MnAstro Forums

Hi everyone,

The next MAS Beginner observing session is scheduled for Saturday September 18th at Metcalf Field at Belwin Conservancy, near Afton (weather permitting). It will start at 7:00pm (sunset is at 7:20pm that night). If it is cloudy on Saturday the backup night will be Friday September 17th also at Metcalf Field.

If you are planning to attend please respond here (with your name and e-mail address) or drop me an e-mail at sureshks1@msn.com so I can keep you informed of schedule changes due to weather.

There is no charge to attend a beginner event, and you do not need to be an MAS member to attend -- everyone is welcome!! The purpose is to help beginners learn the night sky, and how to set up and use a telescope. Volunteers from the MAS will be on hand to answer your questions.

If you have a telescope, feel free to bring it. If you need help with learning how to set up and use it, we are happy to help!

Please note: Metcalf Field presently does not have A/C power. It was removed over the winter by Xcel Energy when the old storage shed was removed. We are working with them to have it added back. So if you need power for your telescope, bring a DC battery.

The Moon will be 95% illuminated this night and will be just to the east of Jupiter. Still, there will be plenty of objects available that we can view thru our telescopes, including several nebulae, clusters and galaxies. The Summer Milky Way will also be high overhead. Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune will be observable right after dark in the southeastern sky.

Don Gazdik provided this list of objects to search for during this event with their telescopes.

Double Stars:
- Alberio (Beta Cygni) AB 3.0 and 4.7 at 35"
- Eta Draconis AB 2.8 and 8.2 at 4.4"
- Gamma 2 Delphini AB 4.3 and 5.0 at 8.8"
- Alkurah (Xi Cephei) AB 4.4 and 6.4 at 8.5"

Carbon Stars
- T Lyrae
- Mu Cephei (Herschel's Garnet Star)

Deep Sky Objects:
- M17 (Swan/Omega Nebula in Sagittarius)
- M16 (Eagle Nebula in Serpens)
- M15 (Globular in Pegasus)
- M22 (Great Sagittarius Cluster)
- M11 (Wild Duck Cluster in Scutum)
- M39 (Open cluster in Cygnus)
- M27 (Dumbbell Nebula in Vulpecula)
- NGC 6934 (Globular Cluster in Delphinus)

Visible Planets:
- Saturn (see the glorious rings, as well as a few atmospheric bands and up to 4 of its moons!)
- Jupiter (Io will begin transiting Jupiter around 10:15pm, it's shadow and the Great Red Spot will follow across its face starting around 11:00pm)
- Neptune (see this blue planet from 3 billion miles away, and maybe it's moon Triton too!)

If you'd like to join us, please bring a lawn chair or blanket. Also, bring a few extra clothing layers in case temps dip at night.

Directions to Metcalf Field: (see this Google Maps link): https://goo.gl/maps/UNkt67YPWg4qAjuP6

Metcalf Field GPS Coordinates: 44.93734 N / 92.82157 W

For more information on Metcalf Field, see here: http://www.mnastro.org/facilities/metcalf/

Directions:
Head east past Woodbury on I-94 to the Manning exit (exit 253). Turn south and then take the first left onto Hudson Road S. Continue east about 1.5 miles and turn right onto Indian Trail. Check your odometer here, and then travel 1.1 miles. You'll see an unmarked chain-link gate on the right side. This is the entrance to Metcalf field. Enter the dirt path and park on the left side. There are 2 small reflectors on poles marking the entrance. If you have a telescope with you, you can also park on the right (north side) of the field.

If you haven't been to Metcalf Field, it can be a little difficult to locate the entrance. So please arrive in daylight.

I will make the final Go/No Go call on the evening of Thursday 9/16, based on the weather forecast. I will pick the clearer of the two nights.

Please check this thread for updates, or e-mail me at: sureshks1@msn.com.

If you'd like to volunteer to help out at this and future Beginner group events, please let me know.

We hope to see you there!!

Suresh

I plan to attend the September observing session.

I do need tips on using my telescope and interpreting shat I see.

Dan Madsen, dmadsen05@gmail.com

I plan to attend. I am available for telescope help.

Dan, what kind of telescope are you bringing? What would you like to look at?

