Crescent Moon And Venus, First Light Fun!

From December 27  Five  words --- Pretty awe struck right now. Venus and the  crescent Moon are together at dusk and they are spectacular! This year there are going to be  many solar system line ups and tonight was a great start.  Good ol' Luna is getting ready for another phase and Venus is  giving backyard skywatchers a great chance to really enjoy observing it, i am enjoying it.  The sky was actually full of airplanes, six of them around the western sky. Very busy skies airplane and planet, moon wise.  I filmed one and had a blast doing so.  Using my 12 inch dobsonian and 26mm eyepiece I enjoyed looking at both Venus and the Moon.

I observed from  6-6:47pm  and it was a complete blast!

What a great sight and objects for my new Polarizing Moon filters first light! Wow I am so glad I purchased it. I have a regular moon filter  and now a super duper souped up one. It was easy to use and I didn't have to keep taking it off like you do with a regular Moon filter, just turen it sort of like a dimmer. VERY GREAT ACCESORY!  Click here for my polarizing Moon filter. Click here for my regular moon filter.

Over all I enjoyed getting out in the crispy night doing some exploring. Just when I was going to move my scope to Jupiter in the east and hunt down Comet Levy, also in our skies right now below Jupiter  some high atmosphere clouds moved in.

But, Comet Levy you  enticing comet, I'll hunt you down yet!

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Here are some pics I took:1.Sunset Moon 2..Same time, different camera setting 3Through my scope. 4.. My 12 inch dob 'Ambrosia' and the Moon And Venus above my scope.

VIDEOS  I SHOT... brighten your screen for the 1st one, neat smoke against sky!

Venus through my scope!

Six Am Trek - A Star Cluster Surprise

After feeding my cats 'n' dogs I had to do it, it was calling..the night sky was very inviting so I grabbed my binoculars and explored it for a while. Leo is roaring in the west, just under the zenith point. I brought no star maps out so I was a little lost, which was a nice feeling. Then I recognized my sky, I was ready to  explore. Sometimes, no matter  how well we know the constellations, the sky looks unfamiliar and new when we first step out the backdoor and look up.


I looked at Arcturus and as I moved too the left scouting out galaxies in my binoculars field of view  I didn't realize that I went too far and I ended up at the keystone cluster quite accidently. Which was pretty cool, your panning along and a big faint fuzzy clump comes into view. I was also downwards in the sky.  After I was done looking at it I retraced where I was around Arcturus  just with my eyes and I spotted a space probe going by so I caught it in my binoculars  and followed it until It was out of view, streaking from south west to northeast.  Cool big orange probe!  

Very nice and heartwarming too see Hercules and Lyra, Vega , and in the southeast the three stars of Scorpio was rising.  I scoured between the Big Dipper  and Virgo and found lots of galaxies, dimmer and smaller than I'm used too seeing them in my telescope, but still fascinating.

I originally set out too view  Saturn but by the time I was done being enthralled with the galaxies clouds were moving in. I saw Mars, great too see so many planets out. Saturn I will be back to  hunt you down with my eyepiece. We deep sky hunters are a different type of hunter, we shoot for objects in our eyepiece. Now that is the most fascinating hunt mankind can do, in my opinion!  

What Am I Up Too When Not Blogging Astronomically

As you know this blog is about my observations when I go out to observe.I added a twitter feed for links and updates astronomy and observing wise that I am up too.

I haven't been going out as much ..winter,brrr!  But resuming soon.
Down to your right on the page.

For those without facebook you can see my stuff I am up too and the cool things people send.