{"id":2512,"date":"2021-10-03T20:27:51","date_gmt":"2021-10-04T00:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/?p=2512"},"modified":"2021-10-03T20:36:05","modified_gmt":"2021-10-04T00:36:05","slug":"octnovdec2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/2021\/10\/03\/octnovdec2021\/","title":{"rendered":"OctNovDec2021"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Connecticut Star Party 2021<\/strong><\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Last year, CSP was cancelled because of COVID, but this year we held a modified CSP on the weekend of September 10-12, 2021. The event consisted of Zoom presentations on Friday evening and a night of observing at the Ed Strang Scout Camp in Goshen CT on Saturday. The two speakers on Friday evening were Pete Kandefer and Kristine Larsen, who were also presenters at the very first CSP in 1991.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Below is Chris Predom’s account of the weekend events:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday’s Zoom meeting was very informative. It started with Pete Kandefer talking about exoplanets, followed by Kristine Larsen talking about our local star, the Sun. Pete started from the early years of exoplanets up to today’s and future outlooks of looking for earth-like planets. How the use of astrometry helped find the early planets by use of wobbles in proper motion of a star or a slight radial change to the light we received from a star. Later, measuring the drop of light output as a planet transits across the star led to determining orbit size and the size of the exoplanet. Up to current spacecraft observing thousands of stars in select areas for transits. Kristine’s talk was on surface features
observable on the Sun. Sunspots and what causes them to solar prominences and flares. The sunspot 11-year cycle and its effects or lack of effects on the earth. She mentioned that there is a AAVSO solar section that monitors the Sun by amateurs like all of us. If interested, search in the AAVSO web site for the solar group for information on how to contribute. The talks were followed by Greg Barker with group photos of all CSPs, where we tried to name the folks in the pictures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Chris Predom’s report on CSP 2021, continued:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Arrived at the scout camp on Saturday about 3 PM. Folks were spread out. I saw Jim and Laurie, had a nice conversation, then after a quick setup I was observing the Moon. Spent time studying the detail I could see in the bright sky and as puffy clouds rolled by and a slight constant breeze shook the scope a few times. Ray, Pat and Jeff joined me for some quick views and a little conversation. Later I was able to view Venus. I didn’t want to try earlier as I was using my Coulter 8inch f4.5 Dob, and had to scan area to find it. So I waited until Sun was just above trees to give me an angle that I could judge easily while scanning. Scanning into the Sun would not be a very pleasant thing. Remember to be safe while looking for objects anywhere near the Sun’s location.

Venus was in a quarter phase as I observed it. Greg and Jeff joined me for a quick view, then maybe an half hour after finding it telescopically I was able to see it naked eye. Then I tried looking for Mercury naked eye, but could not see it. Maybe it was in tree line by then or still just too bright at sunset to see it. As the sky darkened Jupiter was available, then Saturn. Jupiter was very bright and in the Dob it was almost blinding. But the detail seen was very nice, multiple bands, four moons with one (turned out to be Io) going behind Jupiter later to reappear hours later on the other side. Time spent observing Saturn and its rings and moons led to a sky dark enough to observe deep sky objects. M13, M8, M22, Trifid, just to start. I decided to forego charts and just scan the Milky Way, starting from the teapot up to the zenith. I saw a lot of interesting objects, not sure of names of objects I observed (since no charts were used) but the time spent scanning was very enjoyable. Did the same scan in the Cassiopeia and Perseus area. Later M31, M32, and M110 in same field of view. NGC 404.

While stretching my legs, ran into Greg and Ray. In Greg’s scope observed the Dumbbell Nebula, M56 and
Jupiter. I thought Jupiter was bright in my scope! Greg’s 17 inch f4.5 really enhanced the bands and easily showed the moons as globes. We discussed the red spot time of transit, which we later saw on the planet, but it was not as noticeable as expected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Back at my scope I showed new member Gary the Ring Nebula and Albireo. On Albireo I had him slightly defocus the stars to make the colors pop. As he went back to his scope to find these objects, I went from the Pleiades to M37, M36, M38, M1 to finally M42 and the associated sword area, finishing my night on M35 in Gemini. Called it a night at 3AM.