Matt, I have a 6" Celestron SCT (NexStar 6SE). One of my goals is viewing Jupiter with the telescope. I've seen it with my 20x80 binoculars. When I tried with the telescope, I saw a dark partial circle. After viewing pictures, I might have had a polar region but did not recognize it as such with the greater magnification. I think my problem is two-fold: 1. Getting aligned properly; I now have a StarSense Auto align but have not used it yet, 2. Correctly interpreting what I am seeing at the telescope magnifications. I recently purchased a 40mm eyepiece hoping a lower magnification (37.5x) and wider FOV (1.15) will help me zone in on my target.

Hi Dan,

We should be able to help you with aligning your scope and understanding what you are seeing thru the eyepiece.

Please bring the scope on Saturday and we'll figure it out!

Suresh

Thank you both, Matt and Suresh. Looking forward to advancing my skill

I am planning on attending. I would like to learn whatever I can about the club and the field as I am interested in becoming a member. I wanted to attend in July and I was sick, and last months event was canceled.

I can bring a telescope that I have borrowed and can only partially figure out how to use. It is a Bushnell 78-8890 3.5" Maksutov-Cassegrain with a go-to mount. I have been able to point the telescope at some objects and see things, but the go-to mount has poor reviews and no mfg support. I actually think it is broken. It seems to lock up when trying to do an alignment. It has been very frustrating.

I also have a Sky Watcher Star Adventurer that I bought to use with a digital camera. I think I have the basics of using that figured out.

Is this field in a dark enough location to be able to see the Milky Way? My guess would be no.

I am looking forward to attending one of these events!

Mike

Hi Mike,

Great! I'm looking forward to meeting you.

Can you please provide your full name and email address... so I can keep you apprised of weather updates.

Suresh

Slopecat wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 8:06 pm
Is this field in a dark enough location to be able to see the Milky Way? My guess would be no.

Hello Mike,

Welcome to the MAS. When the Moon is out of the sky the Milky Way is a faintly visible overhead from Metcalf . Sept 18 the moon is around 96% full so the Milky Way will be mostly washed out from the light of the moon.

Hi Mike,
Clayton knows his stuff. The moon will pretty well wash out the Milky Way, but there should still be many good objects to see, including Jupiter, Saturn, and of course the moon (which is amazing on its own). There are several Globular Clusters and colorful stars we can see even when the moon is out.
The best thing about a BSIG star party is getting to know your telescope so you can pursue whatever objects you are interested in later.
If the telescope mount is broken, we might have some suggestions, or we might find that it just needs some help in getting things aligned.
Either way, we've all been there, and will help in any way we can.
Matt Dunham

Hi Dan,
Sounds like you "might" have a focus problem. It can be tricky at first. I would recommend taking your telescope out DURING THE DAY and aiming at a distant object like a cell tower or building or distinct tree. That will make it a lot easier to see the object and check the focus. If you have good focus on a distant target, the moon or planets will be easier to bring into focus at that point.
Also, if you are using a "finder", it might not be properly aligned to the main tube, and that will make it tough to find things. Aim the main tube first, and then adjust the finder to point at the object in the main tube. This is also best done during the day with a distant object.
For all these things, if you arrive before dark (as several of us will) we can certainly help with exercises like this that we all need to do to keep things aligned and focused.
See you there.
Matt

Please add me and my son to the list. Hope we can have it this month.

Rob Krukoski

Robkrukoski@gmail.com

Hi Rob,

Sounds good. Please provide your email address so I can keep you apprised of updates.

Thanks!

Suresh

I'll be there as well. I'll have my 12.5" truss Dob, and will also be available for helping with telescopes if/as needed.

Slopecat wrote: ↑Mon Sep 13, 2021 8:06 pm I can bring a telescope that I have borrowed and can only partially figure out how to use. It is a Bushnell 78-8890 3.5" Maksutov-Cassegrain with a go-to mount. I have been able to point the telescope at some objects and see things, but the go-to mount has poor reviews and no mfg support. I actually think it is broken. It seems to lock up when trying to do an alignment. It has been very frustrating.

