by Tom Campbell
| Observer | Tom Campbell |
|---|---|
| Location | Iola, Kansas (Long: 95°24'W Lat: 37°55'N) |
| Equipment | Discovery DHQ 8" dobsonian |
| Eyepieces | 1.25" Plössls - 25mm (49x), 15mm (81x), 10mm (122x), 6.5mm (188x), 4mm (305x) |
| Time | 7:45pm - 8:45pm CST (01:45-02:45 UT) |
| Transparency | Mostly Clear (7/10) |
| Seeing | Slightly Unstable (5/10) |
| Weather | Temperatures in the lower 40s. There was no wind. |
| LEO | Alpha (Regulus) |
|---|---|
| PUPPIS | Kappa |
| URSA MINOR | Alpha (Polaris) |
Normally, I wouldn't have set up on a night like this. Although the sky was clear and fairly warm, the air was a bit hazy and damp. However, I hadn't been observing for about a month. Every time I passed by my telescope, which sits in my utility room next to my back door, it seemed to call out to me to be used. So tonight, I indulged it (and myself).
After setting up, I knew it was going to be an iffy night. In the short walk from my back porch to my back yard, the Telrad finder had already dewed up. And even after my telescope had cooled down for quite a while, Jupiter and Saturn looked pretty mushy. I couldn't get them to stay in focus at anything greater than about 125x.
I was unsuccessful in locating either NGC2903 or M1, although I had seen them both several times from my backyard. I decided to give up on DSOs and concentrate on a few double stars.
| Alpha | Ursa Minor | Double Star | 7:45pm CST |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polaris | RA: 02h 31m 49s | Dec: +89° 16' | Mag: 2.1, 9.1 |
The main component is yellow-white and the gray-white companion is dim and widely separated. Although I could split the pair at 49x, the best view was at 81x. | |||
| Alpha | Leo | Double Star | 7:50pm CST |
| Regulus | RA: 10h 08m 23s | Dec: +11° 58' | Mag: 1.3, 9.6 |
This is a wide double, easily split at 49x. In fact, this pair is so wide that it doesn't really look like a double star. The primary is a brilliant white and the secondary is much fainter and also white. | |||
| Kappa | Puppis | Double Star | 8:30pm CST |
| H 27 | RA: 07h 39m 27s | Dec: -26° 52' | Mag: 6.9, 7.0 |
This is a wide double, which can be split at 49x, although the best view is at 81x. Both stars appear white, but one seems to have just a hint of yellow. | |||
With Kappa Puppis, I have now logged 99 of the 100 double stars in the Astronomical League observing list. The one remaining double is near the tail and was still a few hours away from being visible from my yard. Getting tired of wiping off dew, I decided to log it some other night. My session was short and not very productive, but I'm still glad that I took the time to get out under the stars again.