Eclipse: Tired, dirty, and happy

The Sun at Maximum Eclipse - 2:32 PM EDT - Note Sunspot at Lower Left

Yesterday (August 21) millions gathered along a thin path crossing the continental United States to watch a total eclipse of the Sun. Those with favorable viewing conditions along the path of totality enjoyed an amazing sight and experience. Totality fell close enough to a west-to-east center line across the continent that at least a partial eclipse was visible to anyone with access to clear sky.

Since, with some self-doubt, I had decided not to travel to the path of totality, I organized the Hiram Eclipse Watch event. With the support of the Hiram College Physics Department, it took place on the campus of the college.

I set up two telescopes: a six-inch Meade refractor with a Baader Planetarium Safety Herschel Wedge, and a 90mm Meade refractor with a Thousand Oaks glass/metal filter. I also went equipped with my Canon EOS 50D camera, 400mm telephoto, and 2X teleconverter (>1,200mm focal length equivalent), and white light film filter. Physics staff ran a Lunt Ha scope and an experiment recording temperature and solar energy changes during the eclipse.

Progressing Toward Maximum - Silhouette of the Moon Moves Across the Solar Disk

Summarizing, despite last-minute worries over cloud cover, we had clear to partly-cloudy skies for the duration of our 80-percent partial eclipse. An estimated 375 visitors came out to share the experience, and by all reports had an excellent time. Some families even brought blankets and enjoyed a picnic on the lawn in the shade of old trees!

Detail from Above - Look Along Moon's Edge and Notice Bumps: Lunar Mountains and Ridges in Silhouette

It was very hot and fairly humid and I labored in the sunshine erecting and operating the telescopes, rationing out eclipse viewing glasses, explaining the eclipse event and solar features, and making a few photographs of my own. By the end I was dripping with sweat and very tired but had to rush home to process and upload a photograph of maximum eclipse to a newspaper.

By the end of day, I was was tired, dirty, and happy.

The (Ravenna) Record-Courier - August 22, 2017 - Page 1

September 27 "Supermoon" Total Lunar Eclipse a Challenging Event to View

Beautiful in its Own Way - Full Moon Peeking through Heavy Clouds - 8:21 PM EDT

The much-anticipated total lunar eclipse of September 27, 2015 was a challenge for me, a big disappointment for many others. The night started out with a thick layer of clouds floating overhead, a few breaks (known as “sucker holes) visible here and there. I was pretty sure I would see nothing. In fact, conditions in Hiram, where I had planned a public eclipse viewing event, were expected to be so poor I had to cancel the event (it apparently rained there during the midpoint of the eclipse).




"Supermoon" Emerging from Pre-Eclipse Clouds for a Moment - 8:56 PM EDT

Enough openings appeared, however, that I got my tripod and cameras ready just in case. I’m glad I did! When it did appear, the Moon was slightly larger and somewhat brighter than it might otherwise have been: the eclipse took place during a perigee Full Moon, a so-called "supermoon." A perigee total lunar eclipse is a fairly rare event and isn't to be seen again until the year 2033.





Totality at 10:43 PM EDT: Within minutes of moment of greatest eclipse (10:47)!

By standing on my balcony, watching, camera pointing to where the Moon was behind the clouds, I was ready for the brief appearances it would make. The passing breaks in cloud cover often allowed only a few seconds of relative clarity for photography. I was able to see most stages of the eclipse and capture some reasonably good images, considering the conditions ... there never was a time when I had truly clear sky!

Totality Ending - Eclipsed Moon at 11:20 PM EDT - Dot(s) to the right are stars of constellation Pisces.

The hours of watching seemed to pass quickly and before I knew it, the event was ending. We are privileged to have the opportunity to see only a few total lunar eclipses in our lifetime so it’s best to make the most of each one!

Hiram Camera Watches Skies all Night

Back in the spring of 2011 I learned that NASA was seeking new locations to become stations in their All-Sky Fireball Network. Knowing the nighttime skies over Hiram can be excellent, I thought addition of a local network station would be a great thing: it would allow viewing of local phenomena often missed by human eyes, and would contribute to real ongoing micrometeorite research. Making the station happen, however, was not so simple.