Entire night was clear and not that cold. A slight breeze came up around midnight that made my Dob whistle as the wind blew across it. There was some dew, but wind dried that up. All in all a very nice night. I was happy that my 30+ year old Dob is still performing and that we had a good night like this, and while I did not walk around entire field to see everyone, it was nice to see folks like Donna, Mike, Ray, Jeff, Pat, Jim, Laurie, Greg and Gary. May the year get better!

Clear Skies! Observe!
Chris<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

President’s Annual Message<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Greetings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2021 is like deja vu all over again. No public outreach events, no group meetings. That sums up this year! We had a very nicely watered down CSP. On the first night (Friday) we had presentation by Kristine Larsen and Pete Kandefer, both by the way were our first speakers at CSP 1. On the second night we had 19 attending at the Scout Camp in Goshen. This was one of the best observing nights in a long time.

We have been contacted by a couple of high school astronomy clubs for outreach events. We will be doing Zoom presentations on various topics. Anyone who would like to help with this please contact me.

I want to thank the Board members David Johnson, Ray Kaville, Donna Pursley, Allan Sacharow, Al Washburn and Cheryl Barker for helping me make decisions to keep everyone safe at CSP. I also want to thank Jim Mazur and Laurie Averill for continuing to support the Library Scope Program.

Moving forward we will continue with Zoom General and Board meetings. 
Please stay safe.

Best regards and clear skies
Greg Barker<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Observing Report<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

By Michael Amato<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Wednesday August 25 my brother Anthony and I took a ride to the Westport Observatory to view Jupiter in their 25″ Dob and Saturn in their 14″ SCT. Jupiter showed four belts and the polar regions. These regions were really clear in the scope. Three of the four moons were also out and they were clear orbs in the scope. Saturn’s Cassini Division was very obvious and Saturn’s North Equatorial Belt also showed well. The skies were smoky from the western wild fires so Venus which was low in the western skies actually looked very orange the way Mars does. Also the 25″ Dob spilt Albireo wide apart. Finally, we got to see the Chinese Space Station fly overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Thursday night September 2, the skies really cleared up so Anthony and I took the out our 5″ MAK to do some viewing. We started on Venus, Saturn and Jupiter. Jupiter showed four belts clearly, Saturn showed its rings and Venus was at waning gibbous. We also viewed asteroids Pallas, Hebe and Victoria. As for open clusters, we viewed M11, M18, M21, M23, M24 and the star field M24. In some of these clusters, the stars jumped out at us. As for globular clusters, we observed M22 which was huge in our scope. Other globular clusters we viewed were M9, M12, M14, M19, M28, M54, M55 and M62. The highlight of the night was when we experimented with different filters to view several nebulas. In Sagittarius, we had great views of M8, M17 and M20. M8, the Lagoon Nebula, and M20, the Trifid Nebula, were right next to open clusters and they were something else to see. M17, the Swan Nebula, actually resembled a swan. We also saw sections of the Veil Nebula and North American Nebula. The section of the Veil we saw was a thin strip of nebulosity, and there was nebulosity in one area of the North American Nebula. Finally, we observed famous galaxy M31 both with the telescope and my 10X50 binoculars. The core of the galaxy was huge in our scope but our binos revealed the wings of M31. At 10:30pm, the police closed Bradley Point and we had to leave without trying to see other galaxies. What a night!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On a different topic, below is a photo of a small piece of my sample from Meteor Crater, which my brother photographed through his microscope at 40x. I bought this piece when I visited Meteor Crater in Arizona. This meteor is called an Impactite, meaning the blast from the parent meteor created small impactites which are fused meteor and earth rocks that were melted together when the meteor hit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Stellafane 2021<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

By Chris Predom

Started my trip in light rain, from Hamden to Springfield Vermont. Arriving at 3 p.m. to slightly overcast skies. Some areas were very wet due to the heavy rains they received on Tuesday. I camped at the pine tree area known as Bortle castle. Former member Paul Schuler and family were camped close by. Thursday evening started out with some clouds and slight haze, and later on improved. I took part in the Binocular Marathon and received my pin. It was nice to just look at the Milky Way as it slowly rotated overhead, finally calling it a day at 1 a.m.

