The Earth entered a comet debris field on or before Aug 6 and will be travelling through it for at least another week.
I seen several shooting stars while observing on the night of Aug 6/10. One looked like a big basketball that came straight down in front of me while driving. There were others that showed that night while driving. Others were very fast moving small lines across the sky that appeared when I was taking pictures of the half moon near Aldebaran. M45 was visible above Aldebaran. That early morning also had Jupiter high in the south.
If you have a clear night keep a look out for shooting stars as we are now moving into the thickest part of the debris field. Also, look for the Venus Mars Saturn conjunction right after sunset. Venus is very bright as the sun goes down, then as it gets darker, the fainter Mars and Saturn appear above Venus. They don't stay up long, so be ready to look when the sun sets.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Solar Observing Aug 2/10 1400hrs
Lots of terrific weather has allowed for lots of observing. Sunspot 1092 is clearly visible, the brightest sunspot that I have observed. 
Bug Encounter
After a session of Solar Observing, this bug was darting around on the ground. It was hard to see as it blended in so well with the surrounding rocks. It looks like a grey grasshopper without the big jumping legs. It actually seemed curious as it came right up to me and stared for a few minutes, then took off in another direction.
It is very interesting to look at bugs through high magnification zooming in digital pictures. There is so much detail that is missed by the naked eye.
It is very interesting to look at bugs through high magnification zooming in digital pictures. There is so much detail that is missed by the naked eye.
Observing at Saint John, NB Aug 1/10
Location: Irving Nature Park
Date: August 1/10 2125-2220hrs
Weather: 15 Degrees Celsius, very few high level clouds, almost no wind, not very humid, a little fog.
Equipment: Kodak C190 EasyShare digital camera with tripod.
Attendance: Carla, David.
Report: The good observing weather has made it possible to follow the movement of the planets Venus, Mars and Saturn in relation to each other. Over the coarse of a week, it is obvious that Mars and Saturn are moving away from each other, moving left and right.
With the help of software, and the weather, good pics of Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper were possible. The Big Dipper was in the N while Cassiopeia was in the NE. If you look closely at the Picture of the Big Dipper below, the double star system in the handle is revealed.
The weather was excellent for observing, but there were a few mosquitoes around. Also, we seen two very small deer and a fox together as we drove into the park.
Date: August 1/10 2125-2220hrs
Weather: 15 Degrees Celsius, very few high level clouds, almost no wind, not very humid, a little fog.
Equipment: Kodak C190 EasyShare digital camera with tripod.
Attendance: Carla, David.
Report: The good observing weather has made it possible to follow the movement of the planets Venus, Mars and Saturn in relation to each other. Over the coarse of a week, it is obvious that Mars and Saturn are moving away from each other, moving left and right.
With the help of software, and the weather, good pics of Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper were possible. The Big Dipper was in the N while Cassiopeia was in the NE. If you look closely at the Picture of the Big Dipper below, the double star system in the handle is revealed.
The weather was excellent for observing, but there were a few mosquitoes around. Also, we seen two very small deer and a fox together as we drove into the park.
Summertime Bending Trees
Have been noticing over the last couple of years that hardwood trees, especially White Birch and Poplar of all sizes are bending over in the summertime. It seems to happen when it is most humid, but have not found the actual answer to this yet.
When driving down the highway, you can see whole stands of the same kind of trees bend over, sometimes, almost to the ground. Size does not seem to matter.
On small trails in the woods, it almost blocks passage.
This is something to look for next time you are driving the highway, in the summertime...
When driving down the highway, you can see whole stands of the same kind of trees bend over, sometimes, almost to the ground. Size does not seem to matter.
On small trails in the woods, it almost blocks passage.
This is something to look for next time you are driving the highway, in the summertime...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Pics From The Road
Finally, there was a few nights in a row that were good for observing. Lots to look at with the Venus-Mars-Saturn alignment just after sunset and the Moon and Jupiter were very close together after midnight to sun-up. 
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