Rain and Telescopes don't mix well!

One of the benefits of having an observatory to house your equipment is the added convenience and protection it offers. With the right sensors and software—which I expect to have in place within a couple of months—the system can automatically detect bad weather, park the telescope, close the dome, and shut everything down. That means no worrying about sudden rain.

Last evening, I had the scope set up outside. When clouds started rolling in, I checked the weather radar and forecast. Nothing showed up, and it indicated a 0% chance of rain (or at least I’m pretty sure it did 🙂). I shut everything down as a precaution, but I didn’t cover the scope. Then at 8:30 this morning, a loud thunderclap woke me up—sure enough, a full-blown storm had arrived.

I rushed outside to bring everything in. Fortunately, the scope was parked in position 5, meaning it was horizontal, so the optics weren’t directly exposed. Both scopes also had their lens covers on, which helped. However, the camera, computer, network couplers, mount control box, and power packs all ended up getting soaked.

Since none of the equipment was powered on, I’m hopeful there won’t be any permanent damage. I took everything apart, wiped it down, and moved it into my Longarm Building, where I run a dehumidifier and keep the AC at 72°F. With the humidity at about 40%, I’m giving it a solid 72 hours to dry out.

I had planned to disassemble everything eventually when moving to the new observatory, but this situation pushed that timeline up by a few weeks.

The bottom line: the EdgeHD11 will likely be out of commission for at least two months.

Lesson learned - don't trust the forecast! Can't wait to get the Observatory built.

Venus Occultation - June 17, 2026

A daytime occultation of the planet Venus occurred at approximately 3:47 PM, when the bright planet was gradually covered by the dark edge of the thin crescent moon. Disappearance took a mere 30 seconds for the sunlit portion of the gibbous planet. Conditions were not great as there were a significant number of cumulous clouds making finding and focusing on the pair difficult. I used my wide field WO ZS61 telescope and ASI533mc camera to capture the full diameter of the moon. Image scale of the scope and seeing conditions of the sky made any attempt at capturing detail on the planet impossible.

At 5:10 PM Venus reappeared, but behind a large cloud. Minutes later I was able to capture some video of the planet very close to the bright lunar limb.

Day 7 - Night Sky Observatory build

A beautiful, sunny but cool, day greeted us on Tuesday. Mike T. arrived early with the additional decking boards. I removed the j-bolt template from the concrete pier - took just a little extra effort as the board was in contact with the cement.

In just a couple of hours (give or take) we had the deck completed.

The SkyShed Pier was test fitted to the bolts. One of the holes needed to be enlarged a bit. Pier fit perfectly. I leveled the pier but have to wait until later today or tomorrow for the hardware I ordered from Home Depot.

POD-S assembly should begin soon - probably week after next as I have an engagement all next week.

Day 6 of Night Sky Observatory Build

Today Mike T. and I got a fairly early start, and everything was going to plan. We added the joist hangers around the perimeter and in the center section. Then we started placing the deck floorboards on the northern side of the frame with the plan to be able to pour the concrete into the 16" Sonotube from the deck top to make life a bit easier. Got the first few boards in and then placed the sonotube in the 20" hole and centered it. Off to mix the concrete and start pouring. So far, so good.

Now the 16" tube is quite large, as the specs called for a 14" which I couldn't find anywhere. But the 16" should work just fine. It wasn't until the concrete got to the top of the tube when near disaster struck!! The plan was to backfill the hole around the tube after the column was centered. But the weight of the concrete, coupled with us tamping the concrete down to eliminate any voids in the concrete caused the tube to rupture. The tube fell to one side! There was obviously no way we were going to right it and so we pulled the tube completely out and let all that concrete collapse into the hole. The concrete now settled into one huge footer!! 

Quick thinking ensued and we decided that in order to save the day we would need to add a new section of concrete (about 18" or so) to set up on top of the existing 'new' footer before the original concrete started to set. We quickly headed out for the only Home Depot (about 20 minutes away) that had 16" sonotubes to get another tube and some rebar.

Once back at the site we cut the tube to the required length, pushed it down into the footer about 6-8" and drove five, 48" long rebars into the still wet cement of the footer. We then poured another 3 bags of concrete into the new sonotube. It was pretty much level (just a fraction off) and so we decided to leave well enough alone. I then placed the j-bolts into the top of the concrete column for the pier attachment. Done!

The good news is that the huge footer and rebar reinforced 18" top section might actually be stronger than the planned 16" column - might even be considered overkill. So be it. 

Tomorrow, we place the remaining boards. Then I plan to allow the concrete to cure for 96 hours. By Sunday I should be able to mount the pier for a quick test.

Day 4 and 5 of Night Sky Observatory Build

Days 4 and 5 - completed the footers and the framing of the deck. Friday the complete frame of the deck was completed.

Today the ground cover was placed and the backfilling of the posts. Ready for the deck surface to be completed on Monday.

Day 2 and 3 of Night Sky Observatory build

Yesterday was the day to complete the removal of the remaining grass and to travel to three Home Depots to finally get the 16"x48" form tube (they shipped me a 10" and the 16" tubes were hard to find. Then there were the anchor bolts ... what a task that was to get them. Whew. Started digging the holes.

Today the corner footer holes for the deck were completed and the concrete poured (2 bags per hole). The dig of the pier footer hole took awhile being 18"x 38-40" deep! But it is ready for concrete pour later this weekend. Decided to build the deck first, cut the center hole for the pier and then pour concrete from the top of the deck. This way I can precisely set the footer height to be at just the right height for the pier base to be just an inch or so under the deck floor.

