January 30/31, 2008 - M42, Theta Orionis, NGC 2024, IC 434, B33, NGC 2090, Collinder 135, NGC 2451, Chasing 2007/TU24, Venus and Jupiter... Comments: You cannot believe the skies out there tonight. Once in a great while we will have nights so clear that they will just break your heart and so dark you can see the stars of Columba with ease. The cold is still bitter and I know I cannot tolerate it for long, but the winds have stopped and it's time to take the dob out. There are thins that no winter is complete without... and that is a deep, deep study of the Orion nebula. I start first with the good 2" NPO 32mm and just suck all of it in.. then it time to drop the 12.5mm ED on it. Theta Orionis cuts itself clean apart and I revel in the tiny blue and red companions and wait for the moment the H star pops out to play. When I am done, I head for NGC 2024 and enjoy the faded beauty of the Flame Nebula at low power and then zap it with high. I follow the IC434, and when I get a phone call, I stop for awhile to go inside, warm up and retrieve my nebula filter. Some nights cannot be wasted, no matter what the cost. While the filter cools off, I hop around and look at M81 and M82.. then back to M1 and Mars... Then B33 is mine. The feeling of elation carried me down into Columba and as I carefully stashed the filter away, I took untold time to locate NGC 2090. I am actually quite proud of myself! It's about 3-4 arc minutes in length, roughly magnitude 12, oriented basically N/S and really evenly lighted. It's in a nice stellar field and even has a cute little... oops, sorry... 11/12th magnitude star caught on the west edge. When I am done, I head east and go back to lower power and superwide field to enjoy brilliant open clusters Collinder 135 and NGC 2451 and then it is time. I go back indoors to warm up a bit and fetch fresh batteries for my Magellan navigation unit. They won't last long in this cold, but all you ned to do is get me on the field and I can handle it from there. I have a cup of coffee and wear my goofy sunglasses while I head up to the computer to run an ephemeris. I had spent this last week writing articles on the crazy thing and I knew it inside and out. It's been since NY2004 since I've done this and tonight I'm gonna' do it again. Chase an asteroid... 2007/TU24 had already reached its brightest peak, but magnitude 11-12 is a cakewalk for a 12.5" aperture scope. Happily armed with the coordinates, I set the scope up pointed darn near into the heart of Ursa Major (hey... it's crusing near beta - how much easier can it get?) matched the magnitude 12 star chart to the field and waited. Suprisingly enough, the waiting didn't take very daggone long because it's a pretty barre field and within 30 minutes it isn't hard to miss an 11th magnitude "star" that's moved! I was pretty sure which one it was to start with, so all I needed to do was wait on a little confimation. And now it's time to put things away. My body will greatly regret having been out in the cold for so long and I head back in and set my cell phone to wake me in a few hours. Although I do not take out a telescope or even binoculars with me before dawn, it's still worth a walk in the cold to see Venus and Jupiter getting oh so close... "And you're going to wait, too... Wait, too.... Wait til' tomorrow."

January 30, 2008 - Venus, Jupiter and Wow... You should see the Moon! Comments: Normally when we talk about changing weather, we just mean a little rain, a little snow, a little warmer... In this circumstance, Ohio has been slowly warming over the last few days - but we're about to drop off a cliff. Somewhere in the wee hours, we took a drastic temperature change - around 30 degrees. Going from warm to below freezing in such a short period of time really drove those winds and I heard they went around 100 km per hour. Can I attest to that? Heck, yes. There's limbs down everywhere and my trash cans blew away. Lawn furniture is over turned and the edges of the swimming pool cover snapped like rifle shots when the gusts came along. We didn't get the electrical storm end of it here, but my oh my... The winds howled! I was awake before dawn and suprised when I let the dogs out that the skies were clear. Wrapping up in a blanket, I walked down the stone path to have a look at Venus and Jupiter beginning to coverge. I'd noticed them drawing closer over the last week or so and watching celestial mechanics is just too cool. Make that cold. Ducking back inside, I made myself a pot of coffee and set about my routines. I've always got a book to work on, my internet job, loading the dishwasher, running the vacuum,... You know. Those everyday things that just make time pass - like sitting on the sofa and drinking coffee while you watch "Star Trek". At 7:30 a.m. I looked out the sliding glass door and the Moon did everything but scream. It was daylight by then, and a perfect last quarter sat in the southern sky. Although the winds make it impossible to observe, I cannot believe how sharp, crisp and clear it looks to just the eye! You can see what even looks like golden sunlight bathing the lunar east... A definate treat! "Very hard to drink... Very hard to drink. And you're going to wait, too... That boy... That boy... Wait 'til tomorrow."

