Starting 2026

 

L-R: Flame & Horsehead Nebulas, Messier 42, Messier 81 & 82

        Well, I'm not getting out as much as I like but still getting out there. I logged one session in January and two so far in February. January was almost a shutout due to snow and/or cold. This is the first of me realizing how much snow cover contributes to light pollution. But almost the entire month of January was impossible to work around. Today as I write this, we spent two afternoons on the front porch so far. But winter here is unpredictable. We'll celebrate the 60s today and then dig out of a foot of snow in two or three weeks. 

M35, Shoe Buckle cluster in Gemini

        I'm working with a new eyepiece purchased from High Point. It's a 7mm wide view. So far it's given me great views of Saturn and Jupiter. I've been trying it on carbon and double stars. My session on 10 Feb gave me some amazing looks at the vivid red carbon stars. Last night, (15 Feb) I was attempting to use it on Orion's double stars as listed in "Turn Left at Orion" but the humidity was obscuring my view. Last night was also one of the shortest sessions ever. Not even 2 hours. 

Caldwell 5 in Camelopardilis

        Mercury makes an easy target in a couple of days. But, typical for Illinois, the weather says other wise. I may have some wiggle room in the days following. 

Rosette Nebula in Monoceros

        I'd been experimenting with the S50's watermark feature as seen in the above shot. I'm not sure that I'm crazy about it. On one hand, a lot of information goes into the footer. On the other hand, there's something about it which makes the picture look manufactured. 

M97, the Owl Nebula in Ursa Major

        By the way, the new eyepiece came courtesy of a 12-string guitar I sold on Craigslist. I also just sold my demon of a Schecter with Seymour Duncan pickups. Man, that thing had tone! For that, I purchased a refurbished Lenovo laptop. I'm planning on getting the planet camera back out and trying to get more familiar with it. I'm hoping the newer Lenovo will have the power to run the camera without the memory or processor getting overwhelmed. 

Ghost of Cassiopeia

        Checking my planner, it looks like there'll be three opportunities this year to capture Mercury. 19 Feb, 15 Jun and then 12 Oct. Weather permitting. Also I'm hoping the Canadian wildfires don't make their appearance. Those can mess up summer viewing sessions. 

Heart Nebula in Cassiopeia

        Another future target will be the Lunar X and V. These are light and shadow effects visible on the Moon for a few hours around the first-quarter phase, occurring monthly. Sunlight illuminates the rims of craters Blanchinus, La Caille, and Purbach to form the "X," while the crater Ukert produces the "V". They happen every month but only 4 times this year during a reasonable part of the day. Again, weather permitting. 

Messier 108, Surfboard Galaxy in Ursa Major

        The S50 Seestar continues to make me happy. It does a great job on many DSOs and I'm looking forward to it updating a lot of my older shots, even ones I made when I first purchased the S50. I'm also going through my tables and targets in "Turn Left at Orion". The more I learn about this pastime, the more I rediscover. My wife Kathy asked me "What happens when you've seen everything?" I told her that you can't, there's always something new to discover. Even the stuff you've seen before takes on a different perspective on subsequent viewings. 

        It's why I love doing this. 

The Leo Triplet: NGC 3628, M65, M66