The Network is a collection of automated cameras that watch the sky every night for incoming meteors, brighter than the planet Venus, called fireballs. Each station's local computer analyzes video in real time looking for signature flashes made by bright meteors. If a fireball is spotted, the video is captured and relayed to the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala., for further analysis. "The collected data will be used by the MEO {Meteoroid Environment Office} in constructing models of the meteoroid environment, which are important to spacecraft designers," says a NASA statement.

The Fireball Network (about 2012) Before Hiram Came Along

I received the go-ahead to pursue the project from Dr. Laura Van Wormer, Physics Department Chair, and contacted Dr. William Cooke, the head of NASA's MEO, asking him about applying. The application form was astonishingly easy and from the beginning it was apparent we were a good potential site. I completed the form and waited.

Stations in the Fireball Network require an unobstructed view of the sky (360 degrees, nearly down to the horizon), a relatively clear dark nighttime sky, and infrastructure including high-speed Internet access; Hiram had all of those qualities, at least in some places. Hiram's ground-level Stephens Memorial Observatory is located on what today would be a residential lot in the village. The Observatory property is bordered by tall trees on the western property line and by houses and trees to the north and east, thus unsuitable for wide views of the sky. Nor does Stephens have broadband Internet. Buildings on campus, however, had different combinations of the three requirements!

The tallest building on the Hiram College campus that might afford a clear view of the sky, with roof space for a camera setup, and proximity to sheltered space for a computer, was the Colton-Turner Science Building. Colton is a very old building but the view from atop its mechanicals penthouse is amazing!

Panorama Shot from the Penthouse Roof Showing Hiram College Campus and Horizon

A long period of waiting was punctuated by occasional contacts with NASA and eventually we were told we were approved. There was, however, one little problem: the Northeastern U.S. was not covered well by the Fireball Network and there were no other stations close enough to work with us -- stations need to be not-too-close and not-too-distant from each other in order that their fields of view overlap and proper triangulation can be made of any meteor sighting. Triangulation allows for calculation of speed, distance, brightness, etc., all important to the research. Perhaps, as Dr. Cooke suggested, we could join the Canadian meteor network?

More waiting. Then suddenly, in October 2012, an exchange of emails began with Dr. Cooke's associate, Danielle Moser of the Micrometeoroid Environment Office. There were no other nearby applicants, she stated, did I have any suggestions? I provided a few but, apparently through her own research, Moser found other interested and qualified parties and the project was "on!"

The Weather Station atop Colton

Meanwhile I needed to find a suitable home in Colton for the Fireball camera host computer system. I had seen a weather station on the roof of the building and asked about whose it was; perhaps we could work together. Enter, Dr. Louis Oliphant, Chair of the Computer Science Department. From the start Oliphant was enthusiastically supportive of the camera project. He first suggested a small closet inside of the mechanicals penthouse. There was electrical power available, LAN connectivity, and close proximity to the roof, but I could only imagine that room, outside wall facing west, heating to oven-like temperatures in the summertime and killing the NASA computer. There had to be another place for the computer to live.

Technician Installing the All-Sky Camera High above Hiram

After much mulling over, and queries by Oliphant, a new space was offered up: a dumbwaiter elevator shaft. Good, but no wiring access to the roof and no windows for a GPS antenna. Nearby, however, was the answer: the corner of a little-used laboratory. The lab's "owner," Dr. Matthew Sorrick of Environmental Studies, was happy to allow the installation.

All-Sky Fireball Network Camera Sits Atop its Mast Waiting for Dark

So on August 13, 2013, after much delay, emailing, and a lot of head-scratching and searching, technicians arrived at Hiram College and set up the All-Sky camera system. Cables were strung from the roof down to the lab and through a window frame, the computer set up and configured for Hiram's LAN with help from Network Administrator Bryan Drennen, and the system tested. We didn't know when we might see the first results but were happy to have Hiram now an official observation station. It was a long process, a long day, and we were willing to rest and wait. As it turns out, we didn't have to wait long.

