Well, after getting skunked this morning (see previous entry) I've waited all day for a chance at clear skies tonight. The telescope is ready and the sun set a few minutes ago. Now got to get my Ipod out there in its docking station and get Yahoo Messenger set up on the laptop so I don't die of boredom or loneliness out in the cold. Haven't used the St. Wiggles Observatory since we had all the property cleared, so I'm really hoping for some good success tonight. Of course, this IS the Pacific Northwest. I can get clouded out in one heck of a hurry up here. Wish me luck. :)

Posted by Jim W Coleman at 04:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, if you live in the Pacific Northwest and your hobby is astronomy, you know how frustrating winters can be (and spring and fall!). After not having had an opportunity to do any viewing for quite some time, I've been keeping a close watch on the sky just waiting for "that" moment to arrive. After waking up at 2:30 a.m. today and seeing very crisp, clear skies through the kitchen sunroof, I bundled up, trudged through ice and snow to the observatory, breathed hot air into the frozen locks and opened for business. However, by the time I got the dew heater strapped on and got all the equipment powered up and ready, a high layer of clouds had moved in. So here I am now, inside, skunked by the Pacific Northwest weather once again.

Posted by Jim W Coleman at 04:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

OMG, I was standing outside tonight at 4:48 and caught something bright in the sky. Turning up to look, I caught the unmistakeable sight of the International Space Station gliding across the sky right over my head! I've seen it many times, but usually only when I'm out looking for it, and never on such a clear night. The sun was setting, the moon was very clear and bright, and I was debating opening the observatory to catch Mars and Saturn tonight when, lo and behold, I got quite the Christmas surprise. I watched the ISS until it disappeared over the eastern horizon. Please continue reading...

At 6:20, the ISS flew over AGAIN! Wow, it's rare to see two flyovers in one night. I was profoundly touched to be able to witness both, and to get on on film. The image above was taken at the 6:30 p.m. flyover - not as bright, and very low in the sky. (5 second exposure, ASA 400, Canon EOS 20D).

That's one thing I love about this hobby - you never know what you're going to see out there when you peer into the heavens. With or without a telescope. Merry Christmas, all!

Posted by Jim W Coleman at 04:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)