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As my calendar states it is March 17th, St-Pat's Day, I was wondering if there's anything green up in the skies that we could observe to mark the day? Rol

This is what I got in the mail! " Welcome to the amasot group at Yahoo! Groups, a free, easy-to-use email group service. Please take a moment to review this message. To start sending messages to members of this group, simply send email to amasot@... ...." Mike Z confused as ever.

Hello all, Thanks, Roland and Attilla for your warm welcome. I managed to get out last night and do some observing, it was nice to get out after such a bad stint of weather. I am looking forward to doing some observing with you all, maybe I'll get to see what that 3x barlow can do in experienced hands!! I have decided to revisit all of the Messiers and log them along with the RASC's finest NGC objects. Up until recently my observing records were check marks beside a list, so I hope you don't mind reading about a million open clusters!!! Anyway, here is my report: Session: 01-007 Date: March 15, 2001 Time: 7:30 – 10:00 Location: Carp Airport, Carp Ontario Weather Description: Winds: Light to Calm, Temp -6 Limiting Magnitude: 5.4 (Polaris) 5.75 (southern sky using triangle method) Seeing: 2/10 – 3/10 Scope: Celestar 8 Targets: 1) M47: Open cluster in Puppis. 40 –50 stars visible using 42mm. A coarse, large cluster. Most stars blue-white in color. A couple of reddish stars were noted. Two obvious double stars noticed. One pair were even brightness and closely matched in color (blue- white). The other pair was uneven with a bright blue-white star and a dim reddish star. 2) M46: Open cluster in Puppis. Using the 18mm and 24mm approx. 100 stars were noted. About half seemed to be "bright" and the other half "dim". Moderately compressed and large. Planetary nebula NGC 2438 easily seen on northern edge of cluster with direst vision. Averted vision made it a lot more obvious. 3) NGC 2438: Planetary Nebula in M46. 18mm + 2x barlow + Broad band LPR. Slight hint of annularity glimpsed occasionally. Pretty much round. Slightly brighter outer edge but overall very even brightness. 4) NGC 2539: Open cluster in Puppis. Using 18mm 35-40 stars were noted. Moderately condensed. Nice view. 5) M50: Open Cluster in Monoceros. 50-75 stars in 42mm. Meandering over approx. 3/4 deg. Loose cluster but bright and large. Noticed a couple of reddish stars involved. Using 24mm lots more stars where noted using averted vision. The background seemed slightly hazy. 6) M41: Open cluster in Canis Major. 40-50 stars in 42mm. Mostly blue-white. One bright red star is center of cluster. 7) NGC 2359: Emission Nebula in Canis Major. Thor's Helmet. Using 18mm with LPR found a very faint patch of gas. Ovoid in N-S direction. 7 stars involved with a small clustering on the north edge. Using a digital Sky Survey image I believe what I saw was the brighter "wing" of the neb. I will have to try this one again using a UHC or darker sky. 8) NGC 3242: Planetary Nebula in Hydra. Ghost of Jupiter. Bright. Easy in 18mm. Not quite round. Using 18mm + LPR a faint and thin outer shell was noted. A possible slight extension of northern edge of outer shell was suspected. Clear skies all, Matt Weeks

Just got off the phone with Richard about 15 minutes ago and the session tonite is NOT ON. Clouds may clear, but probaly only after midnight ( at least according to the simulations conveniently located on the HOME page of this group - (plug). ) Perhaps something will get set up for tomorrow night? Photonically Repressed, ;-) Roland

Anyone that needs an MP3 player for the MP3 file that I just uploaded can get a free one at http://www.musicmatch.com/home/ Any one have some astro music to scare away the clouds. Mike Z

A couple of yahoo groups that might be interesting: Astronmical sketching: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/astrosketch A bunch of people observing Mars: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Mars-ALPO ecky ecky Ni -ad

Thanks Mike (W) for your many quite uplifting and funny sound files. They come through quite quickly and fast on Roger's Internet. Just what the doctor ordered! Thanks also Mike (Z) for your MP3 version of "The Bright Side of Life". Sounds really nice in stereo over headsets! Had me whistling! Photonically & Pythonically Rol

Hello everyone, I just posted some of my attemps at astrophotography in the files section under "astrophotos" if anyone is interested. Matt "She has great big......tracks of land!!"

looks like it will remain clear for tonight anyone looking for company at a dark site? Mike Z

I will check the group after dinner, but if you're interested in going out or even coming over to the South March Observatory give me a call Mike 592-5603

Hello All, I am planning on observing at the carp airport tonight. I plan on being there between 7:30 and 8 and observe for a couple/few hours. Any who care to join me are welcome. Matt

Hi Mike(Z)! Wouldn't you know it!... I won't be able to make it out tonight. However, I am very interested in seeing your observatory at some point soon, if the invite repeats. Have a great evening of observing! Enviously, ;-) Roland

Hi Mike and everybody! Just posting to say that I have officially become an oaf--thanks for inviting me. Just got back from a long weekend in To. and am catching up on the e-mail traffic (almost heavier than the 401!). Like Attilla, I fear I will be severely Pythonically challenged but am willing to take the risk. Hope to see yo'all out observing soon. Frank

Be most welcome, Sir Frank, to our merry band of OAFs! Don't sweat the Monty Python stuff. In fact, Mike Wirths was kind enough to lend Janice & I some tapes of Monty Python reruns! As well, there are many soundfiles he placed in the "sillyfiles" directory to give you a flavour. I think that either astronomy or hilarity OR both are the general themes here. Glad you're here... Photons for Hire... Roland

