple friends came up with a new telescope and the three of us started to set it up. Then some other members with more knowledge finished the job, getting it aligned and tracking correctly. They offered their help and then stopped by a few times during the night to make sure everything was operating properly. It is what our club does! Their help and concern was appreciated!

        As the sun set and the skies started darkening, more and more people started arriving. Some had scopes, some brought their children and some were just here to get outside and mingle once again. We were more than happy to show them the stars while they were there.

        Almost everyone started with the moon. It was the only thing visible! As the night darkened, Venus showed up in the west and Jupiter appeared on the eastern horizon. It wasn’t much later that Saturn showed up to join the party!

         I would guess that there was over 100 people who came to visit. Groups of people were walking past, laughing and talking and every so often, yelling about seeing a meteor!

        I showed most of the objects on my list; the planets,(Saturn is always a show stopper!) double stars, the Ring Nebula and the Coat Hanger Cluster to name just a few.

        Just listening, I learnt a few things from the members set up on either side of us. I love looking through other telescopes and hearing about how they work and operate. I talked with people I hadn’t seen in years and met some people I know only by way of the list-server. People continued to come by as the night went on.

        During a bit of free time, I went inside the observatory and took a look through the two big telescopes mounted there. What more can I say but…nice! M13, a globular cluster was in one scope, with thousands of stars looking like a mound of sugar.  Jupiter was in the other scope, its cloud bands visible and its moons nice and crisp in front of the background stars. The seeing was great, all the views I saw were nice and steady.

        The sky stayed clear until midnight neared.  The public started to leave as the air got cooler leaving mostly members behind. Then they started packing up. It was a little after midnight when I left. A bright Perseid meteor was my last observation for the night, a lucky one, I just happened to look up at the right time!

        This evening had done me good! I couldn’t help but be in a good mood the next morning, even though I felt like I needed more sleep.

        Our next star party at the Wagman Observatory will be on September 11^th, a Saturday and the one after that will be on September 24^th, two weeks later. The second party will be a Moonrise Star Party. We will be able to watch the moon rising in the east during this party, something that's always nice to see and photograph.

        Until the next time, keep your fingers crossed for clear skies and keep looking up!

Mom Nature Strikes Again!

 

The weather has been playing games with me this weekend. Yesterday, it darkened my hopes of going out to our clubs observatory to hold a star party. It had never looked promising but every so often a bit of sunshine would break through the cloud bank. Thunder and downpours pushed any hope out of my mind.

Today was very similar. I just experienced rain, accompanied with thick dark clouds. Now, as I write this, five minutes after the rain, sunshine is glowing on the near-by field. I know there are more clouds, if not rain coming behind this brief bit of brightness. The star party for tonight has been cancelled.

I am sitting beside a stream enjoying the sounds the water makes. The stream is high and the water is dark. The sounds are soothing, water tumbling over rocks accompanied with occasional chirping of birds. No cars pass by, increasing the feeling of isolation.

The wind blows through the trees, a little psithurism to accompany the birds and giving a bit of movement to the scene I’m looking at. The field lightens up and then like clockwork darkens again. Looking at the sky, there is no clearing, only thinning cloud cover. Dark angry clouds drift along the edge of the valley with pale haze overhead.

I have known for weeks that the weather this weekend would be bad. When planning a star party, it is always a gamble, especially here in Pittsburgh where the weather is prone to rain and clouds. I shouldn’t be disappointed or upset, the odds were against us!

It has been a long time since our club, the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh, held a star party. Over 20 months according to one of the members. The Covid epidemic has put a hold on so many things in our lives, the star parties are really a minor thing! But still, we miss them!

There have been a lot of discussions about these star parties. Will it be safe, how can we keep our equipment clean and sterile? Do we need masks? Do we need to worry about possibly catching anything by allowing the public to use our gear?

Most of us are going along with the idea that if we are vaccinated, we should be safe. The desire to share the night sky with others drives us on!

