@stargazer 

Hope College, a small Christian liberal arts college, has a small telescope in a private observatory, which is in the physics-math building. But it is not open to the public like the other two observatories I mentioned. It is in the city of Holland, Michigan, where the college campus is located.  I am a graduate of that college, but I never took any astronomy classes there.  I was an English major there, and I took biology and botany to fulfill the science credit.  However, I always was intrigued by astronomy and have had stargazing as a hobby for many years. I like science fiction too, and amateur astronomy is something that I always liked about as much as fantasy and fictional space voyages.  🙂

'Tis Interesting to hear about various observing places from you both.  

I was out for my walk at 4:40 this morning, so night sky objects were very visible. Beautiful! There is one star in the south (about 20° from the horizon) that I cannot place, although I think it may be Fomalhaut, which I am just getting to know. I will go to look at my planisphere right now to determine what it is. ... *pause* ...  Aha, it is Fomalhaut! It looks to be quite alone in its distinct brightness in that area of the sky.

Unfortunately, there was a wide strip of cloud on the eastern horizon, and then some haze above that, so I was still not able to see any of Orion rising. However, in that general direction, Capella, Aldebaran, the Pleiades, and Jupiter were sparkling. The Pleiades disappeared from view about 20 minutes after I was into my walk. Then by 5:30, the only visible objects were Capella, Jupiter (NE and E), and Vega in the west. At this point, there was 34 minutes until sunrise.

Cygnus and the Northern Cross were again glorious in the western sky; Cassiopeia, at the zenith.

I am finishing up Starlight Nights, and am once again fascinated by the determined creativity of Peltier. His merry-go-round observatory, in particular, really stands out. Brilliant! I found it sad, though, that he never seemed to recognize God as the author of all the night sky beauty, nor the insect life with which he was also fascinated, nor the rocks and gems, for which he and his wife went on long trips to search and hopefully find. Even so, this books always delights me, and no doubt I will continue to re-read periodically over the years.  

Has anyone watched astronomy DVD’s and blu-rays in the past few years?  I would strongly recommend Nova: The Planets, the older BBC production of The Planets, the Cosmos series with Carl Sagan, The Astronomers series from PBS, New Eye on the Universe, and The Ultimate Space Telescope (these last two are about the James Webb Space Telescope).  There is also the Stargazing set of PBS Nova programs. Most of these are easily available except for The.Astronomers, which is out of print, but the book is quite easy to find in libraries and used book stores.  I love to rewatch these these programs years after they were broadcast, and some of them have great companion books, which are excellent reading on cloudy nights. 🙂

Posted by: @jo

Anyone else eager for the Perseid meteor shower, peaking here during the early morning hours of August 13?

I'm ready! Though I live in a brightly lit urban area, I still manage to see a few Perseids, with some luck. Last year I just sat in the driveway, with a neighbor's house blocking the Moon, and enjoyed the view to the east, and a few Perseids added to the enjoyment of the scene.

Mosquitoes and humidity are often the major hindrance here, but with the ongoing drought both are diminished (but last week we had a taste of that humidity, with more coming this week).

This year the Moon won't be much of a hindrance, showing a 6%-lit crescent in Gemini. Weather permitting I'll be in my trusty chair once again in a few days.

Last week was hot and humid, but this past weekend was a reminder that summer here can be pleasant, and I logged a fair share of stargazing. Highlights included showing the ISS to neighbors, and a campfire under the stars.

Last night the Moon was so big and round and so pretty! The summer full moon is low in the sky here, but for technical reasons (you can read about that here), it's even lower than usual. I enjoyed seeing its big round disk so low in the trees.

Posted by: @narnian78

Has anyone watched astronomy DVD’s and blu-rays in the past few years?

I have to confess that I have not. I remember when Neil deGrasse Tyson's version of Cosmos came out some years back, but I didn't catch all of it.

This is one of the most interesting documentaries I have seen on the Voyager spacecrafts:

I was so happy that it was offered for free on YouTube.

There was some great exploration of the planets. It was intriguing to see those films and photographs from decades ago, which was an amazing accomplishment for the technology that was available at that time.

Dang, I missed it. I had worked eight days in a row and was exhausted, so was more interested in sleeping than observing a big yellow moon.

Stargazer, do you know of any animated resources that can explain the way the moon declines and ascends in the sky? I mean, I KNOW it does, but I just don't get it without seeing it.

I love looking innto the stars at nigjt one day Jesus will com and the stars will be no more 

Nothing is permanent in this world, but the stars are perhaps the closest thing to it.  Even the constellations change slowly over time, but it takes hundreds of years for that to be noticeable. The planets will move through them, but it often takes months before there is movement through the sky. I think much patience is needed for astronomy. 🙂

Did anyone happen to catch the Moon very near Jupiter the other night (Monday into Tuesday)? It was quite pretty.  I also used the Moon as a guide to seeing Jupiter after sunrise Tuesday morning, something I've only done 3 times now.

Our skies are again filled with wildfire smoke from our neighbors to the north; when I was outside early this morning I could barely see Saturn.

Rain - a rarity this summer - is on tap tomorrow, which may clear out the sky just in time for the Perseids this weekend.

Posted by: @cobalt-jade

Stargazer, do you know of any animated resources that can explain the way the moon declines and ascends in the sky?

I did find this page which explains, with some diagrams, the changing position of the sun in the sky over the course of a year (due to the tilt of the earth's axis, it's high in the summer and low in the winter). The Moon follows a very similar path, just over the course of a month rather than a year. Hope this helps!

Posted by: @stargazer

I'm ready! [for the Perseids]

How was your viewing, stargazer?

