Rigel Systems Skylight LED flashlight.

This will replace my other night-vision flashlight. This one is glove-friendly!

This flashlight cost the same as the first one I took back. Not only can I easily use it with my winter gloves on, but it glows either red or white/blue depending on which way the large knob is turned. And it’s nice and bright. I needn’t have worried about accidentally ruining anyone’s night vision; the knob is on one side of the flashlight body, and hard to turn in the wrong direction by mistake. Highly recommended.

Observation Log 2/27/04

Observation Log 2/23/04

2/23/04, 7-8:30pm- Celestron NexStar 8i telescope. Goto working well. Attempted Moon & Venus, but the trees interfered. Orion Nebula! Molecular clouds obvious. Tried #80A filter on Saturn and Jupiter No noticeable difference, perhaps the magnification was too low for details.

Observation Log 2/22/04

2/22/04 9:30-11:10 pm: Used Celestron 25mm eyepiece, leveled tripod, set Goto to +/+, ended aligns w/Down & Right buttons. I chose Polaris & Rigel (opposite ends of sky). I used de-focussed rings to ease centering. GoTo performance spot-on for Saturn, Jupiter, & … Ceres!! Showed Saturn to Jan w/15mm, 9mm eyepieces. She liked it!

To do: for Jan, learn good filters for planets, show her Jupiter. Also figure out how to center at high power & keep tracking on & accurate. Question- does tracking stop after a goto RA/Dec? How to restore it? This was a problem for Ceres. Is it backlash?

Observation Log 2/20/04

2/20/04, 00:03-01:00: Cel 25mm. Leveled tripod before Auto-Align. GoTo accuracy still outside FOV. Readjusted finder- much better. Good seeing for 45 minutes, then high clouds. Collimation test looks good. Saw Saturn & Jupiter, split Mizar! Ceres was behind a tree. Saw Regulus, Arcturus. New moon soon.

Observation Log 2/18/04

2/18/04, 10:00-11:00pm; Celestron NexStar 8i first light! Betelgeuse, Sirius, Capella. Low & Hi power views of Saturn (clear rings, shadow, moons) & Jupiter (clear stripes, 4 moons. Only fair seeing, some clouds.

Orion red LED flashlight

This will enable me to see my books, read my eyepieces, and adjust the scope in the dark. At least, that was the plan.

Celestron Power Tank

How to power my new Go To scope, both in the back yard and in the field.

The Celestron Power Tank is one sweet accessory. And for $69 ($59 mail order) it seems like quite a bargain. It comes with an AC adapter for charging, and a cigarette adapter for powering the the scope. It has two receptacles for 12V cigarette adapters, so you can power other accessories at the same time as the scope. It has a 7 amp-hour rechargeable battery built in, which I’ve yet to run down after 10-15 hours of use in the cold. It has three additional outputs at 3V, 6V and 9V, and it even has heavy-duty terminals on the back which can be used to recharge your car battery in a pinch.

Starbound observing chair

Seem like a luxury? I thought so too. Then I used it.

The raison d’etre of the Starbound observing chair is simple: When I’m looking high, the eyepieces are low, and vice versa. This chair has a seat that quickly adjusts up and down from 9″ to 32″ high, using only one hand. It folds up for easy carrying. And it allows me to stay comfortable, with good posture, so I can stargaze for even longer!

Celestron NexStar 8i telescope & starter eyepiece/filter kit.

After months of research, and a bad case of “paralysis by analysis,” I finally make The Jump. I consulted a lot of resources and made a reasonable decision for my needs. Here’s how.