"First Light" for Hiram College's Fireball Network Camera - a Bright Perseid in the Western Sky!

The annual Perseids meteor shower had peaked over cloudy skies the past weekend but there are always stragglers. The Perseid shower is known to be rich in fireball meteors, again, those brighter than Venus. In that first overnight and under mostly-clear skies, the little camera picked up several fireballs, verified in coordination with the other new camera station at Oberlin College. Everyone involved was delighted.

The Fireball Network (August 2013) After Hiram and Partners Were Added

I am very pleased that Hiram played a big part in spurring expansion of The Fireball Network into the Northeastern region of the U.S.  From now on, we will not only watch the skies but watch for what our unblinking eye on the sky has seen. Meteor showers will become even more interesting.

Postscript: Not only am I thrilled and proud to have seen this effort through to fruition, to be listed with the fabulous historic Allegheny Observatory (thanks to NASA's recruitment of them) is a huge honor!

Transit of Venus

Monochrome Image of Sun, Sunspots, and Venus, June 5, 2012, 7:11 PM. Camera Info: Canon EOS 50D, 400mm lens, ISO 400, f/8, 1/1000 sec., white light film solar filter.

More than 105 people ranging in age from kindergartner to senior citizen took a look at the transit of Venus through telescopes I set up at the former site of the Hiram Elementary School near the Hiram College campus. The once-in-a-lifetime experience was nearly a washout as drizzle and overcast loomed over the area. I set up the telescope mounts in a light drizzle but kept the telescopes in the car - I was discouraged, nearly in despair, and believed we would see nothing. Just a few minutes after the astronomical event began at 6:04 PM, however, the clouds began to thin, then part, and clear views were enjoyed through the rest of the event! Sunset behind a row of trees ended the occasion at about 8:20.

Because I was the person setting up and focusing the telescopes, I got first view and, while I did not see Venus at its first moment of transit, I did observe it between first and second contact. I also observed the thin aureole of Venus's atmosphere as it bridged the solar limb!

I was gratified by the excited and appreciative audience and thanked all who attended the informal event. I had no idea the general public would be so thrilled at the sight of Venus and our Sun together!

People who looked through the three telescopes I set up were treated to different views of the same scene: through a Baader Herschel Wedge (green tint), through a Thousand Oaks orange filter, and through a Lunt solar telescope. In every telescope viewers could see the solid black disk of Venus floating starkly against the Sun. A good assortment of sunspots could also be seen, including web-like detail inside some of the larger marks. In the solar telescope, tuned to what is termed “hydrogen alpha” light, attendees could see solar prominences -- massive fountains of plasma towering thousands of miles above the Sun. Once people discovered that view, it became a favorite sight.

The photos were shot in moments between tending to the telescopes and informing viewers of what they were seeing. They were shot using a Canon 400mm lens with Baader solar film filter, and my Canon EOS 50D, at ISO 400, f/8, 1/1000 sec. What appears as grain is actually patterns in the photosphere - the visible surface of the Sun.

Mars mystique strikes again!

I arrived at Stephens Memorial Observatory early in order to sweep up the inevitable accumulations of bird poo and nesting materials that blow down from the dome's ill-sealed shutter. The first of the evening's surprises happened when I touched the pull rope to open the shutter to a then-clear sky. I heard scratching sounds -- usually the sign of birds roosting and nesting above. In the spring time, especially, I hate the sounds of bird activity at Stephens; birds build their nests, lay their eggs, and rear their young in a space that becomes precarious when the dome's shutter is opened. In recent years we usually see one brood (eggs, chicks, or unfledged young) lost due to falling from a destroyed nest or trapped inside the dome. This time, however, I glanced above and was momentarily shocked for I saw a black, furry animal scrambling to escape and prevent a fall. Skunk!? Er, no. The frightened furry was one of Hiram's many black squirrels. I've never seen a squirrel in the dorm or in the shutter and hope they don't nest there but maybe they'll keep the birds from nesting. I'm hoping for the best, anyway.

