Post by Siress Sarika on Oct 14, 2010 0:36:12 GMT -5
I was able to find a good opportunity for "good seeing" on Tuesday evening around 19:00 centares (7pm) here at my home, to whip out my reflector telescope and go outside and take in some lovely sights I haven't seen in a while.
Currently in our east-northernly sky, the king of the planets, Jupiter graces us in early civil evening hours. His majesty journey's to the Zenith by 9pm or so, with his court of moons following.
I took in his splendourous lighted surface and my humble telescope also picks up the small points of light of that of his moons. I could see five of them.
Four very close to Jupiter and the fifth further out. Beautifully positioned all in row presently until they orbit in their next phase around Jupiter.
There was a little wind turbulance, though the weather was fine and clear.
So my images through the eye piece were just a little affected by the air waves in the atmosphere.
After leaving Jupiter to his royal business, I then ventured north to take in some of the constellations we see right now.
Aquilla shone brightly in the north with it's two companions that make a row of three stars like jewels in a necklace, with it's alpha star Altair, a lovely blue-white star, pulsing brightly.
Set amidst the glittering milky way band, I was able to penetrate and pick up stars that are otherwise not seen with the naked eye.
I love doing this, as I feel I get to get off the earth and travel further out with my eye.
To the east, I bellieve Pegasus was just rising, although due to my tree line and hills in that direction and being in the southern hemisphere, I wasn't able to see that mighty constellation just yet.
I rambled around the milky way band , for a little while longer picking up many charming cluster of stars, that is currently stretching over head from south to north, at the Zenith at civil hours.
I then turned my telescope back to the west and captured Scorpius's alpha star, Antares, 600 light years away from earth. A red super giant star, and was called by the Romans, Cor Scorpius, meaning "the heart of the scorpian".
It is said to be 9,000 times more luminous than the sun.
After thought failing to locate M4 (a globular cluster), which is near Antares, perhaps for some reason being, that my eye piece was struggling with the slight wind turbulance, and therefore a fuzzy image of M4 was already difficult to pick up.
I then turned my telescope upon the quarter moon very near by to Scorpius.
It's alwasy lovely to scan over the craters of our lone satillite. Even my mother came and had a peep through the eye piece.
The darkened portion of the moon's surface covered by the earth's shadow always inttrigues me, as I look for any light that might be moving in the darkness...
Perhpas the great Moon Goddess Diana might have lost her favourite parure for a glamourous feast she might be attending... ;D and is searching with a torch in the dark....
Okay...that's enough of my bad jokes..
Feeling famished, I returned indoors with my starglider, and had dinner.
It was a good night.
Currently in our east-northernly sky, the king of the planets, Jupiter graces us in early civil evening hours. His majesty journey's to the Zenith by 9pm or so, with his court of moons following.
I took in his splendourous lighted surface and my humble telescope also picks up the small points of light of that of his moons. I could see five of them.
Four very close to Jupiter and the fifth further out. Beautifully positioned all in row presently until they orbit in their next phase around Jupiter.
There was a little wind turbulance, though the weather was fine and clear.
So my images through the eye piece were just a little affected by the air waves in the atmosphere.
After leaving Jupiter to his royal business, I then ventured north to take in some of the constellations we see right now.
Aquilla shone brightly in the north with it's two companions that make a row of three stars like jewels in a necklace, with it's alpha star Altair, a lovely blue-white star, pulsing brightly.
Set amidst the glittering milky way band, I was able to penetrate and pick up stars that are otherwise not seen with the naked eye.
I love doing this, as I feel I get to get off the earth and travel further out with my eye.
To the east, I bellieve Pegasus was just rising, although due to my tree line and hills in that direction and being in the southern hemisphere, I wasn't able to see that mighty constellation just yet.
I rambled around the milky way band , for a little while longer picking up many charming cluster of stars, that is currently stretching over head from south to north, at the Zenith at civil hours.
I then turned my telescope back to the west and captured Scorpius's alpha star, Antares, 600 light years away from earth. A red super giant star, and was called by the Romans, Cor Scorpius, meaning "the heart of the scorpian".
It is said to be 9,000 times more luminous than the sun.
After thought failing to locate M4 (a globular cluster), which is near Antares, perhaps for some reason being, that my eye piece was struggling with the slight wind turbulance, and therefore a fuzzy image of M4 was already difficult to pick up.
I then turned my telescope upon the quarter moon very near by to Scorpius.
It's alwasy lovely to scan over the craters of our lone satillite. Even my mother came and had a peep through the eye piece.
The darkened portion of the moon's surface covered by the earth's shadow always inttrigues me, as I look for any light that might be moving in the darkness...
Perhpas the great Moon Goddess Diana might have lost her favourite parure for a glamourous feast she might be attending... ;D and is searching with a torch in the dark....
Okay...that's enough of my bad jokes..
Feeling famished, I returned indoors with my starglider, and had dinner.
It was a good night.
;D