Friday started with a trip to the spetrohelioscope on the historic original site. This was my first time viewing with this instrument, as it always seemed to break down the other times I arrived. There was a large prominence visible. This is a very unique instrument that uses rotating prisms, diffraction grating and slits, not counting the mirrors needed to get the image to the eyepiece. This is a old design that was described in one of the early telescope making books. What was interesting is that the grating projected the entire spectrum on the wall that was easy visible, including some absorption lines. By moving the grating the solar image can be displayed in one of it’s many color lines, by moving that
band into the mirrors to be reflected back to the eyepiece. The rotating prisms basically cause a scan across the slits. One prism is for the entering light path, the other after the grating deflects light just before it enters the eyepiece. Both prisms rotate in sync, and this is what displays the portion of Sun observed, by building the image, like scan lines of a television tube. This happens so fast that you see the Sun like you see a TV picture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Stellafane 2021, continued:<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Friday afternoon talks were next. Some were for beginners, others more advanced. After dinner were the Friday evening talks that anyone could sign up to talk about anything astronomical. Then it was another night of observing. A nice bright meteor streaked across the sky, and several faint ones during the course of the night. Once again I used my binoculars to scan the skies. Wide field views of the Sagittarius region and the Milky Way were quite enjoyable. There is so much to see in a pair of 10×50 binoculars. Clusters, globulars, clouds of stars, dark patches were some of the many objects observed. Once again called it a night at 1 a.m.

Now Saturday, awoke to the sound of rain on the tent. Luckily it was a light rain. Made my way down to swap tables. A lot of items to look at. I was not really out to buy anything, but sometimes you find that one special item. This time it was a book on astrometry. It was one of many the AAVSO were selling from their library. They are downsizing and moving to smaller quarters. After the swap tables, breakfast, and a cleanup, I started my journey to the hill to the pink clubhouse with a side trip to the food tent for coffee. Enroute I ran into Don Filer and Tony Melillo. Tony was leaving early after breakfast. I did get a picture of him waiting for his meal. On the hill there were quite a few telescopes. Folks had time to build them during the Covid lockdowns. Paul Schuler’s daughter, Stefania, had entered her Dobsonian for judging. It has always fascinated me with all the neat ideas individuals come up with on their telescope builds. After looking at all the instruments on the hill it was off to buy my raffle tickets and the afternoon talks. At the ticket booth I saw Kristen Larson (another former member) and after that ran into Al Washburn and his wife. Afternoon talks about Hubble (with handout pictures), photo multipliers (by Paul Schuler), light pollution, a 3d printed mount and a biographical history lesson on Sir William Herschel.

The usual kids raffle and then adult raffle were followed by the telescope awards. The shadowgram speaker was Kristine Larsen, an energetic talk on astronomy during Covid, which led to the evening keynote speaker, AAVSO director Stella Kafka. She spoke on the recent dimming of Betelgeuse, and all the data and theories on the cause. They are still studying the data and would like more. You can help with naked eye magnitude estimates, astrophoto magnitude estimates, or ccd photometry through the Cousins or Sloan filters. Clouds ruined the night for Saturday, so it was a early night for me, actually turned in by 11.

I enjoyed my time under the stars, looking at the telescopes, viewing the Sun in the spetrohelioscope, meeting old friends and new. Only downside was having to wear a mask while at the talks or if entering any of the buildings, which included the observatories on site. But to sit under the Milky Way and absorb its wonder makes it worth it.