Cleaning barely complete, the telescope uncovered and prepped for the first Open Night of the year, I decided to try my chances at seeing Venus. The planet has recently been in conjunction with Jupiter in the Western evening sky and, though below the neighboring treeline, the trees were bare and I could spy brilliant Venus between the branches! Yes! For the first time at Stephens I was able to see Venus, resolved as a half-lit disk! Then the evening's first visitors arrived... three young ladies and their grandmother, half an hour early. I offered them a look at Venus but, by then, the planet had slipped behind a tree trunk and could not be seen. Oh well, let's see if we can view the Orion Nebula, barely above the trees in the southwest and now visible in the darkening sky.

I swung the big refractor around, found the nebula, and focused. Not bad for a twilight view: the veil of the nebula was visible and several stars of the Trapezium were nestled within. I offered the girls a look at M42. Er, no. In that brief time between adjusting the telescope and fetching a ladder for the kids, clouds covered Orion. Eeek! All right then, we'll go to the other part of the sky and look for Mars, now glowing red in the east and not long after opposition.

Mars, 67 million miles away this night, quickly came into view as a crisply-defined coppery disk. Unfortunately there was only a hint of mottling within the disk, no clear indication of surface features. Grandma and the girls got decent looks at the Red Planet before, yes, those pesky clouds engulfed it! By then other visitors began to arrive. The sky became overcast with occasional "sucker holes" and thin spots. Well, this will be a short night, I thought.

I answered questions, recounted the history of the telescope, talked about the Observatory, all the while watching the sky and keeping at the telescope. When Mars would penetrate the gloom, I'd  re-aim the scope, call people over to look, they would see an even less-distinct reddish disk, and it would disappear. Apologies. And so it went for the entire evening. There was no sense in trying to chase the holes and point at some star or other that managed to be briefly seen through the overcast. Still, more visitors dropped in.

Over the course of the evening we counted 42 visitors, most or all of whom caught a glimpse of Mars. They were, to a person, patient and good-humored making it a pleasant night that ended with the last departing around 10:30.

Not long after that, as I was deciding whether to close early, the clouds parted overhead exposing a deep, dark sky! The night was filled with stars and with my unaided eyes I was able to make out the Beehive star cluster (M44) nearly overhead. It was beautiful through binoculars. No more visitors, however, so I closed the place up.

Everyone could see it was an overcast sky as they headed out to visit us. They could see a star or two, only occasionally at best, and still they came. Such is the draw held by the mystique of Mars!

We'll try again April 14.

Thin clouds but a good night

Open night at Stephens Memorial Observatory: Thin clouds didn't keep 27 people from visiting this night and enjoying fine views of the giant planet Jupiter and its Galilean moons. We observed Jove's twin equatorial cloud belts, some additional bands of clouds, and a few sharp-eyed viewers caught glimpses of the Great Red Spot (actually, my first!). Adding to the experience, one of the four visible moons moved closer to the disk of the planet as the night progressed. Eventually moon Io began its transit across Jupiter, first visible against the south equatorial band, then disappearing into the planet's glare. Earth's Moon put in an appearance far later than I'd have wanted -- I got the timing wrong back at the beginning of the year whilst setting up our schedule! Most visitors viewed it as it rose through clouds and neighboring trees, then they headed home. They did, however, spy lunar seas and craters through a network of bare tree branches resembling eyelashes, said one viewer. Our last visitors of the night, however, were rewarded with our usual clear, bright, and astonishingly beautiful lunar sights as presented by the great Cooley Telescope. One, an experienced sky watcher, said it was the finest view he'd had of Earth's neighbor in 40 years of observing! As we left the observatory at the end of the event we looked up at our Moon floating in a thin sea of cloud and there, surrounding it at a good distance, was a beautiful halo... a fine way to end the evening!

