ORACLE OBSERVATORY Last updated: 31 December 2005

The forecast for 28 and 29 December was for CLEAR SKIES! Here are the forecasts from The Weather Channel as of Tuesday, 27 December:

So off I went again to Oracle Observatory. Unfortunately, there was one thing that detracted from this trip. Shadow, the oldest feline member of our family passed away the evening before my 8 hour drive to Oracle.

When I arrived at Oracle on Wednesday, 28 December, at 1400, the temperature was 70°F under blue clear skies:

As usual the first thing I did upon arrival was to set up the tent and observing equipment:

At sunset the "Belt of Venus" was clearly visible along the horizon to the North:

To the Southwest was a thin crescent Venus. Here you can see my Meade LXD55-8"SC pointed at Venus:

Here is Venus taken afocally with my Casio Exilim digital camera held up to a 26mm eyepiece on the 8"SC:

Here is Venus taken afocally with my Nikon D70 DSLR camera held up to a 26mm eyepiece on the 8"SC (70mm lens, ISO 200, 1/160 sec, cropped from original 3008x2000 image):

The Pleiades, M45, D70/200mm piggyback on the LXD55-8"SC (single 10 minute exposure @ ISO 1250 with Noise Reduction OFF, cropped from original 3008x2000 image):

The Pleiades, M45, D70/200mm piggyback on the LXD55-8"SC (using Lynkeos for Mac OS X, stacked 5, 5, and 10 minute exposures @ ISO 1250 with Noise Reduction OFF, cropped from original 3008x2000 image), showing more bluish nebulosity around the stars:

The Crab Nebula, M1, D70/200mm piggyback on the LXD55-8"SC (single 5 minute exposure @ ISO 1250 with Noise Reduction OFF, cropped from original 3008x2000 image):

Orion's Belt (left) and M42 (right) region, D70/200mm piggyback on the LXD55-8"SC (single 20 minute exposure @ ISO 1250 with Noise Reduction ON, reduced from original 3008x2000 image):

If you know where to look in the above photograph you will see that I captured the Horsehead Nebula (faintly) in this 20 minute guided exposure. Here is a crop with some image enhancement:

Here is the Horsehead Nebula (two stacked 10 minute exposures @ ISO 1250 with Noise Reduction OFF, cropped from the original 3008x2000 image):

So ended a nice night of observing and astrophotography. The temperature stayed in the mid-40°F.

Thursday, 29 December, dawned nice and clear. During the morning I piggybacked my Coronado PST on the LXD55-8"SC and observed the sun. By the afternoon the wind started blowing and the clouds started coming in from the West:

I called home to have Laurraine check the Clear Sky Clock and the outlook wasn't good for anytime before I needed to get some sleep before the 8 hour drive back home. So much for that good weather forecast from The Weather Channel seen at the top of this page. I decided to just pack up and head home instead of waiting it out. Just before I left Oracle Observatory I took this photograph of sunset:

Until next time...

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