Clear Skies!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Features<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

If you have not looked at the newsletter before, check out some of the regular features. There are four useful links in the menu at the top of this page:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calendar<\/strong> This is a monthly calendar that includes all the scheduled events of ASNH, other regional events of interest, plus the dates and times of noteworthy events in the night sky.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SkyMap<\/strong> This page has a chart of the sky as it appears over the New Haven area at the present date and time. It is constantly updated, so you can go to this page on any clear night to see what is overhead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Space Place<\/strong> Read the monthly article from Space Place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directions <\/strong>This page gives directions to all the locations where regular activities of ASNH take place, including the monthly meeting, public observing sessions, and the annual Connecticut Star Party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other regular features can be found within these pages:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming Public Events <\/strong>Many ASNH events are free and open to the public. These include the monthly meetings and public observing sessions at Young’s Pond Park in Branford and Silver Sands State Park in Milford. This section gives the dates, times, and descriptions of these events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming Events for ASNH Members <\/strong>These events are for ASNH members only. Some are private observing nights, and others are outreach events where volunteers are needed with the telescopes and equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Night Sky Highlights <\/strong>This section lists some objects to observe in the sky during the next few months, whether you are using just your eyes, a pair of binoculars, or a telescope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gallery<\/strong> This section features photographs of celestial targets taken by ASNH members and others. If you have a picture you want to share with us, please submit it to newsletter@asnh.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming Monthly Meetings on Zoom<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Tuesday, October 26, 7:00 pm
Tuesday, November 30, 7:00 pm<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We will continue to use this format for monthly meetings until it is safe to meet in person again. A week or two before each meeting, members will receive an email announcement with a link that will allow them to connect to the online meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just click the link or copy and paste in your browser and that will connect you to the meeting. You can do this on any device that has an internet connection and a browser.  You can do this on a smart phone. You can display yourself if you like with your selfie camera on your device. If you don’t that’s okay, don’t feel you have to.

You can also dial in to the meeting. The number and password will be given in the announcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cancellation of Public Events<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Because of COVID-19, all of our public observing events have been cancelled until further notice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Astronomy Link<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

From Ray Kaville:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Astronomical volvelle showing phases of the moon (England, 16th century)
https:\/\/collections.library.yale.edu\/catalog\/2055070<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Night Sky Highlights for October-December 2021<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Solar System<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lunar Eclipse
Morning of Friday, November 19<\/strong>
This is a partial eclipse, but it will be almost like a full total eclipse because at maximum, 97% of the Moon will be covered by the Earth’s shadow. From Connecticut, the entire umbral period (when the darker shadow of the Earth covers parts of the Moon) will be visible in the early morning hours before the Moon sets.