January 28, 2008 - At Wynford High School... Comments: More classroom time? You betcha'. Testing a teaching kit is more than just running it by a few kids. It takes a lot of time and effort and the more you share the program the more you find where certain hitches are... or how to do things better. That's the whole idea! Today I'm heading towards Wynford High School and enjoying the company of Mrs. Bodnyk's science class. It's really unusual to see how different age groups react - even between schools they are different. Oh, I'm on my game. I arrive in plenty of time... Time to set everything up.... Time to calm down... Time to rock and roll. The kids were extremely well behaved, but this group was a little less interested than the others. Thankfully I was polished enough to make a few jokes and at least I wasn't losing them! After a few activities they really began to get into what I was saying and as you can see... Even kinda' liking it. As always, I deeply appreicate the teachers allowing me into their classrooms Having a guest speaker can be a distraction to their routine as much as being a guest speaker is a distraction to my own, eh? The kids were bright, fast and eager... And that's what counts. "You think you can keep on going... Living like a king. Ooooh, but I strongly doubt it."

January 25, 2008 - At Buckeye Central High School... Comments: Yep. I'm still alive and kicking. My observing has been very passive, I'm afraid. Mostly stepping outside and taking a look at that big, brilliant Moon and seeing where it's at. Right next to Aldebaran is where! In the meantime, I'm trying my best to stay active, so I've booked a whole series of classes to test the new NSN program. Right now I'm not at liberty to say what the program is about, but I can tell you where I've been! Thanks go to Mrs. McDiffit, Buckeye Central High School, and especially Mrs. Williamson for allowing me to invade her daily science classes. Nervous? Yep. I had spent the entire day before rehearsing this presentation and it had been awhile since I'd done one live. At first, I was pretty stiff - not boring - but out of practice. By lunchtime? On a roll and hitting my stride. The kids were absolutely great about participating in the activities and by the end of my day there, the program was finely honed and down to a 40 minute segment. Even I learned.... "You say that money... Isn't everything. But I'd like to see you live without it."

January 21, 2008 - Winter Blues... Comments: Bitter cold... Biting winds... Deck boards snap and pop like old bones when you walk on them. Things become fragile outdoors when the cold is like this. Patches of ice appear out of nowhere like silent mirrors pointing towards the sky. Touching metal burns the skin. And the moonlight is blue... "You.... Wait till tomorrow."

January 19, 2008 - AFY Meeting, Mars and the Moon... Comments: OK. I was stoked about seeing my friends at AFY again, but what I didn't know - or wasn't paying attention to - was the fact they were beginning their meeting at 5:00 p.m. Accoustomed to most astronomy meetings beginning at 7:00 p.m., not only was I upset because I was running late, but I ended up being very, very late. In this case, it doesn't much matter because I just enjoy visiting with the group and don't hold any responsibilities anymore... and how delighted I was that everyone was still around when I finally got there! It was really wonderful to see some of my old astronomy friends again, and pleasant that most of the business was taken care of so we could simply visit with each other. Stuart (who no doubt is also Scots by heritage) had found a great deal on a Meade ETX and we were all playing and cooing with what a bargain he'd gotten. It is too infrequently that I see Curt and Trish, and it is great to visit with Al and Keith as well! We share so many members in common between our two groups and Barb and Ken and Robert are all family. It is agressively cold outside and despite the fact that it was snowing so hard you could barely see to drive when I came, the skies had cleared and I mentioned to Ken that Mars and the Moon had ought to be very close tonight. Out of curiousity, Stuart and Al went outside and the skies were clear! None of us were really dressed for the occassion, but who cares? Clear skies and the close conjunction of Mars and the Moon are excuse enough to head outside and give the little ETX first light. I'm guessing about 30 minutes was all we could stand and the moment we all came back into the heat, our glasses immediately frosted. Not steamed up... Frosted. Time enough for a few more laughs and then I'm ready to hit the road again. I deeply appreciate the new Garmin unit I got for Christmas, because it takes a lot of the stress off driving in unfamiliar places at night for me. I arrive back and stand outside for a moment longer admiring the Moon and the diamond hard stars of Winter. It's great to see them all again. "You... Wait till tomorrow."

January 14, 2007 - Hazed and Confused... Comments: After losing the sky so quickly Saturday night, there hasn't been much hope left. The weather is on the change again and snow with artic temperatures are on the way. Me? Well, there isn't any point because there isn't any sky. I was sitting in the dark watching mindless television when it appeared.... the silver smile in the tree. I got up and walked to the door and let the dogs run while I checked... But only the setting Moon and a glimmer of Mars was what greeted me. Once in awhile, the clouds would thin enough to see Betelguese or Sirius... Only to be gone again to reveal Aldebaran for a moment, or Capella for a glimpse. Perhaps one day it will be clear again. "There's a bathroom and there is no sink.... The water out of the tap is very... Very hard to drink. Very hard to drink..."

