Introduction and Monthly Reminders
So far, August has been a pleasant month for stargazing and other outdoor activities. The highlight thus far for me was having a small star party during the first weekend of the month. More on this below! As always, I enjoyed watching the Moon as it became fuller during the first couple of weeks of August. I was also able to see a few Perseid Meteors before the peak date. I'm hoping to see more as the Moon phase moves towards New Moon.
I have a short weekend trip planned during the second half of the month and hope for clear skies to do some astrophotography. I should still catch some of the Perseids and other meteors under Moon- and light-pollution-free skies. The planets, stars, and Milky Way should be amazing! Now is a great time to view the planets, with all of them visible beginning with Mars in the evening sky and spanning the night, as Mercury, Venus, and Jupiter rise before the Sun.
August Star Party
As mentioned, I hosted a small star party on the first weekend of August. I didn't get a complete count, but there were between 10 and 12 people present, including myself. I started the night off as I always do, setting up the telescope early, just before sunset, and letting it acclimate for approximately 30 minutes. After collimating the scope and aligning the finder scope, I completed a two-star alignment with Antares and Polaris.
After completing my setup and alignment, I slewed the telescope to the First Quarter Moon. This target always impresses first-timers and seasoned observers. It was likely the first time for most of my guests to look through a telescope. Following the Moon, I guided the scope to Mizar, a double star in the handle of the Big Dipper. Again, most guests were awed by this target. After everyone had had their fill, I moved to one of my favorite globular clusters, M13, the Hercules Cluster. Although it was not at its best, due to light pollution and an unstable atmosphere, it did not disappoint me or the other observers that night. After this target, my scope began having issues locating and centering objects in the field of view. I had to realign it, which improved this capability a bit. I believe the biggest problem was that the scope was not quite level.
We continued the night by looking at Epsilon Lyrae, also known as Double Double, which features two sets of double stars within its field of view. This was my first time observing this target, and I was pretty impressed. After the Double Double, I attempted to observe M57 (Ring Nebula), but again encountered telescope issues and was unable to acquire this target at the time. I moved to another double star, Alberio, which has one yellow star and one blue-white star. I've always enjoyed this example of a double star due to the high contrast. I then attempted M27 (Dumbbell Nebula), but, like M57, I was unable to acquire this target. I slewed to the Double Cluster in Perseus and Caldwell 13 (Owl Cluster), with most of the guests again being delighted. One guest in particular kept seeing shooting stars through the field of view, especially when targeting the Double Cluster in Perseus. By this point, most of the guests had left, and one had fallen asleep. One guest was very excited to see Saturn, so when it finally rose above the mountains shortly after midnight, I centered Saturn in the eyepiece.
I was immediately disappointed by the view due to its low altitude, unstable atmosphere, and a slight breeze. The remaining guests looked through the scope and were impressed. Shortly after viewing Saturn, they thanked us for a good night and left. I completed another two-star alignment and slewed to M57 successfully, this time. I then went back to M27 and was again able to locate and center this target successfully. After viewing a few of the previous targets for about 45 minutes, the guest, who had really wanted to see Saturn, returned for more observations. Saturn was higher in the sky by this time, and the view improved a bit, leaving the guest exhilarated by being able to view Saturn and its rings for the first time. The guest left very satisfied with the evening's views. I may try to organize another star party for the end of August or the beginning of September, depending on the weather and plans.
I plan to take my small telescope and camera along on my mid-August weekend trip to a dark sky. I hope to come back with many images to share.