Event Dates for October

Two October dates for Observatory Guest Nights have been added to the schedule:

Friday 7 October 2016 : 8 - 9 PM
Friday 21 October 2016 : 8 - 9 PM

Because of occupancy limitations on the roof, we require guests to make reservations via Eventbrite (http://mcobservatory-fall2016.eventbrite.com).

New for Fall events:

Events will be cancelled for bad weather. I will make the call at least 2 hours prior to the event start time. An announcement will be sent to the email address you registered with Eventbrite, and I will post the status on this website.

Observing log for 25 August 2016

Despite some haze and high cirrus we were able to see the following objects:

• Saturn: The ringed planet will be visible until mid-September.
• Mars: Mars was at opposition on 22 May 2016, making it very well-placed for observing this summer.
• M13, (the Hercules cluster): M13 is an example of a globular cluster and is about 25,000 light-years from Earth.
• M57 (the Ring Nebula): M57 is a planetary nebula about 2,000 light-years from Earth.
• NCG 6826 (The "blinking planetary" in Cygnus): NGC 6826 is another example of a planetary nebula, also about 2,000 light-years from Earth.
• Albireo: Albireo is a double star system in Cygnus. The two stars (one blue, one gold) can't be resolved with the naked eye, but through our telescopes we are able to see the pair.

Thank you everyone for attending, and for your interest in the Montgomery College Observatory!

August / September Starmap

Last night I had a couple of requests for an electronic version of the August / September starmap. You can find it here: MCAO August / September Starmap.

And here is the handout on Getting Oriented in the Night Sky.

We were able to see the following before the sky clouded up:

• Saturn: The ringed planet will be easy to find in the in the southwest until mid September.
• Mars: Mars was at opposition on 22 May 2016, making it very well-placed for observing this summer.
• Albireo: Albireo is a double star system in Cygnus. The two stars (one blue, one gold) can't be resolved with the naked eye, but through our telescopes we are able to see the pair.
• International Space Station: We watched the ISS pass overhead just before 10 PM. Heavens Above has timetables and maps for ISS visible passes.

More information about all of the planets can be found on NASA's Solar System Exploration page.

Last night I recommended the planetarium software package Stellarium. Stellarium is free and operates on Windows, Mac, and Linux. I've used it on all three platforms without issue. There is a mobile version ($2.49, last time I checked) as well.

I also use the website Heavens Above for astronomical and satellite data.

Finally, the US Naval Observatory's Data Services page is a fantastic resource and one I use frequently.

Event dates for August and September

August and September dates for Observatory Guest Nights are below. (Note we've added Thursday evenings!)

Friday 5 August 2016 : 9 - 10 PM
Thursday 11 August 2016 : 9 - 10 PM
Friday 19 August 2016 : 9 - 10 PM
Thursday 25 August 2016 : 9 - 10 PM

Friday 2 September 2016 : 8 - 9 PM
Thursday 8 September 2016 : 8 - 9 PM
Friday 16 September 2016 : 8 - 9 PM
Thursday 22 September 2016 : 8 - 9 PM

Because of occupancy limitations on the roof, we require guests to make reservations via Eventbrite (http://mcobservatory-fall2016.eventbrite.com).

New for August and September:

Events will be cancelled for bad weather. I will make the call at least 2 hours prior to the event start time. An announcement will be sent to the email address you registered with Eventbrite and I will post the status on this website.

Observing log for 1 July 2016

The thunderstorms cleared out before 9 PM. We had a few clouds, but also some clear sky, particularly by the end of the evening.

Here is a recap of what we observed last night:

• Jupiter and the Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto) : As mentioned, NASA's Juno Mission arrives Jupiter on Monday 4 July.
• Mars: Mars was at opposition on 22 May 2016, making it very well-placed for observing this summer.
• Saturn: The ringed planet will be visible until mid-September. On 24 August, look to see Saturn near in sky to both Mars and the beautiful red supergiant star, Antares.
• M13, (the Hercules cluster): M13 is an example of a globular cluster and is about 25,000 light-years from Earth.
• M57 (the Ring Nebula): M57 is an example of planetary nebula and is about 2,000 light-years from Earth.

More information about all of the planets can be found on NASA's Solar System Exploration page.

Last night I recommended the planetarium software package Stellarium. Stellarium is free and operates on Windows, Mac, and Linux. I've used it on all three platforms without issue. There is a mobile version ($2.49, last time I checked) as well.

I also use the website Heavens Above for astronomical and satellite data.

Finally, the US Naval Observatory's Data Services page is a fantastic resource and one I use frequently.

Thank you everyone for attending, and for your interest in the Montgomery College Observatory! Event dates for August, September, and October will be posted soon.

April / May Starmap

The latest starmap is here: MCAO April/ May Starmap.

Of particular interest in May is a rare transit of Mercury across the Sun the morning of Monday 9 May 2016. Earthsky.org has lots of good information about the event here.

What we saw Friday night / Leo constellation info

We had a beautiful clear sky for our first observatory night of the season. Here's what we observed:

Through the 14-inch scope

• Jupiter
• Waxing gibbous Moon
• Mizar (double star in Ursa Major)

Through the 8-inch scope

• M42 (Orion Nebula)
• Waxing gibbous Moon
• Jupiter

Binoculars

• Alcor and Mizar (double star in Ursa Major)
• M44 (Beehive cluster in Cancer)
• Waxing gibbous Moon

Jupiter is currently in the constellation Leo, the Lion. The information sheet on Leo from the observatory night can be accessed here.

Many thanks to Kim and Ryan for operating the 8-inch telescope and binoculars, respectively, and thanks also to the MC Stargazer club members. These events would not be possible without the time and talent of Montgomery College students.

The upcoming spring and summer events are full, but we've added a wait list to the Eventbrite ticket reservations. If you are on the wait list, you will be notified by email if a slot opens up.

Spring 2016 observatory event schedule is live!

We have dates for the Spring 2016 Observatory Guest Nights (yay!). Reservations can be made on the Eventbrite website.

Friday 15 April 2016 : 9 - 10 PM

Friday 6 May 2016 : 9 - 10 PM
Friday 20 May 2016 : 9 - 10 PM

Friday 3 June 2016 : 9 - 10 PM
Friday 17 June 2016 : 9 - 10 PM

Friday 1 July 2016 : 9 - 10 PM
Friday 15 July 2016 : 9 - 10 PM