January 12, 2008 - M42, M78, NGC 1981, NGC 2186, M1, M67, M44, M50, and the Hubble Variable Nebula... Comments: Clear skies at last! Although Orion and Monoceros aren't in a particularly good position in the early evening, I still had an opportunity and I was bound to take it. The objects that I seek are bright and familiar to me... And how good it is to see them again! The Orion Nebula is always fantastic. I can marvel for hours on all the folds and rifts... imbedded stars and incredible size. Frozen, glowing smoke... Just awesome. It's great to see the small M78 as well, but there's no sign of McNeil's nebula. The NGC 1981 is a bright spangle of stars and NGC 2166 nothing more than another of those cool little Herschel objects. M1 is always a treat, but M67's huge population of similar stars always blows me away. Who doesn't love the Beehive or the colors in M50? Of course, colors means I have to visit the Hubble Variable, too.. It's still blue! "The only way to get there is to go straight down...."

January 5, 2008 - RAS Meeting... Comments: And don't we all miss public nights and going to the Observatory already! At least I do. It's always wonderful to meet with everyone and have our session at one of the local eateries, but I also miss being out under the stars. Once again, I am serving as President... But as you can tell... I'm getting tired. I hope that some of the changes we've made this year allow me to share the responsiblities a bit more with others so I am free to enjoy things once again. We have done such a terrific job this past year with our public outreach that we ended up in the top ten of NASA Night Sky Network!! I am so proud of everyone for keeping track of their outreach programs, guests, etc.... and how great it is to see our club expand and grow! I cannot wait to give them their honor pins... This is great! We make some of ou plans for the coming year and all too soon the waitress is gently shooing us out the door. (dude... when they start piciking up chairs and sweeping around you, it's a sure sign they'd kinda' like to leave. ;) We pause out front for more good natured commaraderie and then had out.. It's gonna' be a great year. "Won't you come with me to a place in a little town?"

January 4, 2008 - The Quadrantid Meteor Shower... Comments: Was I up? Darn right. This is one of the most promising meteor showers of the year and by 3:00 a.m. I am bundled up and outdoors watching the skies. By 3:30 a.m.? I am back indoors. Needless to say, the cold was intense. What happened to me? I used to just brush off the cold and stay out anyway... I guess once you get too fat for your insulated coveralls, you tend to lose a bit of taste for the raw outdoors, eh? No matter. I am a person of compromise and what I have is a lovely south-facing set of sliding glass doors which just hapens (go figure) to be in the same room as the woodstove. By laying on the floor and cramming myself all the way against the glass I can get a pretty daggone good view from just south of the zenith, most of the ecliptic and all points between southeast and southwest. You might consider it to be the "cheater's way" of dong things, but I'm seeing bright meteors all over! For the hours between 3:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. I connted over 100 meteors. They semed to come mostly in flurries about once every roughtly 30 minutes. The ones along the ecliptic were bright, at least -2 magitude and had 20-30 degree trails. Those that fell closer to the horizon were far dimmer, perhaps magnitude 3 and not more tha 5 degrees of trail. At the same time, I kept the radio going as well and I really love catching meteor scatter and visual!!! The Quadrantids were definately worth getting up for.... "it's the dawn of another wonderful day... I know you'll hate me, but I'll ask any way..."

December 31, 2007 / January 1, 2008 - Of Endings and Beginnings... Comments: Each year it is my practice to view the distant Cosmos as one year ends and a new one begins. Luck often holds and skies are clear - but not this time. Ohio has been socked in again... and no breaks in the clouds will arrive to save the moment. This year I have my natural grandchildren for an extended visit. They come with us for the annual "Party at the Farm" to help represent the expanding family. Both my sons and their women are here as well, and how we laugh at how our gypsy caravan has expanded! We eat, we talk, we hug and enjoy the company of the older generaton blending with the new... and return home under the clouds once again. For many, New Year's is indeed a party. My own party is quiet in comparison. The children play with their toys and we happily pick at the assortment of snacks laid out on the table. Instead of dancing and rioting in the streets, we gather around the television instead... watching a marathon of favourite programs. When the magic hour arrives, one grandchild is dead to the world and the other surprisingly alert. We watch the ball drop at Times Square, and my blonde-haired, blue-eyed granddaughter waits at the sliding glass door.. watching as we complete the redneck ritual of firing a gun in salute of the changing years. Not long after, she too, goes to sleep. The house is quiet now and I am the only one left in the living room. The dogs lay curled up with the children and the firelight dances on their sleeping forms. I feel a rush of love at the sight and I walk to the door to once again check to see if the stars have come out. Even though not one solitary twinkle shows between the clouds.... The real stars are all around me. "December winds, won't you come cover me... December songs no longer I sing."

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