My own personal schedule has opened up and I didn’t have any required demands for Friday nights. I have been looking forward to this weekend since the star party dates were announced. Even as I penciled in the dates, I knew my chances were slim. Still I kept my fingers crossed.

A small bit of blue sky drifts overhead, surrounded by grey clouds. Dark, thick clouds are moving into view. The blue sky was just a tease. Mother Nature is playing with me, laughing at my hopes and my dreams.

Rain drops start splashing on my windshield and spotting the surface of the stream. There won’t be any telescope viewing tonight. I guess this will only make the next clear night all that much more enjoyable!

Last but not least, this cartoon reminded me of Pittsburgh…for some odd reason.

Prepping for a Star Party

 

               I’m excited! The AAAP will be holding star parties once again. With the majority of the population in Pennsylvania being vaccinated, the mask requirements have been dropped.

               This will be the first star party in 20 months. Since my retirement is nearing, I am no longer working Friday nights. This will free me up for both nights (July 16 & 17^th) at the Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park.

               The general idea behind a star party is to show the public the wonders of the night sky. Club members bring their telescopes and set them up so that visitors can use them. Guests are welcome to bring their own scopes or just look through the member’s scopes. All the telescopes are there for you to look through, including the two large scopes mounted in the observatory. 

                  I can’t remember the last time I took a telescope to a star party. I do know it has been a long time! I used to go to lots of them. I had possession of one of the clubs better refractors and would set it up near the observatory. I remember fondly people saying that the refractor showed better images than the two mounted telescopes inside the building. Ahh, those were the days. It is always enjoyable showing people the stars!

               Since it has been such a long time since I went to one and dealt with the public, I figured I needed to make up a checklist to make sure I didn’t forget anything I would need.  I also made a list of possible objects to view during the night.

               Forgetting things is something I tend to do very well. There is nothing worse than driving 10-15 miles only to discover that I’ve forgotten the box of eyepieces or the weights used to balance the scope.

               There are approximately 20 days until the first star party. (Depending on when I post this or when you read it) I’ve made up my “to take” list and my “to view” list. Both are subject to change as the dates near. Here is what I’ve included so far:

To Take:

The Refractor

Tripod

Weights

Eyepieces

Binoculars

Flashlight (red)

Log book/ pens

Star Atlas, Observers Handbook & the current Astronomy magazine

Drinks / Snacks

Jacket

Hat

Bug spray

 

To Observe:

    Venus (west) sets around 10

    Mars (west)

    Moon- sets after midnight

    Jupiter (east) rises around 10:30-11

    Saturn (east) rises around 9:30- 10

    Any satellite passes worth noting

    Mizar and Alcor (Ursa Major)

    M81 & 82 (Ursa Major)

    M-31 Andromeda Galaxy

    M-57 Ring Nebula (Lyra)

    Double Double (Lyra) Epsilon Lyrae     

    Double cluster (Persius) after midnight ?

    Coat Hanger Cluster  (in line with Alberio)

    Alberio Double star in Cygnus 

With my list of objects to observe, I try to go for things which will be exciting for novices to see. It is also important to list things which will be visible during the night of the party! No sense listing the Orion Nebula if Orion won’t be in the sky that night.

               Venus and Mars will be in the western sky, setting shortly after dark falls. The moon will be in the sky until around midnight, being about 40% illuminated, it will be a good object to observe. The mountains along the terminator are always fun to look at.

               The planets Jupiter and Saturn are always crowd pleasers, they will be showing up in the east as the night progresses. The moons of Jupiter can be seen to move over an hour or so and the rings of Saturn are always memorable.

I have included a couple double stars and a few other things such as clusters and asterisms. I also included M-57, the Ring Nebula. This can be a difficult object for some to discern since it is rather faint, I’ll save it for later in the night, after the moon sets.

Before the event, I’ll go out in the yard and try to locate these objects. I haven’t done a lot of observing lately and I need to be able to quickly locate these things. It is always tough when someone is standing there, waiting to see what you have in your scope!