Photo: The Moon as viewed through the Cooley Telescope of Stephens Memorial Observatory, Hiram College, Hiram, Ohio, November 12, 2011. Afocal technique with Canon PowerShot G11: ISO 400, f/4, 1/500 sec., at 8:57 PM. Photo by James Guilford.

The Moon and the Ring did not disappoint

Spring has been tough for our public observing programs. It seemed we would never see a clear night. On June 12 our public night consisted of peeking at Saturn through openings in the cloud cover; that offered some very good, if unreliable viewing! A week later, on June 17, Alumni Weekend was kicked off with an observing night for attendees and we had both good attendance (30 to 40 visitors) and clear skies for most of the night. We spotted several of Saturn's many moons and saw hints of the great storm raging in the northern hemisphere of that planet's atmosphere. June marked the end of Saturn observation from Hiram due to a line of tall trees just across the property line from the Observatory.

Our first break for the public happened last night (July 9) when we had skies mostly clear of clouds. There was, however, enough moisture in the atmosphere to help make the Waxing Gibbous Moon's glow make the sky glow. In all 23 visitors attended and were treated to our usual exquisite views of the lunar surface. Especially striking, due to the timing of our observation, were the inky-black unlit floors of several large craters. The low sun angle at the terminator also highlighted crater walls and cast long shadows from mountain peaks in the lunar seas. Simply glorious.

Next we viewed the sparkling beauty of the red giant star Antares, at the "heart" of constellation Scorpius. Twinkling from a brilliant star is impressive through a telescope.

The bright sky made locating the M4 globular star cluster very difficult and a less-than-impressive sight! Once found all we could make out was a faint spray of stars in a "Moon-glowed" field of view.

To cap off the night I swung the big telescope so that it pointed high in the sky, fished a bit in a slightly less murky sky, and found M57 -- the Ring Nebula. At first I believed Lyra was too high in the sky for observing with the big refractor but, as it turned out, the elevation put the eyepiece at a very comfortable level for everyone present. We viewed the "gray donut" first at about 100X and, as the hour was growing late, many guests left after taking a quick look. Once everyone had taken a look, however, I swapped eyepieces and boosted the power to 133X. Between the different optics and the slightly greater magification, the Ring looked clearer and brighter -- it was probably the best view of that object I've had to date.

So while the warm, humid summer night didn't provide optimal seeing conditions the sky was clear for a change. We did enjoy a very good night of observing: the Moon and the Ring did not disappoint.

Ugh! Winter off to a poor start!

This area suffered moderate to heavy cloud cover for the December 10, 2010 total lunar eclipse. I'd been looking forward to it --even considered gearing up to produce a live webcast-- but we were disappointed in the end. I didn't even get out of bed to look out the window. Those who did take a peek largely saw clouds or got brief glimpses of the partial phases of the event.

I had to cancel the December Open Night at Stephens Memorial Observatory due to illness. I was suffering from a stomach "bug" and was well-advised to not stand out in the cold. Skies were mostly-cloudy that night so I hope nobody was very disappointed we did not open.

We're hoping 2011 brings good things for the Hiram observatory: we've a good chance of a construction site for a new observatory and there are plans afoot for a kick-off event in a funding drive! More on all of that later, as developments come.

The next Stephens Open Night is set for January 22 and we plan to show off the Great Orion Nebula. Skies this month have generally been cloudy and snow is currently in the forecast daily -- we'll make plans and see if Mother Nature cooperates!