That does sound frustrating. We can take a look at it. Are you using something like AA or C cells internally (and are they good batteries), or an external battery power supply? I can bring a larger 12V battery to test with and some electronic contact cleaner. Low voltage and poor connections are among the most frequent problems causing poor operation of smaller go-to scopes.

Is this field in a dark enough location to be able to see the Milky Way? My guess would be no.

Unfortunately Metcalf field is our brightest site. You *may* be able to get a glimpse of the Milky Way before the Moon comes up, but no guarantees. For good views of the Milky Way it's best to go to our darker sites, LLCC, CGO and ELO. It seems counterintuitive as JJCO is only about a mile away, but even JJCO is a little darker than Metcalf.

SEmert wrote: ↑Wed Sep 15, 2021 11:22 am It seems counterintuitive as JJCO is only about a mile away, but even JJCO is a little darker than Metcalf.

FYI - Note that JJC is only available for use by MAS members that have had the Belwin orientation and Keyholder training.

Merle

Hi Suresh,

I plan to attend the September observing session.
jacob@staggenborg.net

I plan on bringing an 8" dob.
Its my first time using it... so it should be fun.

Thanks for organizing this.

Jacob

SEmert wrote: ↑Wed Sep 15, 2021 11:22 am That does sound frustrating. We can take a look at it. Are you using something like AA or C cells internally (and are they good batteries), or an external battery power supply? I can bring a larger 12V battery to test with and some electronic contact cleaner. Low voltage and poor connections are among the most frequent problems causing poor operation of smaller go-to scopes.

I don't think it is a power issue, and probably not a mechanical issue. For some reason I think the firmware on the device is not quite right. I know of no way to update it either - or if it is even intended to be updated by the end user.

It takes a single 9v battery which I had tried a half dozen in. It does seem to have good power when using the buttons on the keypad to move the scope.

I do have the owner's manual which I will bring with. There is not much in it though.

I am looking forward to the event. I hope the weather holds. I drove by the site this evening to make sure I could find it.

Hi all,

The weather forecasts all look very good for this Saturday night 9/18, so this B-SIG event at Metcalf Field is a GO!!

I'll see you there!

Suresh

I will be there with scope - and willing to help out as needed
Derek Overdahl
derek@overdahl.com

Hi Derek,

Sounds good. We'll see you there!

Suresh

Hi Suresh,

I am a new member and a rusty intermediate. I plan to come to learn and help out if needed. I have a 10" dob and a TV pronto that I will bring.

John

Hi John,

Sounds good. We'll see you tonight!

We've got a large crowd coming this evening. So please plan on tight parking on the field.

Suresh

Congratulations, Suresh, on a huge and enthusiastic crowd at last night's Beginner Group observing session. From reports, total attendance was 90 people! I hope everyone had a good time and had a chance to see a number of objects and to learn a little about the wide range of telescopes on the field.

Jupiter was in all it's glory, and later on in the evening some had the chance to see Io's shadow transit across the face of Jupiter. Saturn with it's rings was great, and a number of people had a chance to also see Uranus and Neptune - so all four of the Solar System's giants in one night. Together with DSO's including M27 the Dumbbell Nebula, M57 the Ring Nebula, several open star clusters, quite a few objects were on display despite the bright nearly-full Moon.

Hi Steve,

Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I think that was our largest BSIG crowd in the ~ 6 or so years that I have been the coordinator. I wanted to say thanks to you, Alan T, Matt D, Andy H, Trena J, Carl A, Bernie, S., Carl A, Jason A, Phil R, Derek O, and Don G and other MAS who helped out last night. Across 6 hours we did a combination traffic control, imaging demonstration, telescope discussion, equipment set up/repair/alignment and show-and-tell thru more than 50 telescopes that were set up across Metcalf Field. It really was a lot of fun on a beautiful clear Fall evening.

I am attaching a link to a Dropbox folder containing pictures taken by Trena, Alan, Andy, Carl and myself.

Please let me know if you cannot access this link.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/hayy2ehpyunc ... 5zu3a?dl=0

The next BSIG observing session is scheduled for Sat. Oct. 16th back at Metcalf Field. There's a chance that we'll have AC power back on the field by then. Let's hope the weather holds up!

Suresh