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Astro.Geekjoy Special Reports Index

 

 

Messier Year in a Night Just about every year the first new moon of March rolls around and if you live far enough south and feel so inclined, you could view all 109 DSO's attributed to Charles Messier in a single night of observation... Though it is unlikely that jeff will ever take part in this particular event, he likes the idea of an "armchair" tour just the same. Not content to visit with the 109 Messier DSO's exclusively, jeff has added numerous NGC studies, single, and double stars as well. "Messier Year in a Night" consummates jeff's astro.geekjoy publication career. Overtime it will be undergoing constant evolution. New studies, enhanced descriptions, comparison scope views, and new eyepiece impressions are all planned for future inclusion.
     
California Dreamscoping: May 9, 2007 jeff just dreamed this scope up... Wife-Sharon told me to "Buy my last scope first." This is the instrument that would really fit the bill along with the night to prove it...
     
Bonny Doon Star Party: October 5, 2002 jeff's last star party report... Two years ago jeff's very first observing report was that of an SCAC Bonny Doon Star Party. The party of Saturday, October 5th, 2002 was his last.
     
Fremont Peak: September 14, 2002 30 inches, patchy high cirrus clouds, and a second quarter Moon... Some thirty to forty visitors came out on a night that would ordinarily have kept jeff in Boulder Creek. But three hours on the road was more than worth it...
     
Backyard, Boulder Creek: 09-09-02 The right scope, eyepiece, filter, and night... Last year, jeff struggled for months to definitively turn up the Crescent Nebula. And though he lives in California, always had trouble finding his way around North America. But on this particular night, everything came easy...
     
Bonny Doon Star Party: September 7, 2002 Brave New Universe... Dan has a way with finding useful things and getting the most of them. This time that unique talent really opened both jeff's eyes...
     
Fremont Peak: August 10, 2002 It's Star-B-Que time! Hey, good food, fine folks, an engaging talk, and numerous scopes to 30 inches in aperture. What else could you want? How about clear and steady skies? (We got that too!)
     
Monte Bello: August 7, 2002 Jeff's beginning to become a bit of a homebody... Trips to exotic observing sites are becoming less frequent over the last few months. And before things stretch out a bit too thin, jeff wanted to give Monte Bello the opportunity to really "show its stuff"...
     
Bonny Doon Star Party: July 13, 2002 You should have been there... A superbly dark and steady sky, amiable compatriots, and the great band of the Milky Way combine to make this SCAC Bonny Doon star party one of the best...
     
Fremont Peak: July 6, 2002 Jeff helps out at his first FPOA Peak Public Night Nothing to it. The Split-English Mounted 30 incher is as tame as cat(adioptic). Well, almost...
     
At Large: Fremont Peak and Bonny Doon Airport Jun 8, 2002 The Big Secret behind the FPOA Observatory Revealed... So what is the 30 incher all about? And what "hoops" do you have to "jump through" to use it? And finally, once jeff makes the leap, where does he actually decide to observe from? The answers to these questions really shouldn't surprise you...
     
Fremont Peak: May 31, 2002 An awesome night cut short. The wind howled out of the south and heat-lightning flashed to the east. By midnight the observatory was too much at risk to continue. But we had some awesome views of galaxies. Views that rivaled Palomar Sky Survey images for depth and detail...
     
Monte Bello: May 29, 2002 First night of really good seeing at Monte Bello. Spring Fever has now broken for Bay Area skies. Although the Bonny Doon Airport never seemed to contract it, Backyard Boulder Creek came out of it first - followed a bit later by Monte Bello.
     
Monte Bello: May 22, 2002 The seeing has been slowing improving at Monte Bello... Monte Bello lies about 22 miles from Backyard Boulder Creek. But the seeing there has always been suspect. Is it worth the trip?
     
Bonny Doon Star Party: May 18, 2002 It lasted only half a night - but what a half! jeff just knew the sky would be supremely stable - a certain stillness hung in the air. But when a dozen unexpected young visitors turn up while doing a scope comparison, you just have to find a way to give them a memorable experience...
     
Bonny Doon Star Party: May 11, 2002 AstroTalk and contributing Astro.Geekjoy writer "T" theAstronomer and jeff couldn't possibly leave until dawn. This was arguably the finest night of observing out of SCAC's Bonny Doon observing site since late last summer. And the first night that jeff has ever stayed out all night long under the canopy of the heavens. From that first view of Venus through "Vicki", to the last of the Veil Complex through El Marko's 12.5 inch Dob, it was a night long to be remembered...
     
