[Lvas] Desert observing tips / Anybody up for observing this week?

Thu Apr 23 09:09:04 PDT 2009

David,

You have already created an interest here in NC. Can it be seen from close proximity to Boiling Springs NC at 850 feet with a limiting horizon of 7°...with lots of sky glow to the south?

Steve Davis just e-mailed me and said that he had imaged from the top of Mount Mitchell. Two more have given a similar story. The weather is just too unpreditable to drive up Mitchell at night. It's an hour and a half from my house, and I don't like to drive down the mountain at night.. 

At 6684 ft it can rain, snow, or present a severe lightening storm. I have left many times from the base on my bicycle and rode the 32 miles to the top. I have also been frightened by a storm with gale force winds...out of nowhere, many times. 

A couple of local cyclist rode to the top a couple of weeks ago. They started in beautiful weather, only to be greeted by sleet and snow with 40 mph gust with a wind chill of 16° before reaching the top. It was 60° at the base with sunny skies.. 

I want to make it difficult and see it from one of our local dark sites...10 to 30 mins away. I plan to use my 4-inch refractor.  

Please keep me posted as to the difficultly and a note or two in regard to what kind of details you can see. 

Thanks...this is going to be fun

roger  

    I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.      Abraham Lincoln

Date: Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:22:17 -0700
To: lvas at lvlug.org
From: Yahoo at awit.com
Subject: Re: [Lvas] Desert observing tips / Anybody up for observing this week?

I've seen it twice.  The first was from the Jumbo Rocks Campground in the Joshua Tree National Park in California.  It was about 6 degrees above the horizon at the time, though it can reach almost 9 degrees.

The second time was from Temple Bar Arizona, where Rob had his Mallincam setup on a berm.  It was at it's max elevation of about 6 and a half degrees.

In both cases, one could see that basic structure, but the atmosphere made the whole image rather soft.

-- David

At 06:17 AM 4/23/2009, you wrote:

David,

I have always been interested in seeing Omega Centauri. I have never been able to see this fabulous object from my home here in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. I have many obstacles, which include hills, trees, but mostly sky glow from distant cities.

It is indeed possible from your location, and mine with a good horizon (the problem). Your 6° is right on. 

Have you ever seen this object? 

David, you may want to check my math as following.  My eyes and brain are a bit weary to be doing too much calculating, especially off the top of my head. 

Last night Brett Clapper, Steve Davis and myself were out observing till 1:30 AM. I got in the bed at approximately 2:30, and got up at 5:00. I'm tired, but it was a fun time...and certainly worth the lose of sleep. 

You have inspired me. I am going to make every effort to see this cluster... this year. Like you I would be happy with just a glimpse. We should make this a project. I am going to forward this to our local group. I may be the only one that has not seen this object.

Las Vegas Latitude +36° 10m 30 seconds  =  10m/60 = 0.17

90° - 36°.17.5  =  53.825 or -53° 50m (your southern horizon cut-off) 

Omega Centaur =  -47° 29m 

-53° 50m (-) -47° 29m =  6° 21m (or) or exactly 6.35°. David did you estimate the 6° or did you calculate it also?  You are good. 

Due to atmospheric refraction at the horizon you can normally see an extra 1/2° below the horizon. I must check with some of my experts on this. 

My latitude here in BS North Carolina is +35° 15m 03 seconds. I can see almost 1° lower than you guys in LV. 

According to Walter Scott Houston, one record sighting for this object from a northern observer was E.D. Flynn from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (+40.4°) with a 10-inch reflector at 50X.  

WSH said that it has also been seen from the California/Oregon border. He said that he also saw it from East Haddam, Connecticut. 

Pretty amazing. 

Thanks for sharing. 

Roger Ivester from NC  

> Date: Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:05:52 -0700
> To: lvas at lvlug.org
> From: Yahoo at awit.com
> Subject: Re: [Lvas] Desert observing tips / Anybody up for observing this week?
> 
> At 06:32 PM 4/22/2009, you wrote:
> >Hello,
> >
> >Thanks to everyone so far! I do have sort of a silly idea, but maybe
> >it's doable. Omega Centauri only seems to get about 6 degrees off the
> >horizon - is it possible to catch it? Obviously it won't be at its
> >best, but even a glimpse would be really valuable.
> 
> You will not be able to see it from the Redstone picnic area. The 
> surrounding hills block it completely. You might be able to get it 
> from the trailhead at mile marker 21. The parking lot is up at the 
> top of a hill. I don't really remember what the view to the south was like.
> 
> -- David 
> 
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