Haggart Observatory Blog

Where Have We Been?

2011-07-05T14:43:00.000-07:00

We apologize for the absence of open viewing evenings now that we are finally getting a few clear nights - we just haven't had any volunteers available. We are presently doing some volunteer training; hopefully there will be some public viewing opportunities later in the summer.

Tues Feb 1 - confirming opening 7 & 8 pm tonight

2011-02-01T16:13:00.000-08:00

The forecast is still for clear, so this is just to confirm that the Observatory will be open for two viewings tonight: 7:00 and 8:00 pm.
- KH

Feb 1 2011 - Open Tonight 7 and 8 pm

2011-02-01T11:44:00.000-08:00

Finally! The Clear Sky Clock is promising clear sky this evening, and the NOAA forecast says "mostly clear"!

I plan to open the Observatory this evening with viewings at 7:00 and 8:00 pm.

No moon tonight, so if the forecasters have it right, it should be a good night for things like the Orion Nebula and the Beehive Cluster. We'll try to catch Jupiter as well, but it is getting pretty far down in the western sky

It will be COLD - dress warmly. Bring binoculars if you have them.

(I am seeing some ominous cloudiness over in the west, so I will try to post once more around 5:00 to confirm.)

Is this your first visit with us? Be sure to read through the information on our home page.

KH

Wed 20 Oct 2010 - open 7-9 pm

2010-10-20T10:01:00.000-07:00

From the forecast, this may be our last clear night for a while.
The Observatory will be open for 2 viewings tonight:
7:00 pm
8:00 pm

Lots of moonlight, so we'll probably concentrate on the Moon & Jupiter.
We should be in the Orionid meteor shower, so keep an eye out for shooting stars

Wed Oct. 13 - open tonight

2010-10-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

Forecast is for a fairly clear night - the Observatory will be open for 2 viewings:
7:30 pm
8:30 pm
We'll have Jupiter, a nice first-quarter Moon, and see what else we can find - and we'll try again for Comet 103P-Hartley, it's getting a little brighter all the time,so maybe we'll have better luck!

Bring binoculars if you have them!

Sat. 10/2/10 - open tonight 8-10

2010-10-02T17:21:00.000-07:00

Forecast is "partly cloudy" - but there's a lot of clear sky up there now.
The observatory will be open for viewing sessions at 8:00 and 9:00.
(Possibly a 10:00 session if the clouds haven't taken over the sky by then.)

We should get fine views of Jupiter, and it should be a pretty good evening for some of the deep-sky objects such as the Andromeda Galaxy and the Hercules Cluster.

We haven't yet been able to find Comet 103P-Hartley - but we'll keep trying; it should be brightening daily until mid-October.

Thursday 9/30/2010 - open tonight 8:00-9:30 pm

2010-09-30T13:41:00.000-07:00

This time of year a clear dark sky in the hand is worth two in the forecast... and there's that comet up there (103P Hartley) that I couldn't find last time but might be an easier target now. So,

The Observatory will be open from 8:00-9:30 pm tonight. (If more than 8 visitors show up, we will split that into 2 sessions.)

Should be a good night for Andromeda, perhaps the Lagoon or Swan Nebula, Jupiter, and, with any luck, the comet.

Friday Sept. 24 - open tonight 8-10

2010-09-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

We have a forecast of "partly cloudy", but there's a big fat moon tonight, along with Jupiter, and both of those are bright enough that we should get some decent looks even if we have to peek between some clouds.

There's also supposed to be a comet up there near Cassiopeia - I haven't seen it yet, but worth a try. So...

There will be 2 viewing sessions tonight; up to 8 people per session:
8:00-8:50
9:00-9:50

Please remember to wear good shoes for climbing up the steep ladders in the dark - no sandals, please!

KLH

Sat. Sept. 11: Open 8-10 tonight

2010-09-11T18:14:00.000-07:00

The weather forecasts claim "partly cloudy" but the sky looks pretty clear up there right now (6 pm) - so the Observatory will be open 8-10 pm this evening.

There will be 2 viewing sessions:
8:00-8:50
9:00-9:50

Come join us to see what's up there this evening.

First come, first served - we can take up to 8 people per session.

Please remember to wear good shoes for climbing up the steep ladders in the dark - no sandals, please!

Saturday July 10 - open 9:30-11:30

2010-07-10T19:48:00.000-07:00

Well, let's try that again! Looks clear now at any rate...

The observatory will be open tonight for three viewing sessions:

9:30pm
10:15 pm
11:00 pm

We can have up to 8 visitors at each session, first-come, first-served.

Sign-up sheets for the three sessions will be available in a notebook at the entrance by about 9:00pm.

KH

Friday July 9 - cancelled

2010-07-09T20:15:00.000-07:00

well, the clouds came in after all - sorry, but we'll have to cancel for tonight.

Friday July 9 open 9:30-11:30

2010-07-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

The observatory will be open tonight for three viewing sessions:

9:30pm 10:15 pm 11:00 pm

We can have up to 8 visitors at each session, first-come, first-served. Sign-up sheets for the three sessions will be available in a notebook at the entrance by about 9:00pm.

Viewing report June 26 2010

2010-06-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

Pat, Joseph & I (Karen) had about a dozen visitors, and we showed:
Venus, Saturn, the Moon, the Albireo double, the Mizar/Alcor double in the Big Dipper, the Hercules Cluster (M13), and the Ring Nebula.

We ran into a few snags. Notes for the next observers:

1. There are now AA and AAA batteries in a drawer in the small wood cabinet.

2. the Telrad on the 24" reflector wasn't working - this turned out not to be a battery problem but a broken wire. Fortunately we found a brand-new spare Telrad, and it is now installed on the 24". The dead Telrad is sitting on the shelves - anyone who cares to try their hand at resurrecting it, feel free!

3. the green laser pointer is AWOL - check your pockets, or if you know where it is hiding / last seen, please let me know

4. The nasty light on the Llewelyn building is without its shade again - we need to contact Campus Services

5. there are branches smacking people in the face on the stairwell - again, we need to contact Campus Services for some pruning

Open tonight 9:30-11:30

2010-06-26T16:46:00.000-07:00

At last! A clear night!
The Observatory will be open 9:30-11:30 pm.

New volunteers who want some practice (or interested visitors) - I plan to be there by about 9:00 to set up.

If the skies are clear this weekend, there is an unusual occurrance to look for...

2010-05-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

"May 13, 2010: This weekend, Venus and the crescent Moon are gathering in the western sky for a spectacular conjunction, and they're not alone. The International Space Station and, very likely, space shuttle Atlantis will join them for a rare four-way meeting of spaceships and planets over many locations."

Image source: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/13may_planetsandspaceships/

This is not a photo of the conjunction. This is a double flyby of the ISS and space shuttle Discovery over Lumby, British Columbia, Canada, on April 20, 2010. Photo credit: Yuichi Takasaka.

If the sky is clear where you live, get out in the dark and spend some staring at something other than a screen for goodness sake.

Testing this as a way to give "we are open" message

2010-05-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

This is a test. This is only a test.

Haggart volunteers suggested using this as the place to post messages when we will be open.

5/4/2010. Cloud cover near total. Not open tonight.