Sept 2 7pm HASP Balloon from New Mexico

We were walking the dog on the golf course and I remarked to Jan that Venus was very bright tonight, more so than I recall seeing it.

We continued walking and as we neared home I noticed that Venus was in the wrong place!  I found the real Venus, which was more to the South.  This was about 15 degrees west of North and about 15 degrees elevation.

I reached home and got out binocs and noticed it was an UFO!!!!!

I got the 80ED scope with 8-24mm zoom eyepiece and took some photos at 75x magnification.

Here it is:

http://laspace.lsu.edu/hasp/Flightinfo-2013.php?py=2013

Aug 24, 2013 Mirror Lab Tour by Dean Ketelsen

We were so fortunate to be invited to a tour of the Tucson Mirror Lab where they were cooling and rotating the 8.4m third mirror for the Giant Magellan Telescope in Chile.

Dean Ketelsen graciously provided a wonderful tour.

Dean Ketelsen describing measurments.

Here we are enjoying the trip.

Jan and I with Baja mirror in background

An amazing factory!

The GMT #3 rotating mirror as it is still being heated and formed.

A great tour!

 

Aug 15, 2013 Nova Delphinus 2013 Naked Eye!

Using 8x40 binocs at 10pm saw a Nova in Delphinus. 

Viewed it again over the coming weeks as it dimmed. 

Saw it two nights, 8/15 and 8/17 in am naked eye. 

This is my first nova viewed and also the first naked eye nova

in around twenty years.  It was overcast from 8/18 through 8/25,

visible in binoculars after that.