I’m anxiously looking forward to these dates. It will be great to spend a night under the stars. This though, brings up another subject, the possibility of bad weather. We live in Pittsburgh and it has a terrible history of bad weather conditions. I always say, “If there is something astronomical planned, the chances are it will rain!” (The picture above was taken during a VERY close conjunction between Saturn and Jupiter. The weather gods laughed at us…) I might have a cramp or two on July 16^th and 17^th, because I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed until then!

If you’re in the area, I hope to see you there!  Mark these dates...July 16 & 17, 2021! Find out more at The Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh web site:

3AP.ORG

I went outside for awhile last night and located a couple of the items on my list. It was a beautiful night, the temperature was perfect for observing. A pair of shorts and an open shirt was all I needed. (That and some bug spray) The stars competed with the fireflies. I saw a couple shooting stars and then got stuck on the items I was observing.  I wanted to just find them and then go to the next but I found I couldn’t help but stick with them for awhile, enjoying the beauty of the night. I saw LOTS of satellites; it seems as if no matter where I’m looking, one will drift through the field of view. Just before I tore things down, I saw a great shooting star, it was slow and bright and right where I was looking. How can you beat that?

Speaking of satellites, I woke up a little before 5 the next morning and watched the Chinese space station, Tianhe-1, go over and then a short while later, the International Space Station following a slightly different path. I watched both until they were lost in the brightness of the eastern sky.

The birds were chirping away, singing their morning songs and I, went back to bed where my dreams were waiting for me.

Bitchin' About Lights

 

 I haven’t bitched about lights for awhile. Maybe it’s time once again.

I went outside last night and the sky was pretty clear. The seeing was OK, I could see a fair amount of stars and the moon wasn’t due to rise until nearly 11. Being ¾ illuminated, it would be hiding the stars as it got higher. (The moon is one of the world’s largest light polluters!)

Looking around the neighborhood I realized that it would be fruitless to take the telescope outside. Two neighbors on the right of my house had their porch lights on, shining right where I would set up my scope. To the left, the neighbor a house away from me has a light that is never off, sitting in their front yard, illuminating houses all around it. Luckily there is a row of RoseASharon which hides it from my front yard. But if I need to move the scope onto the street, I’m right in its glow. To make matters worse, across the street from me, the dining room light was on, this also shined right onto my observing spot.

I recently cut my hedges down a bit, they were getting a little out of hand. When I did this, it exposed myself to more lights.  I took the dog for a walk around the street and enjoyed what I could see. Everywhere I went, I ran into someone’s porch or walk light. Being a Friday night, there were 3 or 4 parties going on, bonfires were burning and laughter was heard. It reminded me of summers in the past, back in the care free days. I tripped a few light sensors during my walk and cursed under my breath.

If you know me at all, you’ve heard me talk about the problem of light pollution, or an even better term, light trespassing! Simply said, lights hide the stars with their glare. Lights also make our pupils shrink and because of that we can’t see the fainter stars in the sky. Exposed to a light, such as a car headlight or a porch light, it can take up to 20 minutes before our pupils open up again. To an astronomer, these are 20 LONG minutes!

 

            We as a population rarely see the wonders in the sky above us. The lights on the highways, parking lots, shopping centers and the cities hide these tiny gems from us. Most people have never seen the Milky Way! They don’t know what they are missing! It is important that our children see the stars above them!

 

I remember a time I was in West Virginia, camping near Seneca Rocks with the Explorers Club of Pittsburgh. A huge fire had been built and everyone was surrounding it with beers in hand. Meanwhile, I was about 25-30 yards away gazing at the sky. I could see Messier Objects by eye! The Milky Way was spread across the sky in all its glory. Try as I might, I couldn’t drag them away from the fire…their loss! The next time I went down the telescope went with me.

Another time, in the 80’s, we had gone to Lewes Delaware for a week. One night we went to a small bridge crossing a back waterway to fish for crabs. What a great way to get a cheap dinner! Tie a piece of chicken on a string and drop it off the bridge, a crab will grab it and not let go. All you do is pull it up and drop it in a bucket! Anyway…the sky there was fantastic, stars went from horizon to horizon. It was easy to get lost in them, the familiar stars we all (?) know were hidden by all the fainter stars that we usually don’t see from our light polluted skies. I doubt if this darkness could be experienced there now.

