Crumby's Telescope Tomfoolery Notes

As the weatherpersons would say, a ridge of high pressure is building into the area. Ridges of high pressure in these parts can last for months during the hottest parts of the annual trip around Ogma. Many enjoy the ridges for meteroic conditions induced by the ridges allow them to bask under Ogma, unmolested by rain, and do aquatic recreational activities and golf. The aquatic recreational activities take a toll of the unwary as the waters shallow, but few of the golfers are struck by lightning.

The agricultural minded are less enthusiastic about the ridges. However, now that telescope tomfoolery has interested me, I find it slightly easier to put up with the ridges. One pattern I have noticed, that may not qualify as a pattern, is that as the moon waxes, so do the ridges. So on clear nights the tomfool must contend with a very bright waxing moon. Such was the nonce of the preceeding eve.

Out went the Crumby Ovate into the stygian darkness of the east pasture. Actually, it was broad daylight when I took the Newt out to the east pasture because it needs time to thermal adjust and must be collimated. But later, out went the Crumby Ovate into the stygian moonlit darkness of the east pasture, armed cap-a-pie. Due to the ferocity of the skeeters, the Crumby Ovate had to beat a retreat and go get his denim jacket. Out went the Crumby Ovate. The Crumby Ovate began to sweat for it was verily hot as Beelzebub's theoretical domain. The Crumby Ovate had to go back in the CB domicile to find some telescopery he forgot and have a delicious raspberry soda to cool off with.

At last though, out went the Crumby Ovate to enjoy the many celestial wonders that awaited.

I really, really, really want a nice picture of Jupiter and associated moons. So I worked on that awhile employing the Newt. The trouble is, I can't in-line focus the digital adequately or something like that. Plus there may be the problem of too much glass between me and Jupiter. But I shall persist. Maybe, some night absent the bright moon in close proximity, and absent the whipping hot wind, I shall succeed, maybe.

Then my attention was grabbed by Cygnus' left wing, that part of the left wing that an ornithologist, or anyone familiar with one of the many interesting Topography of a Bird illustrations, might refer to as the bird's wrist, to which the primary feathers are attached. Indeed that is the location of the star Delta Cygnus which demarcates the Swan's wrist. Going out from the wrist along the primaries, one finds Theta Cygnus and nearby 16 Cygnus, after some effort, maybe.

Boring Technical Thoughts

Two eps incluced among the CB telescopery are 12.5 and 18mm X-Cels which seldom get any use because they are big and clunky and don't work as well in the Maks as orthos. But I surmised they might do OK in the Newt. So I wanted to test them out because I think about vending them a lot. I would have vended them already, but the 18mm redeemed itself one day in the microscope.

They did all right, but not super. Both Pi Aquilae and Delta Cygnus split with 12.5mm and 2x Ultima. That's 1250/12.5 x 2. 16 Cygni is easy at 36 arcseconds so the 18mm can do that handily unbarlowed. Course the 25mm Lomo plossl can too.

The stupid Blinking Planetary Nebula is near 16 Cygni. It's one of the planetary nebula that can be espied from this location since it's bright enought to shine through all the pollution. I looked at it again since I was in the neighborhood. Then there's the very pretty 30, 31 stars above Deneb. Those are worth espying.

I wanted to stay up longer, for Andromeda, but the cow hides beckoned and the haze increased. Ray and me get to sleep in the house tonight, the Arkdruid's wrath having run its course.