Stargazing at Stonelick Lake - March 17th

We've had our share of strange weather this winter and Spring's looking about the same. The predictions are calling for 80~90 % cloud cover with a 40% chance of rain. Not promising at all.

We might get lucky and have good conditions for a Messier Marathon next weekend. If you haven't heard of the marathon before it's the only time of year when starting right at dusk and observing till dawn you have the opportunity to view almost the entire Messier catalog. I haven't heard of anyone attempting this lately because of unfavorable conditions but if the sky's right I know you can knock 85~90 off the list and still have time to drink lots off coffee.

MESSIER MARATHON

In 1758, 28-year old French astronomer Charles Messier observed and tracked a marvelous sight. Halley’s Comet had returned as predicted, which proved that these fuzzy-tailed visitors orbited the sun like the planets. Suddenly comet hunting was a major part of astronomy, and the discovery of a new comet could make you a minor celebrity in Europe.

Mr. Messier observed the skies with extreme vigilance, hoping to discover new comets. Later nicknamed the “Ferret of Comets”, he discovered13 comets on his own and helped to discover six others.Yet Mr. Messier is known today more for his list of deep space objects than for discovering comets.

In his search for these extremely faint objects, Mr. Messier came across areas of the sky that looked like comets but didn’t move with respect to the stars. Mr. Messier called these comet masqueraders, “embarrassing objects”.

So Mr. Messier, not wanting to be embarrassed anymore, compiled a list of comet like objects to include on star charts, much like a sea captain might mark reefs on an ocean map. Eventually, he included 103 objects in his catalog. Seven more were added after his death.

These 110 Messier Objects represent some of the most fascinating phenomena in and out of our galaxy.

The list includes:

* 55 star clusters

* 36 galaxies

* 11 nebula

* a double star

* a supernova remnant

Some Messier ( or M ) objects can be seen with the naked eye. The cluster of stars called the Pleiades or the Seven Sisters, are designated as M45. The Orion nebula, which can be found below Orion’s belt is M42 and M43. About 80 M objects can be found with a good pair of binoculars.

Stargazing @ Stonelick Saturday Feb 25th

The predictions are getting better. Maybe there's some truth to the saying "If you don't like the weather in Cincinnati wait 15 minutes"
The clearsky clock's calling for the clouds to blow through this afternoon leaving mostly clear skies tonight. It's still gonna be cold but there's only so much we can realistically expect.
People are talking about going out around 7:30. If I remember right Venus, the Moon, Jupiter, and Mars are visible around dusk & Saturn rises at 10:00.

No stargazing this weekend..................

More clouds is the prediction.
Clouds moving in and staying for a little while.

All & all I can't complain about the weather. Fifty's and sixties are a lot better than 0's or less.

Stargazing Tonight - Saturday January 28th

It's gonna be cold and mostly clear tonight. Chris is planning on setting up between 6:30 and 7:00.
If you head out dress for the weather, it hasn't been real cold this winter but 27 degrees isn't anything to sneeze at.

No Stargazing at Stonelick, but we might see an Aurora between the cloudsOf course the clouds are parked over Cincinnati and we've got a chance of see

Of course the clouds are parked over Cincinnati and we've got a chance of seeing an Aurora tonight. If the skies clear look toward the North after dark.

From Spaceweather.com :
Active sunspot 1401 erupted on Jan. 19th around 16:30 UT, producing an M3-class solar flare and a full-halo coronal mass ejection (CME). The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory recorded the cloud expanding almost directly toward Earth:Their forecast predicts an impact on Jan. 21st at 22:30 UT (+/- 7 hrs).

No stargazing tonight

The clouds are back, again.
New moon weekends are probably jinxed & we might have to resort to emailing folks on the few clear nights this season.
Throughout the week if you'd be interested in notices or updates for observing opportunities send me an email & I'll add you to the list.
The address is stonelickstargazing@gmail.com

Scott

Sat. Nov. 5th - clear skies

Folks are going out around 7:00 Saturday night to observe the Moon & Jupiter. The Clear Sky Clock looks great and we're even supposed to have mild temps. It's a combination that's too hard to pass up.

Scott