There was one other time which sticks in my mind. I was heading back home after visiting friends in New Hampshire. The Space Shuttle was due to cross the sky about 10 minutes after I left. I pulled over on the side of a small two lane road and got out to watch for it. The morning sky was filled with stars. I was in shock, I nearly forgot about the shuttle pass.  The absence of lights shows us so much! Even though this happened a decade or two ago, I remember it like it was yesterday! Wonder has a way of engraving things in our minds!

The astronomy club I belong to has two observatories, the closest one to me is in Deer Lakes Park. It is a twenty minute drive from my house. It is amazing to me how many more stars are visible from a site that close to where I live.  Sadly the darkness at the observatories is slowly disappearing, people just feel the need for light.

After walking the dog, I sat in a chair in the glow of the neighbor’s lights and looked at the stars I could still see. I have a light shield I built for this very reason but to set it up would take time and it wouldn’t hide all the lights anyway. I settled for the chair in the darkest spot I could find and enjoyed the stars I could see. Maybe I’ll try again on Saturday night I thought. Perhaps they will forget to flick their switches!

On Saturday night, I returned to the front yard around 10 and surprisingly, most of the neighbor’s lights were off. There were still a few problems though. Across the street, the front porch light was on along with two garage lights. They shined on my house and her neighbor’s house. The people beside me had their porch light off but they have a light on the side of their house. It illuminated the house beside them which in turn, shined on my observation site.

Light pollution along with Saturn & Jupiter and some of the stars of Sagittarius to the right

My light shield is to the left

I brought up my light shield and set it up, hiding the glow of the house on my side of the street. My hedges and my car helped block the light from across the street. Jupiter and Saturn were in a perfect spot for observing. I brought the 8” Newtonian out to allow for some closer views. After it became acclimated, the views were spectacular, even with the lights below the pair.

One of Jupiter’s moons was getting closer to the planet as I watched. It took over an hour for Europa to disappear behind the disc of Jupiter. It was sort of like watching paint dry…slowly it got closer and closer. I would observe Saturn for awhile and then go back to see how it was progressing.

I feel as if it took about three minutes from when it appeared to touch the planet’s surface till I couldn’t see it anymore. Watching the four bright moons move gave me a good perspective of what their orbits were like.

Saturn was as wonderful as always. By spending time watching the planet you can see things that a quick glance would miss. The seeing was rock steady! As I watched every so often it appeared to sharpen even more. I saw marking (though faint) on the planets disc and could see individual rings and a nice dark shadow on them from the planet. The planet had a definite 3 dimensional look to it!

I had an early call for church the next day so I started tearing the set-up down after watching Europa disappear. As I was writing down a couple notes, using my red flashlight to protect my night vision, a truck pulled into a parking spot down the street. His high beams caught me right in the eyes. Some very bad things drifted through my mind…a couple minutes later the lights went off and I heard his door close. I took another look through the scope before I put it in the house and DAMNED if his headlights didn’t come on again.

I had a good couple hours. Even with the lights surrounding me I still spent some time with the two large planets. I didn’t realize it then, but I was looking in the same area that the dwarf planet Pluto was in. Hmm, how did I miss that? I saw an occultation of one of Jupiter’s moons and I saw some great views of the ringed planet Saturn. Looking back, it almost makes me forget about the lights.

Mars and the Moon on Mateo’s first birthday

I took the telescope in and then watched the Moon and Mars rise up out of the trees. It made me think of my grandson Mateo. I was out observing the moon the day he was born, one year ago today! I will always have that mental connection of him and the Moon!  Happy Birthday Mateo!

A final Look at Comet Neowise ?

 

After an afternoon of anticipation, I loaded the car with my refractor, the eyepieces, the camera and tripod along with a couple other essentials and headed up to the Wagman Observatory in Deer Lakes Park. I picked up a chicken salad on the way for my dinner. Arriving at 8, I was the first one there. 