Observe the Moon Night

Last night, September 18, was the first annual International Observe the Moon Night. The forecast for the night called for mostly-cloudy skies and that's what we were seeing in the early evening and when I headed to Stephens Memorial Observatory. I'd made an online posting stating that I would open the doors at 8:30 PM no matter the weather but if cloudy, would close at 9:00. Strange how things happen. As the appointed hour approached an opening in the clouds appeared overhead. At first the Moon was very hazy, then clear enough to offer fair views. I worked inside the dome preparing the big telescope for public use. By the time I opened the dome slit, the sky was completely clear of clouds! Over the course of the evening 33 visitors came and went and saw the waxing gibbous Moon and, later, Jupiter. The Moon put in a glorious appearance through the telescope's vintage low-power eyepiece. Jupiter, still minus its Southern Equatorial Band or cloud belt, was also seen in good detail: the Northern Equatorial band was visible and, better still, we got occasional glimpses of cloud bands in Jove's southern hemisphere. The four Galilean moons were also brightly present: three on one side, Io by itself on the other. Late in the evening clouds again intruded first covering the Moon, then Jupiter. Finally Jupiter would wink in and out of visibility as smaller and smaller openings in the clouds passed offering seconds-long glimpses of the beautiful distant scene. Jupiter was near its opposition this night at a distance of about 368 million miles. When told about the distance one woman exclaimed, "you can see 368 million miles with that?! {telescope} I closed the dome at about 10:45 when sprinkles were felt falling from the sky. The people were engaged and enthusiastic and the sights were quite wonderful. It was a good night.

Photo: Waxing gibbous Moon, two days after First Quarter. Photo by James Guilford

Canceled August Public Night

Last night's scheduled Public Night at Stephens Memorial Observatory was canceled. Weather this year has really been an enemy to those occasions. Thunderstorms and cloud cover rolled through the area in the afternoon and evening hours. Unfortunately, at about the time I canceled the event (about 8:30 PM) some reporting stations were saying the sky was "clear." I still find that hard to believe but enough doubt crept into my mind that I felt guilt for the rest of the night. I've got to set up a team of trusted spotters I can call to check the actual sky conditions, or just go to the Observatory every scheduled night to see for myself (a bit of a drive). I hope the weather is good for September's Public Night... we'll see Jupiter (probably without its southern equatorial cloud band), Uranus, and the Moon. It'll be a great show, IF the sky is clear!

A changeable sky

Even before heading to Stephens Memorial Observatory conditions were changeable. The mixed forecasts called for partly cloudy skies with the chance of isolated thunderstorms. Seeing conditions, well, the forecast was from no good to okay. As it turned out, all of those things were true! I opened the Observatory and my first visitors for the night began arriving shortly thereafter. Due to neighboring trees, we hauled the portable 10-inch reflector out to the lawn to catch a look at the Moon which was floating in clear sky. Nice views enjoyed by all present. Even as we watched a shelf of clouds moved steadily from the northwest first obscuring, then covering the Moon. As a few more folks arrived we talked about telescopes and adjourned to the Observatory interior to see and discuss the big refractor. In all 23 people took a chance that the sky would be clear enough and visited. By about 10 PM we were all talked out, there were flashes of lightning in the sky along with rumbles of thunder. I closed up, picked up my gear and loaded the car. As I left I could see patches of clear sky and one of my intended showpieces --Antares, the red supergiant star in Scorpius-- shining through a "sucker hole" in the southern sky. In the west, flashes of lightning. It was a changeable sky indeed!

Photo: A massive thunderstorm brews on the horizon east of Hiram. Photo by James Guilford.

Not a good weekend for astronomy

On Friday I learned that the International Space Station, because of orbital characteristics, would be visible many times over the next nights. One of those overflights would take place that night. So at about 10:21 PM I stepped out on to our stoop, looked to the twilight of the western sky, and immediately spotted the ISS. The moving "star" was nearly as bright as planet Venus and quickly climbed high into the sky, nearly overhead, and over the roof of the house. It was at least as interesting to see Venus, Regulus, Mars, and Saturn lined up along the ecliptic. "Probably the best night of the weekend," I wrote, and that turned out to be true.

I called off the Saturday night Public Night at Stephens Memorial Observatory due to mostly cloudy skies. Open areas between the masses of clouds were essentially translucent and totally unsuited to seeing any trace of two Messier List objects we were to see. Reinforcing the decision, a local storm developed north of Hiram possibly even dropping light rain there at the announced opening time for the event.

Tonight, after an exceptionally hot and humid day, waves of rain and strong thunderstorms passed over the region.

Not a good weekend, overall, for astronomy!

