Catching the Sunset

 Tuesday, 9/5

 With the low percentage of clear nights in the Pittsburgh area sitting high in my mind, I am once again working on an upcoming astronomical event.

    What I am hoping to catch in this project, is a picture of the sun going down behind the Wagman Observatory. There is a house about 6 miles away with a clear view of the observatory. Using a variety of on-line programs and even more important, the expertise of John Holtz, we have narrowed down dates to within 3 or 4 days. On these days, the sun will disappear behind the Observatory as seen from this house.

     Every night the sun sets in a different spot on the horizon. If you were to put a mark on a picture window at the same time every day for a year marking the suns position, you would end up with a figure eight shape, an analamma. The trick is to determine when the sun will set where you want it to!

    Naturally for this project, there are variables. The times for sunsets are figured off of a flat horizon. The observatory sits on a high hill, this could change the time or position of the setting sun. Another variable, an even more important one, is the weather.  I have ranted about this too many times to count. If something is going to occur astronomically, chances are it will be clouded over. I can live with a slight cloud cover; it might lessen the brightness of the sun. The clouds will act as a filter and allow a slightly longer exposure, making the observatory visible in the picture.

    Between then and now, I will make a couple lists. One will consist of all the items I’ll need to bring along with me and the other will be a timeline. By using these I will be able to arrive early enough to allow set up, find the observatory and to taking a couple test exposures. All the necessary equipment will be in the car. Making these lists are part of the fun of events like these, at least to me they are!

    Now, for the next 4-5 days, I’ll try my best not to think about the weather!

Thursday, 9/7

    Waking up, the open window beside me providing a comfortable cool breeze, I am greeted by the low rumble of thunder. Rain can be heard falling through the leaves of the trees. I close my eyes and just listen…and relax. What a nice way to wake up in the morning.

    The only thing that takes away from my relaxation is knowing that rain clouds are working their way across the city. Hopefully they will be gone by Monday…but, I said I wasn’t going to think about that! OK, time to make some coffee and to get the day started!

Saturday 9/9

    I wake up again to the sound of rain. A space station pass is due in a few minutes but instead of dressing and searching the sky, I close my eyes and let the rain carry me back to sleep.

    Later in the day, Ann Marie and I drive up to Wagman to make a couple measurements. I want to get accurate vector angle with my compass so that I will be able to duplicate its opposite angle when we are at the house. (angle +/- 180 degrees) While we are there, we also pick up a few brochures to pass along to the owner of the house; the telescopes, the observatory, star parties and a few publications about light pollution. Then we return home, make a veggie pizza, play some Scrabble and DON’T think about Monday! As the weekend continues, the clouds remain.

Monday- 9/11  The Big Day!

    I wake up at 5 to watch the Chinese Space Station pass through Orion. The sky is clear and my hopes are raised. After watching the pass, I spent some time scanning the sky with my binoculars before going back in and returning to bed. I need to be rested today! There is still a lot to be done.

    As the day progressed, the fog that showed up after I went back to bed slowly dissipated. I try my best not to look up! I made the call to the homeowner and told her we will be coming out and give her an approximate time of arrival. The car was loaded and the checklist was marked as each essential part was put in. Then I sat down and read a book. What better way to distract your mind than by reading?

    All was set and finally, it was time to get Ann Marie and Jim. We arrived at the house about 45 minutes before sunset, just as planned. The telescope was set up and some pictures were taken.

    It was very difficult to see the observatory with the bright light of the sun near-by. The observatory was in the shadows. Using the compass to point the telescope, I managed to find it on the first try! The problem would be, what is correct exposure? Digital photography really helps in situations such as these!

    The sun was getting closer to the horizon though it still hadn’t entered the camera frame. Once it did, I started clicking. Since the sun was so bright, I gave up hoping to see the observatory. The shapes of the trees were the only way I could tell where it was. I took the pictures and would fret over not being able to see the building later.

    Once the sun had set, the family who owned the house came out and we showed their grandson some of the sights around the area through the telescope. Before we tore the setup down, we were able to show him Saturn! He was very happy to see that. (It goes without saying!) After everyone had seen the ringed planet, the scope was taken apart and re-packed in to the car, and then we said our thanks and good-byes. We stopped for a celebratory dinner and then headed home.