Fetchez la vasche! Quoi? Fetchez la vasche! http://www.montypython.net/cgi-bin/dl/grail.cgi?lavache.wav And now for something completely different.....an observing report: Well I did'nt think I'd be doing much observing yesterday it was an especially long day at the barn (lots of lessons and that dreaded activity...manual labour!) but it was so nice Ithought I'd at least get a peek at Jupiter and Saturn . I got the 18" nicely collimated and ran the fan on it for an hour while it got dark enough to do a 2-star alignment. The seeing seemed best during this time, but deteriorated so I decided to do some deep sky. It turned out to be quite transparent and I stayed out much longer than planned..it was great! Date- Mar 18th 2001, 7:00-9:00 pm Location- 10km west of Perth Ont, Equuleus Observatory (roll-off roof type) Conditions- Transparency LM 6.4 seeing approx 2-3 arcsec, 0 deg C no wind Instrument 18" f/4.3 Starmaster dob with tracking Objects viewed: Ngc 1514: Large PN in Tau (2 X2 min) mag 10.9 annular shape with brightening at either end, hint of a dumbell-like shape easy central star. Ngc 3115: "Spindle galaxy" in Sextans wonderfull high surface brightness galaxy with almost stellar nucleus. 8X3 min 9.3 mag somewhat like a "flattened sombrero " with no dark lane Ngc 2359 Thors Helmet, an intricate emmision neb in Cma much more detail visible with OIII filter delicate loops and filiments visible Ngc 2261: Hubbles variable neb, bright fan-shaped neb with central 1/3rd being quite bright bright star at its apex Ngc 2392: Eskimo neb in Gem is a lovely bluish PN with a faint inner hood and easy central star Ngc 3242: Ghost of Jupiter is a PN in Hya slightly smaller than 2392 and more condensed. It had a blueish-green colour with a thicker inner hood and a faint central star. The overall shape was more oblong than the Eskimo. If seeing was better the detail would have been amazing! Hickson 44: A compact galaxy cluster with the brightest member being 3190. This group found in the neck of Leo is the brightest of the Hicksons and is visible in an 8". 3190 was the bright one at 13.1 it looked to be an edge on with "d" (3187) close by and also the faintest of the group (14.7) All 4 members were easily visible in the same FOV, very nice! Hickson 57: Also in Leo but much fainter and more compact, this is Copelands Septet. This was my 1st time viewing this group and I only got 5 of the 7 but I think it will be easier with better seeing as several are very close together. Ngc 3753 is the brightest at 13.6, but these are much smaller galaxies than in 44, so they appeared as small soft stars. I'll have to try this one again at higher power. I also did a bunch of Messiers but I think the highlight was seeing Copelands septet and the beauty of Ngc 3242. I also got a great view of M82 at 3oox, tons of detail! So is anyone into joining me this evening? I'll be out from 7:00 pm on so let me know if you're coming! Ni! Mike W

Mister Wirths, QUESTION: Would it be at all useful to us if I brought either my 18AmpHr rechargeable powerpack, or my spare car battery, so that we have extra power sources if required? Both of these use cigarette lighter adaptors, though the car battery, of course, has poles where clips could be used instead, if your equipment had them. Looking Forward... Rol

Hello Mike, I would be quite interested in joining you at the Equuleus Observatory this evening, if you do intend on observing. However, I do note that you might be fairly tired from the hard work, so if that is the case, and you'd rather re-schedule, please let me know. Also, thanks for the classic report - I really enjoy reading all your details, as it gives me the ability to really imagine the targets you describe. As a result, I have a quite decent "Virtual Obsession" thing going here. ;-) If it's a go for tonite, perhaps I could bring my sketchpad, pencil, eraser & smudger? Le Photon Guy Rol

Thanks to all who sent welcoming messages. Sorry i can't join you tonight at Equuleus -- work interfering with my life once again (but not for long!) Frank

Howdy, Just me saying hello.... Can't do the Perth thing tonight, but I will be observing when I get home in beautiful, downtown, Vanier! Still trying to get the DSC's zero'd in, and the mirror seems to still be pinched...something I will have to get you experts to look at for me sometime soon! Clear skies and Photons for all! Jean

It was an exellent time at equeleus observatory (as always) tonight. Roland took note of all the objects we observed and will hopefully annoy all the people who couldnt come out to play, but wanted to, with a detailed, yet lyrical and compelling, observing report. I'll just mention one object we were trying to observe: copland's septet. A little cluster of 7 galaxies each about 14 to 15 magnitude. We all saw 6 components. There was some question as to where the 7th was. I thought I saw someting at 12:30 or 1 oclock relative to the reference star (an 11.7 mag star near the center of the cluster). Roland thought me might have seen the 7th component at about 11:30. We both thought mystery 7 was close to the reference star. It turns out that we did see 6 components in the right place. But both Roland and I were useing "averted imagination" on the 7th which, in reality, is nowhere near where Roland and I were seeing things. The 7th component, I would guess, is ngc3751 and it would have been about 8 arcminutes away to about 10 oclock. This is based on an image I downloaded from the Palomar digigal sky survey and overlayed on Guide 6.0's starmap. Have a look: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/OAFs/files/reference_pics/copelands.jpg Sorry about the pea-soup colored backgroud. Guide 6.0 seems to have buggy screen-snapshot code. It was fun. We were sure seeing things. Clear skies and many photons. -ad