Arriving early gave me time to find a geocache that was hidden near the observatory. Once I had found that, I started setting up.  While I was putting things together a young couple came up the hill and strolled around. They came over and asked where the comet was going to be.  My “new friends”, Lynn and Nathan hadn’t brought anything with them, no binoculars, just a blanket. They were just hoping to see Comet Neowise before it disappeared from view.

After getting things aligned and focused, I showed them the first quarter moon. Asking them to be careful not to touch anything, they carefully gazed into the wide field eyepiece. (Masks were worn all night.) Both were duly impressed. A short while later I showed them Saturn and Jupiter. By now the sky was getting darker and we could start seeing the stars of the Big Dipper. Binoculars came out and people started scanning the sky.  By now there were about 20 people on the hill. Tom Reiland had arrived and set up in the observatory. Due to the Covid 19 problems, there is only one person per room allowed in the observatory. This meant no visitors, only one observer per scope.

Tom, having watched the comet almost daily, saw it first. I managed to locate it in soon after. I was trying to find landmarks so I could return to it easily when I heard Arlan. She and Patrick had returned to take another look at this visitor from outer space

Comet Neowise (7.25.20) 10:18PM  125mm  f5.6   5 secs.

I wasn’t able to locate the comet by eye but after seeing it a couple times using binoculars, I was able to return to it after looking away. It was almost directly under Alkaid, the first star in the handle of the dipper.  Dropping down I came to two stars in line with my decent and the comet was just to the right of the pair. By the time darkness settled in there were about 30 people on the hilltop. There were a lot of cameras with large lens and a couple people had brought their “department store” telescopes with them.

Patrick set up his camera to get a few shots. I took a couple shots also but wasn’t pleased since the brightness of the comet had dropped and the tail wasn’t as obvious as it was last Saturday. (7.18.20) Clouds and haze were slowly working their way into the section of sky the comet was located in.  A little after 11 the crowd thinned out. It got quieter and even though clouds were moving across the sky it was still a very pleasant evening. The temperatures were very comfortable and it was nice to just stand around and BS for awhile. Talking to friends while craning our necks to see anything that nature decided to show us is a common Wagman stance. While we talked a shooting star or two were granted to our waiting eyes along with an ISS pass. Saturn and Jupiter were soon covered over. I BS’d for awhile with Tom and John, two members I’ve known since I joined the AAAP and then I loaded my car and headed for home.

Back in Shaler, I could see the Big Dipper but I didn’t bother trying to see the comet. Most of the stars visible at Wagman were gone, hidden by the lights scattered all around my hometown. I had seen Comet Neowise once more and I seriously doubt if I’ll see it again. Pittsburgh weather is looking rather iffy for the next few days.  I spent an evening with friends gazing at the skies above us. I spent some time exploring the terminator of the moon and also took a look at Jupiter, Saturn and the Andromeda Galaxy and shared them with friends in the process. All in all, another great night!

Sunday night, 7.25.20, 11PM.  I saw it one more time from my neighborhood. While walking the dog, balancing against a stop sign. It was a faint blob, no tail that I could see but then again, I had a neighbors porch light shining on me. I couldn't relocate it from the house. I'm afraid it is gone to me...

A COUPLE FACTS: In case you were wondering, the comet got its name from the telescope which discovered it. NEOWISE- Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. It was discovered on March 27^th 2020.The nucleus of the comet is approximately 3 miles across and at its closest point, (7.23.20) it was about 64 million miles away from us. It is now heading away from us but don’t worry, it will be back in about 6800 years. MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Minor Telescope Adjustments and Some Lunar Observing

 

 

           Setting up my telescope a few evenings ago, I attempted to align the finder scope with no luck. Two of the six adjustment screws had been broken off. This scope is an eight inch Meade reflector, about 35 years old.  I bought it a few years after I joined the Amateur Astronomers Association of Pittsburgh.  It has treated me quite well over the years. It has been taken to various places for occultations, eclipses and star parties.  Over the years the plastic had become brittle and once that happens, all it takes is a small bump and the bolt shears off.  Sometime during transportation between home and observing sites they had broken.