You have to look closely to see the observatory in this picture!

It’s impossible to see in this one!

    My pictures weren’t quite what I had hoped for. The trees behind the observatory had foiled the silhouetted shot I had wanted to get, though early into this project, I knew it would never happen. I was happy to find the building from this far away and was happy to get the sunset shot. We were pleased that the weather cooperated with us. Though the picture wasn’t what I had hoped for, it was a learning experience. Maybe the next time with the moon instead of the sun…or maybe we could cut down the trees...the possibilities are endless. We shall see, we shall see!

Saturn and Jupiter at Last! 12/29/20

 

                All day long I was watching the sky. A nice color of blue with a couple clouds drifting through. I wasn’t so much worried about how it looked then, I was thinking about the evening! I still hadn’t seen the two giant planets, Jupiter and Saturn. They had a very close conjunction on the 21^st of the month. Pittsburgh weather had hidden the grouping from me and other astronomy fans in the surrounding states.

 

(Pictures will enlarge when clicked)

                The shot above was taken by a Pittsburgh astronomer Alexis Kwasinski who drove about 425 miles to get a clear shot of the conjunction. Now that is devotion to a hobby! The picture was taken through his Celestron Schmidt Cassigrain Telescope.  The planets were a tenth of a degree apart. To give an example of a degree, holding your finger out at arms length is one degree. The planets were 1/10^th of that distance.

                In actuality, the planets were about 450 million miles apart! Their orbits had lined up with ours to provide this rare viewing. The last time the pair were this close and observable was in 1226! The next time will be in 2080, so mark your calendars! Knowing the weather in Pittsburgh, I won’t be holding my breath! I’ve been through this before!

During the day (12/29) Ann Marie and I had taken a drive and did a couple geocaches. When we got home we busied ourselves working on a jigsaw puzzle. It was an Escher print so my mind was concentrating on the pieces rather than the weather outside. 

                The sun was due to set around 5 and when I looked outside, there was still blue in the sky! The clouds had stayed away! I left the house about a half hour before sunset. Ann Marie decided to stay home and work on the puzzle, probably a good idea considering how cold I was when I got home. I headed up to Sharps Hill, overtop of the Sharpsburg flats.  I would’ve liked to get a shot of the planets over the city but I had checked to see where they would be setting and I couldn’t see a good spot where I could line everything up. I decided that seeing the planets was the most important thing. Whatever happened would be great.

                I also thought about taking my telescope along and after I saw the pair I wished I would have. Still, with the temperature dropping as the night got darker and the cloud bank in the west it was probably for the best. I also ended up in a cemetery and they often frown on people setting up their telescopes over top of the graves!

 Originally I went to the edge of Sharps Hill, overlooking Etna, Rt.28 and the city. The sun was just setting and I grabbed a few shots of it as it went down. Then I took out my binoculars and started scanning back and forth for Jupiter. There was a large cloud bank right above the horizon which worried me a bit. There were also a lot of young trees and bushes that were crowding into my shots. I decided that since the planets wouldn’t be visible for a few more minutes, I’d move my base of operations to the near-by cemetery. A short drive and I was on top of a hill of graves. It was just me, the bones and the cold wind.

                I set up the camera and tripod and took out the binoculars. I located Jupiter almost immediately. With-in a few minutes Saturn appeared in my glasses. I believe the pair was about a degree apart. I pointed the camera and took a few shots and then I turned around and took a couple shots of the full moon behind me. I could see the haze in the air when I looked at the moon.

 I took a few more pictures of the planets and then a couple of the city since it was just sitting there…just waiting for me to take it’s picture...and then I packed up and headed home.

                I could see the planets as I drove home but nearing my house they were hidden from view by the hillside in my neighborhood. I carried my stuff inside and made some coffee to warm me up and joined AMB in putting a few more pieces in the puzzle.

                The pictures weren’t great and if it isn’t noted, no one would know what they were a picture of. Still, I finally saw the conjunction, after 8 days but they still were close.  I saw them and that was the important thing! I won’t have to wait until 2080 to see them close like this again! (As if I’d even be around then…) It was a great day, the weather held out for me. Not only that but I was on vacation, there was no work to worry about! Yes, it was a good day!

                Here’s looking forward to a Happy, Clear New Year! Good luck in all your searches!