| Observer: | Tom Campbell |
| Location: | Iola, Kansas (Long: 95°24'W Lat: 37°55'N) |
| Equipment: | Discovery DHQ 8" dobsonian |
| Eyepieces: | 1.25" Plössls - 25mm (49x), 15mm (81x), 10mm (122x); Starmaster 2X barlow |
| Time: | 9:30pm - 10:30pm CDT (02:30-03:30 UT) |
| Transparency: | Clear (9/10) |
| Seeing: | Stable (8/10) |
| Weather: | Temperatures in the 70s. There was no breeze. |
In honor of the upcoming closest approach by Mars, I decided to spend a night looking at other objects which often appear red.
| WZ | Cassiopeia | Double Star | 9:35pm CDT |
| OS 254 | RA: 00h 01m 16s | Dec: +60° 21' | Mag: 7.4, 8.3 |
This double was wide and easily separated at 49x. Both components were of a similar magnitude, with one star a deep orange color and the companion was medium blue. The great color contrast makes this one of my favorite doubles. |
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| m (Mu) | Cepheus | Carbon Star | 9:40pm CDT |
| SAO 33693 | RA: 21h 43m 30s | Dec: +58° 47' | Mag: 6.5 |
This star appeared bright orange and was the brightest star in the field. Its color really made it stand out. |
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| T | Lyra | Carbon Star | 9:50pm CDT |
| SAO 67087 | RA: 18h 32m 20s | Dec: +37° 00' | Mag: 7.8 |
This carbon star was bright and medium orange in appearance. |
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| V | Aquila | Carbon Star | 10:15pm CDT |
| SAO 142985 | RA: 19h 04m 24s | Dec: -05° 41' | Mag: 6.6 |
This was another carbon star. It appeared bright and orange. |
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| 61 | Cygnus | Double Star | 10:25pm CDT |
| S 2758 | RA: 21h 06m 54s | Dec: +38° 45' | Mag: 5.2, 5.6 |
This double was fairly wide. In times past, this pair looked orange, but tonight they appeared deep yellow. |
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| Unknown | Cassiopeia | Satellite | 10:45pm CDT |
| RA: 01h 11m 38s | Dec: +60° 30' | Mag: | |
While looking for my next target, I caught an unusual sight in my telescope. About halfway between Gamma Cas and Delta Cas I saw a blinking satellite. It would quickly flash on, then would disappear for a second or two, then flash on again. I'm guessing that I witnessed a tumbling satellite which would blink "on" whenever a solar panel or something similar would catch the sunlight. Between blinks, it would just barely move in the eyepiece. |
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| Mars | Aquarius | Planet | 11:40pm CDT |
| RA: 22h 39m 58s | Dec: -15° 38' | Mag: -2.9 | |
The Southern Polar Cap was very visible, but the planet was somewhat subdued in color, apparing more tan than orange. The best view was at 304x. I couldn't detect the North Polar Hood tonight, and the planet was nearly full. The surface features were somewhat washed out, with only Mare Erythraeum and Mare Acidalium clearly visible. |
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