Temps are getting a bit steep here in Maryland, so tomorrow is gonna be a bit uncomfortable (90's). 

 

Groundbreaking on Night Sky Observatory

Today marked the official groundbreaking for Night Sky Observatory. The plot was measured and the stakes were set. I chose to align the east and west sides of the deck as close to true north as possible, using an iPhone app called Theodolite to position the stakes. The alignment is likely not exact, but it does not need to be. I aimed to keep it close because the plot was already oriented that way.

Next came digging the hole. Progress was slow at first because the soil was very rocky, and I hit several stones and medium-sized rocks within the first foot. After that, digging became much easier. Because the concrete pier footing must extend below the frost line, I dug to the full 48-inch depth of the Sono tube. Tomorrow, I will need to shape the hole more precisely once the Sono tube arrives and I can confirm the required diameter, which should be 16 inches.

Every project needs a supervisor, and so Luna was there to make sure everything went to plan.

Tomorrow the decking boards and concrete arrive.

Follow Jupiter and Venus in the Early Evening Sky

Jupiter and Venus will be 'doing the dance' for the next couple of weeks. Both planets are in the western sky and visible as soon as it gets dark - around 8:30 - 9:00 PM EDT.

On Monday, June 1, 2026, Jupiter will be to the left and higher than Venus. Venus, of course, is the brighter of the two. The two stars above the planets are Castor and Pollux, the major stars of Gemini the Twins. Castor is the rightmost of the two.

By next Monday, June 8, the two planets will be very close to each other, with Jupiter falling further down to the horizon and Venus rising slowly and to the left.

On June 9 they will be the closest, about 1.5 degrees apart - a bit more than the width of your pinky finger at arm's length.

On the 15th, Jupiter will have passed Venus and sinking lower and lower in the western horizon. 

On the 16th, the thin crescent moon joins the pair making for a nice grouping.

Finally, on the 17th the moon joins Venus for another close pairing. 

No optical aid needed - just your eyes and clear skies! 

IC 1396 - featuring the Elephant Trunk Nebula

Sometimes things fall through the cracks. So it was with my imaging run of IC 1396. I had collected the 27 hours of narrowband data back in 2022, but just 'uncovered' the files a few days ago.

IC 1396 - September 2022
GT102/ASI2600mm - SHO Hubble Palette
27 Hours Integration time - sub exposures 300sec each

IC 1396 is a vast and intricate emission nebula nestled within the constellation Cepheus, spanning over three degrees of sky and glowing softly with the deep red light of ionized hydrogen. Illuminated by the massive stars of the embedded cluster Trumpler 37, this region is a stellar nursery in constant motion—where intense radiation carves away at dense clouds of gas and dust, revealing a complex tapestry of pillars, globules, and dark lanes. This wide-field view captures its sprawling extent with the narrowband SHO palette isolating and enhancing its fine structures.

At its heart lies one of its most iconic features: the Elephant’s Trunk Nebula, a sinuous column of dense gas stretching into the glowing background. This structure is being slowly eroded by stellar winds and ultraviolet radiation, a process that both destroys and creates—compressing pockets of material that may eventually collapse into new stars.

Close Pairings of Moon and Planets

Yesterday evening I took the photograph (below) of the close pairing of the thin crescent Moon and the planet Venus. Image was taken with the iPhone 17 Pro and was handheld.

This evening, I took a similar photo, but mounted the iPhone on a tripod. The moon has now placed itself between two planets - Jupiter to the left and Venus below and to the right.

I find it a bit amusing that the handheld photo appears less burry than the one on the tripod. But I think that is really due to the time of day these were taken and the phase of the moon. On the 19th the moon was larger and brighter.

Exploring Einstein's Relativity - Soldiers Delight Star Party this Saturday (May 16)

 

Soldiers Delight Star Party - May 16, 2026

Don't miss the next SD Star Party - this Saturday evening!

"From Space-Time to Black Holes: Exploring Einstein's Relativity"

In a riveting lecture on spacetime physics, the speaker will delve into the intricacies of special and general relativity, captivating the audience with both theory and practical examples. The lecture begins with an introduction to special relativity, explaining how it revolutionized our understanding of space and time by showing that they are interwoven into a single continuum. This will be illustrated with the famous example of time dilation, where time slows down for an object moving at high speeds, such as an astronaut traveling near the speed of light. Transitioning to general relativity, the lecture will highlight how Einstein's theory describes gravity not as a force, but as a curvature of spacetime caused by mass. This is vividly demonstrated with the analogy of a heavy ball placed on a stretched rubber sheet, bending the surface around it. The speaker will also discuss real-world applications, such as the precise calculations needed for GPS satellites, which must account for both special and general relativistic effects to provide accurate positioning. Throughout the lecture, the audience will be encouraged to appreciate the profound implications of these theories on our understanding of the universe.

All ages welcome.

All programs rain or shine. Time machines will be provided by the Westminster Astronomy Club.

You can find out about special local events by contacting us at https://www.westminsterastro.org/

Date: Saturday, May 16, 2026

Time: 8:30 p.m. - 10:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Location: Soldiers Delight Environmental Area - Visitor Center

5100 Deer Park Rd.

Owings Mills, MD 21117