Night of Scorpius

The day had been clear and predictions were for an unusually good sky for nighttime astronomy. I headed to Stephens Memorial Observatory for a private observing session. I arrived around 9:00 PM and quickly determined that both the Moon and Saturn were down in the trees so I took my time checking the place. There was much sweeping up do do --birds and, perhaps, wind had delivered a pile of leaf and grass material to the observing floor-- and I discovered that the timer for our front door lights had failed in the "off" condition. The huge dehumidifier vat was nearly full and had to be dumped. After some cleanup I opened the dome and uncovered the telescope. More sweeping... nesting materials had fallen on to the canvas telescope cover (which is why it is used) and then to the floor.

Once set up I quickly found that the formerly promising sky was really not so good with only fair to good transparency. The early evening saw the cloudless sky take on a pale blue cast, not the deep color I'd expected. Twilight and ground-based light pollution made the sky glow softly, even as the hours passed. The neighbor's obnoxiously placed, bright light at the side of their garage flood lit the observatory building and grounds so no wide-field sky photography this night! Not a dark night but better than we've seen here in some time. At least temperatures in the upper 60s made the night air comfortable for activity.

The "T" of constellation Scorpius dominated the southern sky. I focused the telescope on the scorpion's heart, star Antares, and nudged the scope to the right. Normally I can quickly find star cluster M4 that way but tonight, not so easy. I fished and fished, starting over again and again, estimating the degree separating Antares and M4 and trying again, all without success. I moved on.

The next target was the Ring Nebula --M57-- in constellation Lyra. I surprised myself and found the "gray donut" right away and viewed it at several magnifications up to about 124X. Its appearance was less distinct than I am used to and I am not certain if that was because of seeing conditions or a bit of trouble I was having with my right eye. It may just be it looked less sharp because I was seeing it as a larger image than I'd ever seen before -- a smaller view of a ring nebula would appear sharper and neighboring stars in the field of view were pinpoint sharp. Just finding and observing the ring was reward enough, however, so I was pleased.

Not admitting defeat, I turned back to Scorpius to again seek M4. This time, triangulating off Antares and neighboring star in the constellation I found the star cluster immediately. At low magnification, and as my eye adjusted to the view, a field of diamond-dust appeared in the eyepiece. The appearance was very subtle. It could just be I'd scanned over the object several times but didn't see it because twilight had obscured the view. A darker, more transparent sky would increase the contrast but this was a beautiful sight -- much more impressive than I remember from earlier viewings.

I closed up around 11:30 and headed for home. As I left the area I glanced to the south and could Scorpius floating in the sky due south of me, nearly all of the great constellation visible. The sight was a fine way to end the night's stargazing.

Sun's unblemished face

The Hiram College astronomy class returned this morning to view the Sun through our telescope and its white light solar filter. On a good day we can see granulation in the solar atmosphere and detail in sunspots. Today was not a good day for while the sky was clear, seeing was only fair. Disappointingly we saw only the faintest traces of granulation and, as it has been for several days now, the Sun's face was unblemished by sunspots.

Private observing

The forecasters all indicated last night (Sept. 1) would have very good seeing conditions and, because I wasn't due in to work until Monday afternoon, I decided to go to the Observatory and enjoy a little private observing. The session would also give me a chance to check on the facility and experiment with the telescope's faulty right ascension clutch.

Except for the dehumidifier bulk tank being nearly full, the place was fine. That was a relief since not long ago a severe thunderstorm with possible tornado passed a few miles to the south of Hiram.

It was my belief the hand control for the RA clutch was not able to turn far enough to lock the clutch and engage the telescope's clock drive. I removed the control linkage and manually tightened the clutch. Sure enough, the telescope began tracking decently (considering all of the mechanicals are a century old). I'll see if I can rig a kluge remote of some sort until a permanent fix can be arranged.

