Sept. Beginner Group Observing Session RESCHEDULED -- Fri. Sept. 8th -- 7:00pm -- Metcalf Field at Belwin Conservancy

[Sureshks]

Hi all,

Hi everyone,

Based on the latest weather forecasts, this Friday night September 8th is the better night this weekend for the next MAS Beginner Observing session at Metcalf Field. Saturday night is cloudy with a 60% chance of rain.

So let's meet up at Metcalf Field at 7:00pm tomorrow night.

If you are planning to attend please respond here (with your e-mail address) or drop me an e-mail at sureshks1@msn.com so I can keep you updated.

There is no charge to attend a Beginner group 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 and show objects thru their telescopes.

You do not need to bring any equipment to attend. But if you have a telescope, bring it!! If you need help with learning how to set up and use it, we are happy to help. There is AC power available on the east side of Metcalf Field, so if you need power to run your telescope or other equipment, just bring an extension cord so you can connect!!

The Moon will not rise this night till around 1:00am. This means that we will have a completely dark sky for several hours this night!!

Saturn will be the main event, as it will be just a couple weeks after opposition. The glorious Ringed Planet will be visible in the southeastern sky as darkness falls. After we finish with Saturn, we will move over to Neptune and its moon Triton, which are now roughly 20° to the east of Saturn. Gleaming Jupiter, with its 4 Galilean moons will also clear the treetops in the east around 11:00pm or so, giving us two bright planets to gaze at with our scopes.

With the Moon out of the way this night, we will focus our attention on the many deep-sky objects that are visible this time of year. The summer Milky Way will be high overhead after dark, and we can also still get down in to Sagittarius and Scutum, where some of the finest deep sky objects reside. Here we will seek out emission nebulae, open clusters, supernova remnants, planetary nebulae and globular clusters. Once we have our fill of these objects, we will turn to the enormous Andromeda and Triangulum galaxies as they are climbing in the northeastern sky.

We'll have the goodie table once again. Feel free to bring something to share, such as cookies or other treats. This is totally optional, and no one should feel obligated to do so.

If you're coming out this night, please also bring a lawn chair or blanket. Also, bring a few extra clothing layers as temps can dip at night.

Metcalf Field GPS Coordinates: 44.93734 N / 92.82157 W

Google Maps directions to Metcalf Field: https://goo.gl/maps/UNkt67YPWg4qAjuP6

Driving 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 will be a small reflector on a pole and a white MAS sign marking the entrance. If you have a telescope with you, you can also park on the right (north side) of the field.

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

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

I plan on making the Go/No Go call weather call Thursday Sept. 7th. But if the weather forecasts are iffy, or if there's a lot of smoke in the air, I may wait as late as Saturday afternoon to give the final Go/No Go. Please check this thread for updates, or e-mail me at sureshks1@msn.com to stay informed.

Also, if you'd like to volunteer to help out at this or any future Beginner group events, please let me know.

We look forward to seeing you!!

Suresh

[Sureshks]

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Some pictures from last night's BSIG session at Metcalf Field. Despite the late switch from Friday night from Saturday due to the weather forecast, we still had around 40 attendees, and most brought their own telescopes...

The sky was actually mostly clear for once, though there was a significant smoky haze in the sky most of the night. With the Moon out of the sky till after midnight, we viewed a lot of deep sky objects.

We usually have several people come to these events needing help with telescopes. But last night it was just a few needing help. Almost everyone came with their own telescopes to observe under a decently dark sky.

I set up two telescopes -- my Astro-Physics 130 GTX refractor on my AVX mount, and my Orion 12" Dobsonian on my tracking platform. Various people used my refractor throughout the night. Together, we viewed Saturn, M13, Albireo, Neptune, Jupiter, Andromeda Galaxy and a few other targets thru that. With the nice steady air, the planets really looked good all night long.

Through my 12" Dobsonian I found M27, M57, M8, the Cygnus Loop, Andromeda Galaxy, Saturn (with 4 moons), Jupiter and Neptune with its moon Triton. Callisto appeared smaller and fainter than usual "above" Jupiter. I wondered if it was in Jupiter's enormous shadow much of the night. I was surprised by how easy it was to see Triton in this smoky air. I could hold this magnitude +13.6 object with no problems. Star hoping to Neptune from Saturn (20 degrees to the west) was not easy with almost no stars visible in that part of the sky. I am always fascinated to see this 1,700 mi diameter moon from 2.7 billion miles away!

For me, the highlight of the night was getting a new imager (Jorge) up and running. He had a beautiful new Sharpstar 94mm, an iOptron GM28 mount and an Air Mini. He had issues with his ZWO EAF. Jason, Phil and I got that resolved, and then we showed him how to polar align, focus his main scope and guide scope, and how to do an AutoRun. Jorge was beyond excited to start imaging. He captured the Western Veil Nebula, Cocoon Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy!

Clouds started encroaching around 1:30am. We still had a good crowd at that time. But as the clouds started getting thicker many people packed up and left. I started packing up at 2am and left at 3am. It was a good night!

The next BSIG is scheduled for Saturday October 21st, back at Metcalf Field. We hope you can make it then!

Suresh

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