                I checked my various containers of bolts and couldn’t find anything that could be used in their place. They were made of plastic to protect the optical tube of the finder scope. It would be a shame to mar the white finish.  A visit to a local hardware store took care of the problem. I needed ¼-20 screws, 1 inch long. A fairly standard item except when you are looking for plastic hardware. Luckily, the store had just 6 of them in stock. I also bought 6 plastic nuts to lock the screws in place once it had been aligned.

                The screws and the nuts sat in their plastic bags for about a week before I had the time to tackle the project. It wasn’t difficult, believe me!

                A pair of pliers removed the two broken screws and some twisting with my fingers removed the other four. They had spread a bit near the ends because of being pressed against the tube for 3 or 4 decades but with a little elbow grease, they came right out. I gave the mount a once over with a rag, removing most of the dust. I gathered the various parts and took them outside along with the mount.

                Setting the tube level with the ground, I put the finder scope in place and roughly aligned it to the edges of the holder. Then I tipped the scope up a bit and found a telephone pole about an 1/8 mile away. Using a wide eyepiece and then narrowing it down with smaller eyepieces, I centered the scope on one of the arms of the telephone pole. A ceramic insulator provided the perfect target.

I lined up the finder by adjusting the six screws, going back and forth to make sure I was still centered on the insulator. Once I had it lined up I moved the scope and aimed through the finder at a near-by chimney. Then I checked the scope and it was pointed right where I had aimed it. Success!

                The scope then sat in the front yard waiting for dusk. I had already taken a quick look at the moon and was looking forward to seeing it in a dark sky. It is half lit and there will be lots of mountain peaks hanging above the darkness of the valleys on the terminator.

                I went out as the sky was darkening and did some lunar observing. The moon was high in the sky, half illuminated. There were a few clouds drifting by but all in all, the seeing was great.  The clouds disappeared as the night cooled down. The view of the moon was rock steady, I could see lots of details. I kept returning to the southern end of the terminator. There are lots of craters there, many more than the northern end.

                The way the sun was sitting the craters appeared to be hanging in space. It looked as if part of the moon had cracked off and had left a jagged edge. It also reminded me of lace, all those fine little craters, edged with black shadows. In places beams of sunlight illuminated the floors of the craters. It is amazing how many craters there are in this section of the moon!

                I noticed a straight line crossing one of the mares and realized that it was a feature I hadn’t seen in a long, long time. It is called the Straight Wall, an appropriate name if I say so myself. It actually isn’t a wall or a cliff, it is a slight rise in the surface and when the sun is in the right position, it looks like a shadow of a cliff. It is 68 miles long, about the same distance as between  Glenshaw and Johnstown! The crater beside it is named Brit, it is 11 miles across. (Picture was taken with a 1.25 Barlow attached to my camera. 8” f6 reflector, 1600 ISO @ 1/125 sc.)

  I lucked out and saw two passes of the International Space Station. For the first one I was inside and glanced at my clock and saw it was time for it to pass overhead. I ran (?) outside and looked up and there it was! Lucky!!  Later I happened to look at my watch and then checked the paper I had written the times of its passes on…and saw it was time once again. I went up to the street and there it was, just skimming the trees to the west. I watched as it drifted into the earth’s shadow.  It was nice and bright both times, hard to miss. Once again…lucky!

                There were a couple parties down the street from me and cars and trucks kept shining their lights on me so I came in for awhile. My community has a real light pollution problem! (Thank heavens that is its’ worst problem!)

                So, I’ll be heading out again around 3:30. Hopefully the neighbors light will be off by then. The moon should be out of the sky and Jupiter and Saturn will have taken its place. Time for a quick snooze!

                My luck ran out, I came outside and saw Jupiter and Saturn just before a large white mass of clouds covered them over. The views of the moon will have hold me until the next time. I brought the scope inside and jumped back into the nice warm bed and returned to my dreams!

Picture was hand held through the telescope 1/60 sc.