No telephoto, just the DSC F717, 30 second exposure (I figured out how to do that yesterday) on my telescope tripod. Note how Mizar and Alcor are well seperated and easily visible. Note also that a 30-second exposure amplifies a streetlight-lit tree to daylight levels.
I took this and several other pictures tonight in [...]

I realized I had sketched the comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 when it was in Lyra, thus capturing, by pencil, an image paralleling the photograph I took yesterday. So, I prepended that observation to that page–it is now the first observation of the three comet observatoins on [...]

I thought I’d look through the telesocpe tonight, as the Clear Sky Clock seemed to be in my favor. But–it was so hazy I could see very little. I tried something “easy” (M13), but couldn’t find it. So I used my binoculars….I couldn’t find it there either! It has to be [...]

The Clear Sky clock nearest me (in Annapolis) suggests tonight is a good night to observe:
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I decided to walk with my binoculars to a park 1/8 of a mile from my house, a wide-open space with trees far enough that I could see down to the horizon. I tried and failed to find M4 in Scorpius, most likely because in the east, there was a glow from the rising [...]

not tonight anyway. Of course, I work tomorrow and don’t want to be up late tonight. I also play saxophone [...]

I was just outside with my telescope. It wasn’t the best of nights to observe, but it was the best I’ve had in Bowie for a week or so and anyway it was Saturday and I did not have to get up early to go to work the next day. So, I took [...]

Last may, I observed comet Schwassmann-Wachmann 3 at its closest approach to Earth. At its brightest, it showed up in binoculars on a reasonably-dark night. The image reminded me of an angel–the tail fanned out like a robe or gown. The link above gives my observation reports for two observations of Fragment [...]

I have settled in on a process for sketching what I see. I don’t always follow this process to the letter, but [...]

Several months ago, I read 21st Century Astronomy, a college-level introduction to the universe (focusing more on the workings of the universe than on observation).  [...]