Here are the key times (EST):
1:02 am Penumbral phase begins
2:18 am Umbral phase begins
4:03 am Maximum eclipse
5:47 am Umbral phase ends
6:53 am Moon sets
7:04 am Penumbral phase ends<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mercury<\/strong>
Fast-moving Mercury will be visible low in the east before sunrise in the second half of October, and then in the western sky after sunset in the last week of December. During that evening appearance, it will be close to the very bright Venus, which can help you locate the much dimmer Mercury. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venus<\/strong>
Throughout the fall, this brilliant planet will be visible low in the west and southwest shortly after sunset. Through a telescope, the planet will appear oval and later about half-lit as its phases change during its orbit around the Sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mars<\/strong>
The red planet will be too close to the Sun to observe in October and November. In December, it starts to rise in the eastern sky before dawn. Don’t confuse it with the red Antares, which will be nearby. Antares (magnitude 1.1) will be brighter than Mars (magnitude 1.6). Through a telescope, the disk of Mars will be tiny (3.8 arcseconds in diameter).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The four gas giants of our solar system will all be visible in the evening skies through most of the fall season:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jupiter<\/strong>
Throughout the fall, Jupiter will be the brightest object in the sky other than Venus. It’s surface features and four Galilean moons are always a treat to observe with any telescope. The moons are even visible with ordinary binoculars if you hold them steady or put them on a tripod.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Saturn<\/strong>
Saturn is in Capricornus, about 20 degrees to the west of Jupiter. It will be very conspicuous at about magnitude 0.6, but it gets lower in the west and more difficult to observe as we enter December. Besides enjoying the sight of its beautiful rings, see how many of Saturn’s moons you can spot with a telescope at high power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Uranus<\/strong>
Uranus is in Aries, reaching opposition (rising just as the Sun sets) on November 5. This means that in October it will be rising a few hours after sunset, but in November and December it will be high enough to observe as soon as it gets completely dark. At about magnitude 5.7, this planet is easy to spot with binoculars if you know exactly where to look. See the link below Neptune for a finder chart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Neptune<\/strong>
Neptune (magnitude 7.9) is in Aquarius, and it will be visible during the evening throughout the fall. To find it, you will need a go-to scope or a finder chart such as the one in this article from the Sky & Telescope<\/em> website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

www.skyandtelescope.com\/observing\/planets\/ice-giants-neptune-and-uranus\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deep Sky Objects<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fall evenings bring deep-sky objects many of us know well, such as the Andromeda Galaxy and the Pleiades. But there are also many less familiar targets in the fall that offer very interesting views and a lot of variety. Here is a sample of some easy targets and some more challenging ones. Each object has a link to a star-hop chart to help you find it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NGC 147 and 185 (Caldwell 17 and 18)
<\/strong>Elliptical galaxies in Cassiopeia
Although they are found within the constellation boundaries of Cassiopeia, these elliptical galaxies are actually satellites of Messier 31, the Andromeda Galaxy. Like M31, they are slightly more than 2 million light years away. They are large and diffuse so you need a good dark night to see them with a medium or large scope. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NGC 7789, Caroline’s Rose<\/strong>
Open cluster in Cassiopeia
This is a real beauty, a very rich cluster of some 900 stars that was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783 and is now named for her. It has many curving strings of stars that give the impression of the petals of a rose. At magnitude 6.7, it is a fine target for any telescope. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NGC 752 (Caldwell 28<\/strong>)
Open cluster in Andromeda
This is a bright group of 80 or 90 stars covering almost a full degree of sky. It is relatively close, at a distance of about 1200 light years. Because of its large size it is a good target for binoculars or a telescope with a wide-field eyepiece. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NGC 891 (Caldwell 23)<\/strong>
Spiral galaxy in Andromeda
This spiral galaxy is almost exactly edge-on, making it an interesting sight for observers. It has a dust lane right down the middle that is obvious in photographs but harder to see through the eyepiece. Medium to large amateur scopes will show the dust lane under dark skies. The galaxy is about 27 million light years away. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NGC 7662 (Caldwell 22), Blue Snowball<\/strong>
Planetary Nebula in Andromeda
The Blue Snowball is listed at magnitude of 8.3 and has a high surface brightness, so its small bluish disk is easy to spot with even small telescopes. Through medium to large telescopes, some surface details can be seen. With a dark center surrounded by a brighter oval ring, it is said to resemble an eye. Star-hop c<\/a>hart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NGC 7009 (Caldwell 55), Saturn Nebula<\/strong>
Planetary nebula in Aquarius
The Saturn Nebula is another small but bright planetary nebula, about magnitude 7.8. If you view it carefully with medium to high magnification, you will understand its nickname. It has two faint extensions on opposite sides of its blue-green center that resemble the rings of Saturn. Messier 73 is less than 2 degrees to its southwest. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NGC 7293 (Caldwell 63), Helix Nebula<\/strong>
Planetary nebula in Aquarius
The Helix is the closest (520 light years) and largest (about 12′ x 10′) planetary nebula in our sky, yet it is an observing challenge because of its very low surface brightness. It has been seen in 10×50 binoculars, and it is visible in small telescopes at low power. Try looking for it on a nice clear dark night. First look for a hazy glow; then see if you can see the darker center. If you have a nebula filter, it can really help. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messier 72 and 73<\/strong>
Globular cluster and asterism in Aquarius
Messier 72 is a distant globular cluster, about 55,000 light years away. It is bright enough to be seen as a hazy ball in small scopes, but a large aperture is needed to resolve any individual stars. About 1.5 degrees east of M72 is M73. This object is definitely not a spectacular sight, but we can give it four stars because that is exactly what it is, a small asterism of four stars in a Y shape. Messier included it in his catalog because he thought the group was engulfed in a faint nebulosity (it is not). Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

