This past week I attended my 3rd ECVAR, East Coast Video Astronomy Rendezvous at Coolbreeze Campground outside of Galax, VA. Compared to last year’s washout thanks to Hurricane Michael, this year was a real treat! We were able to get 4 nights of observing. I spent most of my time Read more…
This past Friday night I participated in a outreach event, showing off the night sky to almost 600 visitors at Astronomy Night with the Raleigh Astronomy Club at Prairie Ridge Ecostation (part of the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science). Fellow Solar System Ambassador Doug Lively and I as well Read more…
Some members of the Raleigh Astronomy Club and I got together last Wed. night (Aug. 7th) to watch the International Space Station pass in front of the Moon. This is an event that can only been see during certain passes and only from a narrow path on the ground. – Read more…
Got some great pictures of the Moon this evening. I’m working on an observing program sponsored by the Astronomical League and NASA as part of the 50th Anniversary of the 1st Manned Lunar Landing. Part of the program is to lead a educational outreach session about the Apollo Missions. The Read more…
Due to the abundance of rain the week before, no campers were allowed on the field for the 2019 Spring SRSP. Instead, we set up in the parking lot down by the swimming pool with the other RVs. We were able to hook up to power down by swimming pool/cafe/locker Read more…
As it turns out, 2018 was not a very good year for observing. The weather was most non-cooperative especially with Hurricane Michael ruining 2 star parties for me. Finally, a good observing night! Despite accidentally turning off the power from my battery to all the downstream hardware (camera, mount, computer, Read more…
At the end of December, I attempted to capture the International Space Station as it crossed the face the sun (aka a transit). Well, I failed. However, it was still a valuable experience in all the researching and testing I performed. Here are some the resources I used: http://www.calsky.com (they Read more…
The fall of 2018 will not be remember for good astronomy by people in the Mid-Atlantic states. Hurricanes Florence and Michael made a mess of things in September and October for North Carolina and the surrounding areas. ECVAR was very poorly attended and all attendees except for myself and fellow Read more…
On July 2, 2018 the star Deneb Algedi (a.k.a Delta Capricornus) was occulted by the moon. From a location in Cary, NC, this event could be viewed as a Grazing On July 2, 2018 the star Deneb Algedi (a.k.a Delta Capricornus) was occulted by the moon. From a location in Read more…
My youngest son joined me for the fall 2017 installment of the Staunton River Star Party (SRSP). As with most star parties, it’s great to see old friends, make new ones, and just spend time together with others that enjoy the same hobby. I set up in-between fellow club members Read more…