Seeing conditions were very good for the Moon, at least. The waxing gibbous Moon dominated the sky wiping out all but a trace of the Milky Way and dimmer stars. There were also traces of high, thin clouds later in the night. I experimented with afocal photography using a new digital SLR camera and got mixed results (see image above). An apparatus holding the camera in alignment with the telescope eyepiece would help a lot. I also got a halfway decent image of Jupiter's planetary disk with the handheld camera! Seeing wasn't as good as forecasters indicated but I was surprised at how well it photographed using this simple, unsteady technique. The Galilean Moons showed only as the faintest specs in the photographs though they were brilliant in the eyepiece.

I experimented with --and failed-- using the telescope's RA dial and clock to guide me to M31 - the Andromeda Galaxy. I need to devote a good dark night to that and learn it well. Too bad our declination rings are messed up --still more work to do-- for their use would help.

Using binoculars I was able to spot M31 and, in stages, nudge the big telescope into proper aim. The big galaxy looked very nice (to me it looks like a cottonwood tree's seed) though a darker background sky would have helped contrast and aid in seeing its soft outer edges.

Finishing off the night I tried some moonlit photos of the Observatory and the grounds. Mixed results there but it was fun trying.

Next public night is Sept. 12 and Jupiter is the featured object.

A break in the weather

I had a public open night scheduled for July 12. The weather forecasts and the weather conditions called for mostly cloudy skies all night with a high chance for rain. Reality set in, however, with breaks appearing in the clouds at about 8:00 PM. I headed to Stephens and arrived a little after 9:00 --our announced start time-- to find a family of four waiting at the door. No sooner had I uncovered the telescope and opened the dome than the clouds began to break. At first we grabbed a few seconds of viewing at a time through passing holes in the clouds. Soon, however, the clouds scudded away to the east and we had a clear view of the waxing gibbous Moon -- our main subject for the night. After the family left there was a quiet period when I played with my camera once again to grab a few afocal shots of the Moon as I did a month earlier.

I put the camera away as more people began to arrive. We viewed the Moon at about 30X through the excellent vintage eyepiece and again at about 100X through a modern Plossl eyepiece. Later we waited for Jupiter to rise in the southeast above the neighbor's trees. Those were awkward moments waiting but those who stayed were rewarded with very good views of the huge planet. At 100X we could make out two major cloud bands, perhaps a bit of detail in the atmosphere around the bands, and the four Galilean satellites arranged to one side --on the right, as seen through the eyepiece-- in two pairs.

In all 29 visitors came to the Observatory. The clear sky was a welcome surprise and I was glad I trusted my instincts and made the trip to Hiram; I was going to cancel. The last visitors left at about 11:10 and I, sweating profusely in the warm (~ 80 F) and extremely muggy atmosphere (ground haze and mists, heavy dew on everything), was happy to close the dome and head home in an air conditioned car! By midnight the sky had become 100 percent overcast once more and rain developed overnight ... that part followed the experts' predictions!

Images: The waxing gibbous Moon as seen through the eyepiece of the Cooley Telescope of Stephens Memorial Observatory. Fuji Finepix S7000 digital camera: ISO 400, 1/200 sec., f/4.5, July 12 at about 8:37 PM Eastern Daylight Time. Large image is in color; detail shows color removed. South is up. Photo by James Guilford.

Winter Solstice

The weather forecast gave us great doubt for the open night at Stephens. There was, however, an opening in the all-day cloud cover coming our way. Hiram College rented the StarLab portable planetarium and staged a Winter Solstice program earlier in the evening that led nicely into the Observatory's 7:00 PM opening. The sky, by then, had cleared and with temperatures of about 40 degrees (F) opening the dome was tolerable. Though transparency was only fair at best, the nearly-full Moon presented an interesting target and the Cooley Telescope did its usual job in knocking the socks off new visitors. The lunar image was glorious. Turning the telescope to Mars, however, really didn't reveal much. The not-so-good sky conditions prevented us from seeing any surface markings even though Mars was only four days past its closest approach in this opposition cycle (opposition to take place on Dec. 24). Hoping for better viewing conditions in January with Mars still fairly close. By 9:00 the sky had closed in completely hiding Mars, even from unaided eyes, and obscuring any detail from the lunar disk. Still in all we had about 48 visitors over the evening -- one of our best nights!