Here, we had a clear night during the 12th-13th. Quite something, really, for many of our days and nights have been overcast this summer. I was out of the house by 4:15 a.m. and saw 22 meteors in 75 minutes. Often during the a meteor shower, I will lay on a blanket on the ground or in a reclining lawnchair to see the widest scope of the night sky, but our trees are even bigger now, so the view from our property is more limited, although when the field behind us is harvested, that's a great spot to view the night sky!

Anyway, this year, the temperature was cool, and I was longing for a walk, which was wonderful, but also meant I missed seeing any meteors apart from my forward and peripheral range of vision. I have no doubt there were some behind me that I did not see. So, I kept turning around on my walk, but that can be awkward too. I was glad to spot those 22: some were very bright (however, no fireballs), short, and fast; others were very bright, long, and slow; some were dimmer, short or long, usually fast; and a variety of being nearer to the horizon or way up on high. I find that the anticipation of seeing the next one is almost exhilarating!

The Moon in the lower east was a lovely crescent, with the earth-shine so vivid! And the constellations all around were sparkling—beautiful, as always. The square of Pegasus seemed especially pronounced high in the SW. And the mighty Hunter, Orion, was magnificent rising in the east. Along with many others: Cassiopeia, Cygnus and the Northern Cross, the Pleiades star cluster, Gemini. Then the recognizable, brighter stars: Procyon, Fomalhaut, Capella, Aldebaran, along with Jupiter (high in the SE) and Saturn (starting to set towards the SW).

Posted by: @stargazer

Last night the Moon was so big and round and so pretty! ... I enjoyed seeing its big round disk so low in the trees.

How I love to see the Moon through trees, particularly through naked tree branches in the winter. There is something so mysterious and wonderful about it. Maybe some nostalgia too.

Posted by: @stargazer

Did anyone happen to catch the Moon very near Jupiter the other night (Monday into Tuesday)? It was quite pretty.  I also used the Moon as a guide to seeing Jupiter after sunrise Tuesday morning, something I've only done 3 times now.

It was cloudy here that date, but other early mornings I have seen this lovely sight. It is a challenge, and a lot of fun, isn't it, to still spot Jupiter after the sun has risen? I'm glad you have been able to, too, stargazer.

I did head out for a walk the night after the Perseid peak (morning of the 14th), and saw two meteors shortly after I left the house (5:10 a.m.), but none after that in my view.

A humorous incident: a radio newswoman was reading about the Perseid meteor shower the other day, and took me aback when she stated that these meteors are from the comet Swift-Turtle. Wups!  

I finally saw the starlink satellites tonight. Total coincidence that we were outside looking up and there they were! So that was fun. 🙂

Ooohh, those unexpected spottings of the starlink satellites are so much fun, particularly the first. I will never forget our initial sighting. Since then I have seen them a few times, always unforeseen, and it's just so cool! Glad you saw them, fantasia!  

I wonder if anyone here has observed the Garnet Star in Cepheus. It is also known as Mu Cephei and can be found in most star atlases. The star is a deep red color (which is why it is called the Garnet Star) and many people have considered it to be quite beautiful.  I remember seeing it many years ago in my telescope from my backyard in a small town in Michigan. The light pollution was much less at that time.  Cepheus, the constellation where it is located, is circumpolar so the Garnet Star should be visible on any clear night of the year in northern latitudes if you do not have too much light pollution. 

Here is more information:

http://www.nightskyinfo.com/archive/mu_cephei/

Here is an article with a finder chart showing the Garnet Star:

https://in-the-sky.org/data/object.php?id=TYC3979-1616-1

Ditto Jo's remarks about the Starlinks, fantasia. It's an unexpected pleasure to spot one of those parades passing by.

I also had the pleasure of seeing Orion for the first time this season Wednesday morning. I happened to wake up around 4.45 am and stepped outside to see it and Gemini rising above the trees. I also happened to catch a very brief magnitude -3.0 meteor in the northeast (probably not a Perseid, judging by its path).

Posted by: @jo

How was your [Perseid] viewing, stargazer?

Sunday morning was a pleasant time to sit and watch the sky, but I only confirmed one meteor in about 40 minutes of viewing.  That's a little deceptive since most of that time was filled with watching haze, and then clouds, move in from the west. The much-needed rain didn't arrive until late Sunday evening, however.

Comet Swift-Turtle indeed, lol!

Our skies are again dimmed by wildfire smoke from the north. This morning even Saturn was dimmed in the haze.

Posted by: @narnian78

I wonder if anyone here has observed the Garnet Star in Cepheus.

I haven't seen it, though I'm familiar with it. The article implies I'd be able to see it here in binoculars, since it's 4th magnitude and we've succeeded in seeing dimmer Uranus in binoculars here. I really should give it a shot, once this heat and haze passes - and before Cepheus gets too high in the sky again.

Posted by: @stargazer

I also had the pleasure of seeing Orion for the first time this season Wednesday morning. I happened to wake up around 4.45 am and stepped outside to see it and Gemini rising above the trees.

Beautiful! How I love that first sighting of an 'old friend'. This morning I had one, as well. As Orion has been rising higher on my recent pre-dawn walks, I have been keeping an eye open for my first glimpse of Sirius. And this morning was that treat! Very lower above the horizon, and glimmering with the haze there, I saw it for the first time this season. This was around 5:45 am, so just over 45 minutes before sunrise. Along with the many constellations, stars, and two planets (Jupiter and Saturn) I have mentioned in other posts, this time of year is wonderful viewing under the night sky. The nights are (for the most part) getting cooler: this morning was only 8°C / 46.4F, so definitely a taste of early Autumn.