T Check's in to Hotel California: May 8-13, 2002 Sometimes astro buds take on a whole new form... theAstronomer takes that first commercial flight.... and where does she go? Why California, of course! There T takes up the quest again, toward Omega Centauri and the ultimate view of the night sky.
     
Monte Bello: May 6, 2002 A celestial Wedding and "Soft Science" at TAC's Monte Bello Observing site. Saturn, Mars and Venus are almost as close as they will get in decades. So obviously something is up! Meanwhile, jeff asks some "tough" questions and gets mixed answers. Despite unpleasant observing conditions, he also finds himself enjoying another night out with a few die-hard TACo's at Monte Bello.
     
Backyard Boulder Creek: April 22 - May 1, 2002 With Jupiter now turned the corner, and Luna large and in charge, double stars are again night sky studies of choice... jeff's experiencing the same problems seen last Spring. Though skies are drying up, evening temperatures are plummeting. Result? Poorer than average stability and star-skewing tube currents! But you don't have to go after sub-dawesian pairs to be challenged by doubles. Those dim-companioned secondaries can always keep you on the edge of your observing stool! Follow the whole series of four nights out, then read jeff's "conclusive" summation!
     
Monte Bello: April 24, 2002 How many times have you seen Mercury??? The Astronomy Connection (TAC) comes very close to bordering on the "inner sanctum" of Bay Area amateur astronomy. Why TAC has one Wednesday evening observing site only 22 miles from Backyard Boulder Creek! Looks like some investigation is in order. So jeff goes "undercover" - of cirrus clouds - to get a sense of what's the hap...
     
Backyard Boulder Creek: April 17, 2002 Even after all these months, jeff had yet to observe during the "witching hour" from Backyard Boulder Creek... After a fine tour of "The Realm of Galaxies" at Fremont Peak, jeff had unfinished business with his tour of Eastern Ursa Majoris. And of course, if its already after midnight you mine as well stretch things out enough to take in an ascending Great Cluster in Hercules!
     
Fremont Peak: April 13, 2002 A new Moon. A gorgeous daytime sky. Santa Cruz Astronomy Club members Dan and Jeff play hooky from the Bonny Doon observing site and head south to Fremont Peak. Finally, jeff decides to make absolutely sure that he is not the only amateur observing out of Fremont Peak. So, to ensure that there is at least one other observer present, he arranges for Dan to join him. And therein lies the tale of "Dan and Jeff's Excellent Adventure".
     
Observing At Large: March 31, 2002 jeff figured to make a run up to China Ridge, track down a few "low west" Messiers then leave before the Moon spoiled the party... Observing in a public place is not for the introverted amongst us. Telescopes have this way of attracting attention wherever they are setup. To get some serious observing time in, it makes sense to find a nice, quiet spot off the beaten path...
     
Backyard Boulder Creek: March 25, 2002 Spring may have sprung but the Moon is just getting all wound up! With high thin clouds illumined by a gibbous Moon, galaxies are a bit out of the Pups range. But there was Selene, two Gas Giants and any number of double stars...
     
SCAC Bonny Doon Star Party: 03-09-02 Winter star parties are few and far between, this one might not have happened at all... A meteorologist might have bet against it, but Saturday March 9, 2002 had its own plans. So for a few brief hours, the clouds parted and a few "sky-starved" amateurs converged on the Santa Cruz Astronomy Club's Bonny Doon Observing site.
     
Backyard Boulder Creek: Minimum Aperture Catalog (MAC) Studies Right now the SF Bay Area is in the midst of the annual February Overcast. Selene has also entered the second quarter... While poking around on the Web, jeff came across Jere Kahanpää's Minimum Aperture Catalog. With a lowering Perseus and a well-positioned Auriga, the idea of checking Jere's work using the Pup at 43, 57, 67 and 80mms of aperture sprang naturally to mind...
     
SCAC Bonny Doon Star Party: 02-09-02 It's not often you get clear AND steady skies... The only thing missing were the two colliding white ovals in Jupiter's South Temperate Belt and a look through the oft-mentioned SCAC "Rhino Bino"...
     
