Building Permit Received - Construction Starts on Night Sky Observatory

It's been a long time waiting (almost a month to the date) for my building permit to get approved and issued prior to starting the construction of the free-standing deck and pier for the Night Sky Observatory. But now with the permit in hand, it's time to start the first phase of the construction - the measurements and dig.

I was notified today that my SkyShed Pier will be shipped out either Wednesday or Thursday and should arrive sometime next week. I'll probably spend some time early next week taking measurements of the area where the deck will sit for getting grade angle and then start the digging of the 40" deep by 18" diameter hole for the concrete pier footing. The location is pretty flat, and initial 'quick' measures showed the incline to be only about 3 degrees, which would make the height difference of about 8".

Soldiers Delight Star Party - April 18, 2026 - 8:30pm EDT

Soldiers Delight Star Party - April 18, 2026

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

"Crisis in Cosmology - aka, The Hubble Tension"

Tonight's lecture is on one of the most intriguing puzzles in modern cosmology: The Hubble Tension. This phenomenon refers to the discrepancy between the rate of expansion of the universe as measured by different methods. On one hand, we have measurements from the early universe, such as those from the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), and on the other, we have measurements from the local universe, such as those using Cepheid variables and Type Ia supernovae. Despite the precision of these methods, they yield different values for the Hubble constant, leading to a tension that challenges our understanding of the cosmos. Today, we will delve into the methods used to measure the Hubble constant, explore the possible reasons for this discrepancy, and discuss the implications for 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, March 18, 2026

Note time change for the Summer Months:
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

 

New Images

A string of clear, cool evenings in Maryland can only mean one thing - Mikey is imaging again!

Here are my latest deep space objects.

First up, the Eyes Galaxies (NGC 4438 and 4435)

NGC 4438 is a striking, highly distorted galaxy in the Virgo Cluster, located about 52 million light‑years from Earth and forming the larger half of the interacting pair known as The Eyes. Once likely a spiral galaxy, NGC 4438 has been dramatically reshaped by gravitational encounters with nearby galaxies, including its close companion NGC 4435. These interactions have stretched its disk into long tidal tails, disrupted its structure, and stripped much of its gas, leaving behind a chaotic yet beautiful form that vividly illustrates the powerful effects of galactic collisions in a dense cluster environment.

The Eyes Galaxies
EdgeHD11/ASI2600 - April 8-10, 2026
LRGB - 6hr 21m integration time

This is a slightly cropped version of the original FOV. I had some issues with my Lum flats not correcting the large donut rings along the bottom and left edges. Cropping the image eliminated them (mostly). This is the third time I’ve had issues with the Lum flats. Need to investigate.

Next, M64 (the Black Eye Galaxy)

Messier 64, better known as the Black Eye Galaxy, is a striking spiral galaxy located about 17 million light‑years away in the constellation Coma Berenices. Its nickname comes from the dramatic, dark band of interstellar dust that cuts across its bright central bulge, giving the appearance of a shadowed or “bruised” eye. This dense dust lane absorbs starlight from the core, creating one of the most distinctive faces in the nearby universe.

M64 - the Black Eye Galaxy
EdgeHD11/ASI2600 - April 12, 2026
LRGB - 6hr 24m integration time

The galaxy contains counter‑rotating inner and outer regions, where gas in the outskirt's spins in the opposite direction from the stars and gas near the core—likely the aftermath of a past merger with a smaller galaxy. Where these opposing flows interact, gas clouds are compressed, triggering new bursts of star formation that add subtle color and texture to long‑exposure images.

Zooming in on the image you can see many more distant galaxies scattered throughout the field.

Goodbye Comet MAPS

From EarthSky: We just watched a comet die. Comet MAPS (C/2026 A1) plunged through the sun’s atmosphere only 160,000 km (99,000 mi) above the surface. It went in as a comet. What came out the other side was a cloud of dust. You can see the video from the LASCO C2 coronagraph here.

So, it looks like there will not be an Easter comet this year. Discovered last January, MAPS set the record as the most distant sungrazer ever observed at the time. There was genuine hope it was large enough to survive perihelion, perhaps even becoming visible in broad daylight. But the sun had other ideas.