I was driving home after work this afternoon at about 2:00pm when I spotted several "Flying Saucer" shaped clouds forming in front of my eyes and dissapating just as quick. I quickly pulled into a parking area at Lake Terramugus in Marlborough, Connecticut and managed to grab a few pictures of one that formed in about 2 minutes above the lake. The temperature outside was about … [Read more...]
Archives for February 2009
Comet Lulin observing report
After going to the monthly ASNH meeting at the newly completed Leitner Family Observatory & Planetarium, at Yale University, I managed to take advange of the good weather and capture Comet C/2007 N3 (Lulin) again. I took all of the usual close up pictures with a 400mm to 600mm lens. Now the comet is just showing one tail, after recently losing it's ion tail earlier this … [Read more...]
Comet Lulin’s closest approach is near
The long awaited Comet Lulin is making it's closest approach to us on February 24th. On that date, Lulin will be in the constellation Leo, just a few degrees away from Saturn. Right now the comet is at an approximate visable magnitude of 5.7. Last week I managed to get a glimpse of it through binoculars at about 4:30am. Below are a couple of pictures I took of the comet … [Read more...]
State of Connecticut stops buying magazines & musical instruments
I usually don't write about government in my blog, but this crossed my desk yesterday, It was a press release by Governor M. Jodi Rell. Times here in Connecticut are getting tough. Check out what Connecticut is cutting out. It is amazing what the state spends on these items. Over $40,00 on magazine subscriptions? Unreal..... "Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced that she … [Read more...]
Snow Moon over Hartford
The Snow Moon was setting over Hartford this morning, giving me a rare opportunity to capture the unique light from the rising sun, on the buildings before the sun had risen to high. According to the Farmers Almanac, the native tribes in the east and north also referred to this moon as the "Hunger Moon" because hunting was so hard to do … [Read more...]
Kids love cold weather observing
So, what do kids love better than playing video games and bothering their parents? Cold weather astronomy observing! Such was the case at the East Hartford-Glastonbury Elementary Magnet School during a special observing session by the Astronomical Society of New Haven. Over 100 parents and students of the school were greeted on February 6th to a treat many will never forget. … [Read more...]
Attention Comet Hunters!
The dead of winter is upon us, and so is, not one, not two, but three comets visable in our hemisphere. For comet hunters who like to obseve in the evening we have comet 144P/Kushida. An evening comet that's visable through binoculars at a magnitude of 8.2 in the constellation Taurus. If your a early morning riser you have a choice of the ever increasing brightness of comet … [Read more...]