Backyard Boulder Creek: 02/01&02/2002 Two nights of eyepiece impressions and related observations... Once you get into the rhythm of it, this astro-sketch stuff can be just the ticket... But to where? And ... Is it possible that jeff has finally found his calling?
     
Backyard Boulder Creek: 01/29/2002 Going Sketch Crazy with Argo in Backyard Boulder Creek... The idea was to draw all three bright planets, add something deepsky and finish with anything provocative on Selene. Quite doable - if you have patience and stay in the moment...
     
Backyard Boulder Creek: 01/16&18/2002 Argo, the Pup and me in Backyard Boulder Creek The Monterey Bay Area weather over the last week or so has been clear and cold. Sky stability has improved continually over this same period. On Wednesday, January 16, jeff took the 80mm Pup out for a "low power" sweep of the nightsky - overhead and to the north. On the 18th, the same sweep was made through 150mm Argo at lowest possible power. Draw your own conclusions...
     
SCAC Bonny Doon Star Party: 1-12-02 What's a Little Stargazing Amongst Friends? Jeff recently made a very strong statement ("I hate stargazing"). and is happy to say that he is willing to "eat his words". When the sky is good, there really is no need for an observing plan. - Something might also be said for having good company...
     
Backyard, Boulder Creek:1/9/2002 Occasionally, things do in fact improve, but improvement comes in degrees... During Northern California's winter months, meteorologists - professional and not-so-professional alike - share one thing in common: They fail miserably when it comes to predicting "clear skies". But just in case they were right, jeff was going to be ready...
     
Backyard, Boulder Creek:1/2 & 1/3, 2002 Thank the Diety there isn't a year plan this year! It would appear that the many fine nights out of December 2000, and January 2001 were a fluke. (Or is it possible that the many overcast and rainy skies of this season are?) Be that as it may, there hasn't been much sky, and this report shares what little was possible...
     
SCAC Bonny Doon Star Party:12-15-01 Star parties are not always well-attended, but they can still be fun! Despite late arrival, limited transparency, and migrating "sucker holes", it was a semsational night for the planets and a few select deepsky studies...
     
Backyard, Boulder Creek:12-06 & 07-01 Why wait for a star party? Why not just write up an evening's adventures right here in Backyard, Boulder Creek? There hadn't been decent sky in two weeks. Opportunities to observe were few and far between. Sure, there had been a sucker hole here, and a patch of indigo there - but nothing special. This might just be the evening to change all that...
     
SCAC Bonny Doon Star Party:11-18-01 The Leonids were coming to town - but would anybody get a chance appreciate the finest display of meteor night life in some four decades? The weather had been poor for stargazing in Northern California for more than a week. Prospects were not much better early that evening - but by midnight things began to really "heat-up"...
     
SCAC Bonny Doon Star Party:10-13-01 This is the first of the "free-standing" SCAC Star Party reports. Many others are included in the year-plan archives. Star parties are "serious" events where amateurs get together to compare views of their favorite deepsky studies. But scopes don't always travel well and last minute adjustments do crop up on occasion...
    NOTE: Numerous other SCAC Star Party reports are found in the yearplan archives!
     
Above the Sapphire Blue Waters Its sometimes nice to get away from it all - especially with old friends. And, of course, why not bring along your favorite "pet". No, Crater Lake in south-central Oregon is not an "impact crater", but it does possess some of the purest waters in the world. The caldera rimming the lake rises to 8,000 feet and offers pristine views of the sapphire blue waters below and indigo night sky above. But for a scopist there was a price to pay...
     
First Night of the New Millenium What's an astronomer to do when a whole new millenium is about to be sprung on the world? Why find some nice, dark sky observing site away from it all and watch the stars revolve overhead, of course! Fremont Peak near San Juan Bautista in Northern California is an off-discussed deepsky haven for amateur astronomers. Nice place to visit. Natural setting, replete with wild life - but strangely, despite a very fine sky on December 31, 2000 - not well attended. Hmmm...
     
The One's that Got Away... The sky is not always kind and even Argo has his limits. Read about the ones that eluded observation - at least for a while... Jeff's original observing plan consisted of over 300 studies. The plan was layed out by right ascension targeting early evening culmination. Under such circumstances, bad weather, poor skies, or over-reaching expectations can make tracking down some deep-sky denizens very difficult...

 

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