Observing Notesfrom the Tuckahoe IrregularsI arrived at the snow-free ball field at 6:15 PM, about ten minutes after sunset. I expected to see people wandering around their half-sunk vehicles and scratching their heads, but the ground was firm and posed no problems for vehicles or telescopes. By the time Polaris was visible there were four dedicated (or perhaps deprived) observers: Jean-Paul Richard, Doug, Tim, and myself. Early in the evening I located the Beehive Cluster (too large to fit in my field of view, even with my 40-mm eyepiece) near Jupiter, and then the Eskimo Nebula. I spent some time looking at the Trapezium with all of my Pentax eyepieces; when the wind stopped blowing (not very often) and the stars stopped making figure-8s in my viewing field, I could easily see the fifth and (with more difficulty) the sixth Trapezium members with my Pentax 10.5. Except for a strong, 360-degree horizon glow, the night was very clear, with rare bands of thin, backlit clouds in which the stars played hide-and-peek. The 3/8ths moon was making crisp shadows on the ground before it was even fully dark, and the amount of light that it spread into the sky cut down on contrast, making views of faint galaxies less rewarding. Nevertheless, I was able to observe M95 and 96, M65 and 66, and M81 and 82, though only the last pair showed any detail. It was good to see Leo climbing up from the Eastern horizon. The season of the galaxies is almost here! Jean-Paul brought his new telescope, a Dobsonian with so much technology attached that I'm sure next month it will assemble itself and choose its own viewing list. But it is a beautiful scope, with bright, clear images of the stars and nebulae that we looked at. I hope to see many more of the sky's wonders through it. The wind made the night seem much colder than it was. When it blew hard it roared through the trees like a small jet engine and buffeted the telescopes into near-uselessness, even the C-8s. Though the thermometer said it was just below thirty degrees, the chilly blasts from the Northwest penetrated my winter gear. I've been warmer at Tuckahoe on still nights that were ten degrees colder. By ten o'clock we had been pretty well beaten up by the wind, and when I shiveringly capitulated, everyone else packed up and left with me. Though short, it was not a bad night, and it felt good to be out under the sky again. Steve Long |