Finding ISON

So I spent Saturday working on the repair of the power jack and decided to go with the 'non-elegant' solution. The fix was to run a set of wires from the inside of the mount through the hole where the existing jack was located and to a new inline jack. The power is then plugged into the external jack (see pic). Works like a champ.

With the new telescope up and running I tried to locate comet ISON on Saturday. No luck. Not sure if it was the bright sky (due to the moon) or the low elevation of the comet, but try as I might I couldn't verify that I picked up ISON.

No matter, as soon as the moon gets out of the way (in a few days) I'll try again.

Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona (October 8, 2013)

More info on Astronomy.com

ISON will lie closest to the Sun November 28 — at just 680,000 miles from its surface. Wow, that's close, hence why we call comets like ISON sungrazers. Latest predictions indicate that it will peak at magnitude –4.5, equivalent to the brightness of Venus.

On December 8, Comet ISON crosses into the northern sky. It should shine brighter than 1st magnitude and perhaps sport a spectacular tail. Northern Hemisphere viewers will get increasingly better views as Christmas approaches.

New Telescope Arrives

Well, I decided to purchase a new telescope before Christmas so that I would have it for observing comet ISON. I took vacation time to stay home to wait for the arrival (the five boxes came at 2:00PM on Friday). Since I bought it from OptCorp in California, and was ordered Monday afternoon, getting here by Friday was great. And OptCorp paid the UPS charges (at 200lbs that was great too!)

Spent most of the afternoon setting up the mount and stuff. Of course, Lucy (the dog) insisted I play 'stick' with her the whole time, the process took much longer than normal. Turn a screw; throw the stick. Adjust a cable; throw the stick. Attach the counterweight, throw the stick. Well, you get it.

By early evening I was up and running. Spent a couple of hours learning how to align the scope and use the various features. All was going well; I was ready to view ISON early on Saturday morning after viewing some the other interesting objects to test out the optics. I was also going to spend some time making sure I could piggyback my camera on the scope in anticipation of photographing ISON later this month.

Then it happened - only 6 hours old - I accidently yanked the power cord from the mount. And, since it was screwed it in to keep it from popping out unexpectedly, the angled force snapped the power jack right off. Argh!!

Well, it looks like I can get a new jack from RadioShack and solder it in. Voids the warranty on the mount, but the thought of sending the mount back for repairs is the last option I want to take - the freight would be expensive and then the down time would be prohibitive. I've repaired and built electronic gear before so I am confident I can make the repairs myself. So, looks like I know what I'm going to be doing on Saturday. Luckily, the power plug can still be seated in what remains of the jack as long as I tape the cord to hold it. It lasted so far as I've been able to use the scope this past evening (and as I write this it's still working). But a real permanent fix is absolutely needed. I may even forgo the jack and wire an external jack. Wont look as neat, but would prevent this from happening again.

Initial impressions: this telescope is fantastic. Well built, the optics are outstanding. Money well spent!  ISON, I'll be ready for you.

ISON not yet visible in binoculars

After getting up and going outside at 5:00 AM this morning to find comet ISON with my 10x50 binoculars it suddenly dawned on me that binoculars would not pick up a 9th or 10th magnitude object. Sure enough, no ISON ... but the stars were wonderful. I spent 20 minutes or so viewing the Pleiades, M42 (the Great Nebula in Orion) and Jupiter's moons - yep, the sky was so crystal clear that I could easily make out Jupiter's moons with hand-held 10x50s.

I was going to bring out the 8" telescope tomorrow morning but now it seems the weather is not cooperating! So, looks like I wait until later towards the weekend.

So, when will ISON be visible in binoculars? Probably by the end of the month when the comet should reach 6th or 7th magnitude.

All planets orbit stars ... right?

Well, maybe not.  Michael Liu (Institute for Astronomy, University of Hawaii) has released images of a young planet that's drifting through space on its own. Check out the story on SkyandTelescope.com.

Upcoming MDRA Launch

MDRA will hold ESL 185, at The Central Sod Farm, (Centerville, Maryland). The launch will be 10-12-13 and 10-13-13. The Sod Farm works until noon on Saturday, so plan your arrival no earlier than 11:00 A.M. The Sunday launch will start around 9:00 A.M. 
There is still no date for Red Glare. As soon as one is announced I will post here.

Good news for comet watchers

Looks like there is some good news concerning comet ISON as reported in Nature.com. There is a good chance that ISON will survive the close approach with the Sun. And if it does, ISON will likely become visible to the naked eye in December.