STARLOG

NOVEMBER NOCTURNE

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

The weather forecast has been for mostly sunny days followed by mostly cloudy nights for the next week or so. As I was outside this evening, I was surprised to see it clearing off. I did a quick check on a couple of my weather apps and it seemed like I was in luck ... the clouds were supposed to mostly stay away until after midnight.

I grabbed my scope and set it up in the back yard and let it "cool down" while I finished my outdoor chores and had a bite of supper. When I stepped back outside to observe, I was greeted with a nasty surprise: one of my neighbors had turned on his back yard security lights. They were mounted just high enough that they shone over the top of my privacy fence.

I was hoping to try for a few galaxies tonight, but there was no way I could compete with that kind of light pollution. I looked for the darkest part of the sky I could find. Fomalhaut was shining brightly down in the southern muck, but it was far enough above the houses that it made a tempting target.

I looked at my star map and saw a double star not too far away from Fomalhaut, in the constellation of Piscis Austrinus, the Southern Fish. This would be my first-ever venture to this constellation. In Kansas, it was way too low in the sky. Even this far south in Texas, it's over the house tops, but still in the thick murky atmosphere. I wasn't able to see any of its stars naked eye, so had to starhop from Fomalhaut using my finder scope.

I then spent quite a bit of time trying to locate NGC 288, a globular cluster in the same constellation. I think I found the right spot for it, but wasn't able to see it through the murky haze. Time to try for something a bit higher up.

γ And (Almach)	Andromeda	Double Star	8:10pm CST
With the 18mm eyepiece (83X) it was beautiful, showing a bright yellow primary and a medium blue companion, which was a magnitude or two fainter.
M 34 (Spiral Cluster)	Perseus	Open Cluster	8:15pm CST
	This wide open cluster fit nicely into the field of my 18mm eyepiece. Maybe three dozen stars were visible in what reminds me of a pinwheel shape. Many of the stars near the middle formed pairs. It looked nice but it would be more impressive if it were a bit more compact.

I looked up and noticed something had changed. The security lights were finally turned off! Feeling a little excited, I decided to try for a galaxy. Halfway between Almach and M34 was NGC 891, a galaxy that has thus far eluded me. Since I was in the area, I thought I'd try again. I found the exact star field and took a look. Nothing. Still too faint to pick out of the sky glow. Rats! Back to the brighter objects on my list.

Something else in the sky garnered my attention. A cloud bank moving in. "You're three hours early! That's not fair," I muttered under my breath. The wind was picking up, too. I better hurry and try to get in another observation or two before the sky was completely covered.

η Per	Perseus	Double Star	8:50pm CST
This was a nice double, easily found. It had a wide separation, but the nicest view was with my 11mm (136X). The primary was a bright yellow and the companion was a magnitude or so fainter and was medium blue.
Trumpler 2	Perseus	Open Cluster	8:55pm CST
	This was a long and narrow open cluster. I could detect a couple dozen stars. One of the stars near the center was bright yellow.
IC 2003	Perseus	Planetary Nebula	9:05pm CST
	This planetary is surrounded by brighter stars. Using my barlowed 11mm (341X), it became pretty obvious that it was a planetary rather than a fainter star. It was fairly bright but somewhat small and roundish, looking like a defocused star.

The wind was picking up even more now, and the clouds were taking over the last few constellations still visible. Time to call it a night. But I can't complain. I wasn't even planning on getting to observe at all this week. Ninety minutes under the night sky felt good.