15. March 2010 by beckster.

after spending a fabulously warm time in Texas….we returned home to this!

Will the white stuff EVER cease to fall in the yard here?

Ah well, the spring flowers should be amazing!

I’d just really like to put the telescope out on the observing deck again though.

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2. March 2010 by beckster.

This is the first nice ISS pass I’ve seen in some time….

Orion and Taurus make a nice frame for the pass

30 seconds f/4

Nikon D70 on tripod

ASA 400

with a hint of skyglow from Albuquerque

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16. February 2010 by beckster.

The image on the left was made Feb.6 and the one on the right was made Feb. 16.

Vesta moved into the neighborhood in the right hand image and is just left of the bright star at the top left of the frame.  The scale is a little off and the image on the left suffers from poorer seeing and transparency, but if you compare the two photos, it is obvious there is an extra spot of light in the image on the right.

Vesta is easy to see in binoculars as it moves through Leo.  There’s a good star map for it at Heavens-above.com  if you would like to see it for yourself.

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16. February 2010 by beckster.

Tonight Venus moved less than half a degree from Jupiter….

As shown above in the notch through the trees, Venus is brighter on the left and Jupiter is dimmer at Venus’ upper right.

Venus will dominate the evening sky for the rest of 2010.  I like Venus as an evening “star” better than when it’s a morning target.

Not sure why, but I do.

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7. February 2010 by beckster.

From last nights’ brief excursion outside with the camera…..

The sky was soft so the stars are not pinpoints.  The bright orange “star” at the lower left is Mars.

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