NGC 7814 (Caldwell 43), Little Sombrero Galaxy<\/strong>
Spiral galaxy in Pegasus
This galaxy has two dim arms extending from a large and bright central bulge, and it is similar in shape to M104, the Sombrero Galaxy. Photographs show a thin dust lane cutting right through the middle of this edge-on galaxy, but don’t expect to see the dust lane through the eyepiece. Star-h<\/a>op chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Messier 30
<\/strong>Globular cluster in Capricornus
This is a small but bright globular cluster that is definitely worth checking out. At magnitude 7, it is easy to spot and has a dense center. Through a medium-sized telescope, many individual stars in its periphery can be resolved. Also look for two chains of stars streaming to the north. Star-hop chart<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Gallery<\/strong><\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Smoke from the terrible forest fires in the western US spread across the country, and it produced some unusual sights. Donna Pursley took this image of the gibbous Moon reddened by the smoke in the atmosphere on July 20.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Fred Danowski captured very nice images of Jupiter and Saturn around midnight on August 16-17. Equipment: Orion XT8 Plus, Baader 2.25x Barlow w\/ Neodymium filter, Nikon D5300. Processed with: PIPP, Autostakkert!, Registax, GIMP. Fred writes: “I also used Astro Photography Tool (APT) for both the histogram to verify exposure, and the Bahtinov Mask tool to get good focus… I have learned that attaining critical focus is the hardest part of this entire thing. I used the camera’s built in video mode to shoot the raw video that I used to process. “<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

At this year’s Connecticut Star Party, Al Johnson took this impressive shot of the Perseus Double Cluster. He used a Trius SX814C camera and a FS102 refractor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Although the weather was not great for the Perseid meteors, Jim Mazur used a few hours of clear (but hazy) skies on the nights of August 12 and 13 to take hundreds of 15-second exposures of the sky with a Canon T6i and and wide-angle lens at f\/2. In a few of these exposures a meteor was visible, and these images were combined to make the composite image below. The three brightest stars in this picture are Vega, Deneb, and Altair–the Summer Triangle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Gallery, continued:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Andy Buynak captured these views of the solar eclipse on June 10. Andy writes: “I took those pictures at Walnut Beach in Milford on the pier with my cell phone (Galaxy S20). I was surprised how many people were there, probably one hundred or more, from professional to amateur. There were even children selling solar eclipse glasses.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Andy also used his cell phone and telescope for some Moon photos, and he spotted a beautiful Sun halo:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Al Washburn took this picture Jupiter and the four Galilean moons on September 20, 2021 at 10:30pm. He used an Orion XT6 f8 Newtonian reflector at 60x and a slight screen enlargement with his iphone 7 and an Orion SteadyPix EZ adapter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Connecticut Star Party 2021 Last year, CSP was cancelled because of COVID, but this year we held a modified CSP on the weekend of September 10-12, 2021. The event consisted of Zoom presentations on Friday evening and a night of … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-18"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2512"}],"version-history":[{"count":67,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2607,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2512\/revisions\/2607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.asnh.org\/ShootingStar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}