Observer's Log

The vicious cycle

--Leo, the Lion--

As I stand out in the field tonight I realize that this is the same time I started coming out here almost every night for the past year, weather permitting, to stargaze. And due to a pretty severe drought the weather hasn't been much of an obstacle. Leo is starting to disappear into the light pollution of Greenville but still putting on quite an exhibition, although Saturn is messing up the familiar pattern of the lion. Bootes is unmistakable even with the Moon at first quarter; A storm front moved through tonight and cleared things up a bit. This is the best time to view Bootes. It will soon become lost in the glow over the northwest skies above Greenville, although Arcturus, it's brightest star, will be visible for quite some time. The kneeling Hurcules is climbing in the east, with the bright star Vega following behind. Soon mom and daughter Cassiopeia and Andromeda will follow. Auriga the Charioteer, too. It feels good to see everybody again.

Globular Clusters rule

Hello out there

Or at least on this night one in particular was fun to look at through the binocs. M13 in Hurcules is located perfectly in the sky from my surveying spot not far from the house. If you want to spy on it now is a good time. At 21,000 to 25,000 light-years away I don't think anybody will know you're looking and if they do and want to ask you what you think you're doing it would take them the same amount of time to do so. Then you would have to answer, of course, and that would take just as long. So, there would be plenty of time to make up something that sounds reasonably intelligent.

An almost three-minute picture message, shown at left, was broadcast to M13 in 1974 from the Arecibo Radio Telescope in Puerto Rico. If we're still around in 40,000 years maybe we'll receive a reply. Click on the photo to learn more.

There may be 1 million stars in this cluster and together they have become one of the most popular clusters to look at in the northern sky. If you're in a dark-sky location you can pick M13 out with the naked eye. There are times when I can do this from this location, but not tonight, despite the fact that there is no Moon.