Cloud Dodging = Ken (Fogfire's) Western WA Astronomy Blog

Big night tonight for family astronomy.

My geologist niece is here. I am setting up Phoenix (8iSE) that my wife has shown interest in to see if she will enjoy the scope more.
And my full CGEM 9.25"

So its family night.. and I am hoping it might be good enough to image after they all get tired.. a rate good night. Even July has been a bust... so it was nice to see Clear Sky Clock actually improve this morning vs go to heck like normal.

Its 7:50PM

• Mosquito and Flea repellent dust is down on the grass.
• and both OTAs are out side cooling with the late evening air...

Dinner then tripods etc...

More to come as we move through the night!!!

11:25pm

Summer may be here.. but the night was almost a bust.

Its still to late for real dark to keep my daugter up for normal stuff.. so I aligned the 8iSE and showed her Saturn and Arcturs and sent her to bed
My Neice is coming down with a cold.. so even though she really wants to look at stuff in the scope.. she came out saw Saturn and went to bed.
My wife came out and we used the small scope to move through some things.. She likes Arcturus.. I think it is the bright warm color. didn't like Alberio as much. though Mizar looked like headlights.. and we were dark and clear enough that I could show here M57 the Ring. Also looked at Wild Suck and M13

What did come good out of tonight is that even though we have affection for our rescued scope Phoenx.. which has a really nice view and the GOTO works well.. I just am always pining for the C9.25 views.. they really are that much better for me.

Also she got to see that scope she was most likely to damage was the little one and that she couldn't knock the cgem over.. so we had a talk. and she liked looking at the some things with me.. and I think she will like some of the clusters in the 9.25 inch better.. so once she realized there was no change of hurting my main scope.. we agreed.. Phoenix is going to be sold in the next week or so... I need to put it out to photo it. and figure out how to ship it.

That was good because our rent is going up big time.. (ending a trial perioid) and I am going on forced layoff for the Holidays from September through December... so cash in the bank is good.