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Cosmic Challenge: IC 5067 and IC 5070 (Pelican Nebula)

My September 2018 Cosmic Challenge dared you to see the North America Nebula without optical aid. How did you do? If you didn’t see it back then, can you now? If you passed that trial, then pick up your binoculars and see how you do with this month’s test. The North America Nebula is easy to see compared to spotting this month's challenge, the Pelican Nebula by binoculars.

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The Rockin’ TD Ranch - a review of sorts

Smack in the middle of the Massacre Rim Dark Sky Sanctuary in Northwestern Navada sits an Airbnb called the Rockin’ TD Ranch. The nearest town is Cederville, CA, population 530, which is 20 miles west down a dirt road. Alturas is another 30 miles west so the term middle of nowhere is apropos.

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Musings on a $50 Fathers Day Astronomy Present

For fathers day recently, the wife asked me what I wanted. I told her I had been looking at a $150 GSKYER long focal length refractor on an online marketplace. That was a while ago. I had recently noticed the owner had dropped the price to 50 dollars and with it being fathers day, what did I have to lose? She said yes and we scooped it up. Tonight was the first night (In a long while) that I would get a chance to see how far 50 dollars could go in astronomy fun.

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Observing the Northern Lights

I was excited. After finishing a week of work, I was en-route to my favorite Friday night get-away: Wyoming. Even though clouds passed by as I made my 2 hour trek, all the forecast models were clear that I would have clear skies by the time darkness arrived. As I drove, I thought about my plans for the evening. With my bluetooth speaker, my cameras, and my telescope, I would arrive at my destination (a friend’s house in a Bortle 2), set up my photography equipment, then drive to my observation site where I would observe galaxies and sketch them. When I finish sketching, I would return to my friend’s house and photograph the night sky. At about 5:45 PM, I got a notification on my phone of a G5 Solar Storm warning. I started to think that just maybe I could get a glimpse of the Northern Lights. Little did I know I was going to have an evening I would never forget.

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The Skies of September, 2024

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, September Moon Focus Constellations: Ursa Major, Draco, Ursa Minor, Camelopardalis, Perseus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, Pisces, Pegasus, Cygnus, Lyra, Aquila, Hercules, Corona Borealis, Bootes

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Cosmic Challenge: IC 4997

This month’s challenge, the planetary nebula IC 4997 lies within the borders of Sagitta, and is surprisingly bright, but extremely small. That combination makes this a great object for everyone, whether you are observing under the veil of light pollution or from a dark, rural location. Its intensity should shine through all but the most extreme situations.

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Review of Rigel Systems Wifi nSTEP Focus Controller on a Solar Telescope and a Mirror Lens

Following Dr. Palmer's easy instructions had the equipment ready to go in no time. Connection to the ALPACA wifi driver was trivially easy, and for the longest time, I thought I was doing something wrong because I was expecting it to fail. Or, at least, to be more complicated. It wasn't.

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Comparing Two Wide field Constellation Binoculars- Orion 2x54mm versus Kasai 2.3x40mm

I sat on the fence a few years before I decided to step off and gamble my money on these wide-field, low power Galilean binoculars. I've never been impressed with any sort of Galilean telescopes, field glasses or opera glasses and I suspected that they were just an expensive, trendy gimmick; but based on others' comments and experiences, I considered that these specialty items, with their wider than typical fields, might actually fill a niche in my astro-equipment arsenal.

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Quick Review of the Itty Bitty Radio Telescope

The Itty Bitty Radio Telescope (hereafter, IBT) is a simple DIY device that can be used to detect radio waves from the Sun. It primarily consists of a satellite dish, a signal meter, a power source and a mount (often a lazy susan rig). In my case, I purchased an 18” dish off of Craig’s List, the signal meter was obtained via eBay and the remaining items were sourced at Amazon and local hardware stores.

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The Skies of August, 2024

Highlights: Comet Journal, Martian Landers, Meteor Showers, Planet Plotting, August Moon Focus Constellations: Ursa Major, Draco, Ursa Minor, Camelopardalis, Perseus, Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Andromeda, Pegasus, Cygnus, Lyra, Aquila, Ophiuchus, Hercules, Corona Borealis, Bootes

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