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Leo

Discussion in 'Beginner's Corner' started by Pleiades, Mar 22, 2018.

Leo

Started by Pleiades on Mar 22, 2018 at 7:06 PM

54 Replies 9736 Views 3 Likes

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  1. Pleiades

    Pleiades Well-Known Member

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    First time studying Leo. Wow! I had no idea what I've been missing. It just might be my new favorite constellation. Light pollution was real bad thanks to the moon hogging my night sky. The moon even made Aldebaran seem dim, until you realize its holding its own with the moon from 65 LY. Cool bino night
     
  2. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    There are some nice objects in Leo for small telescopes and binoculars. Especially M66 & M65.

    Screenshot 2018-03-23 at 11.03.26.png

    NGC 3628 is also near M66 & M65, although it's a bit fainter.

    Screenshot 2018-03-23 at 11.04.32.png

    When the clouds finally clear I want to sweep this area at low power with my recently revamped ST80.

    IMG_20180216_110711.jpg

    And especially my new customised ST102.

    Screenshot 2018-03-23 at 11.04.52.png

    That's if the spring ever does arrive lol. At least the Siberian snow has stopped.
     
    Last edited: Mar 23, 2018
  3. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    @Pleiades I agree with you Leo is a very special place. A dark sky constellation too because it's full of faint galaxies. I think it's time for me to look at Leo in 2018 now for a galaxy hunt. (;
     
  4. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    A 'galaxy hunt' in Leo sounds like an excellent idea! I'm all-in for this action too! Starting out with my ST80 as well!

    I think I'll start out with my 50mm Super-Plössl, and then graduate to my Maksutov 150mm for close-in analysis viewings.

    As for Spring - well you know we have a Woodchuck here named Punxatawny Phil who comes out of his burrow (tunnels, really) and if he see's this shadow - it's forecast we have another 6-weeks of Winter. No shadow - Spring is here! Hooray!

    Phil didn't see his shadow. And it's been well over 6-weeks since anyway!

    The police in Punxatawny, it was just on the news, have issued a warrant for the arrest for lying to all of us! I have a good recipe for Woodchuck. Let me at him!!
     
  5. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Are woodchicks like hedgehogs?

    serveimage.jpeg

    Apparently hedgehogs are good baked in clay.

    Screenshot 2018-03-24 at 02.03.42.png

    And what happened to hedgehog flavoured crisps?
     
  6. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    They're both mammals, but that's about as far as that gets. Here is a Woodchuck - also called a Groundhog:


    Wood Chuck.jpg


    My HUGE 26-pound Maine Coon-Cat 'Maya' dated the Woodchuck. She'd go down the Woodchuck tunnels (they have huge, intricate tunnels with entrances all over the place) and spend the night with her beau. And the next morning she'd be out on the lawn, sitting next to him as he ate violets out of the grass - washing Mr. Chuck with her tongue. It was a sight!

    My smaller Cat, Jenny, at around this same time, brought home a young Rabbit and raised the lil' Bunny-Wabbit! I didn't know what to expect next. Will it be the Cat hopping across the lawn and eating clover? Or the Rabbit climbing tree's and killing birds?

    "Hello? Ripley's?"
     
  7. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    How come it doesn't have spines?
     
  8. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    'Spines?' Do you mean 'Quills?' Porcupines have barbed-quills for self-defence. Woodchucks are just very strong & tough critters. Mess with one and you'll get hurt. BAD hurt!

    Hence they don't really have many enemies. They are capable of detering any hostile species. Could have kicked Maya's backsides! But her gig was 'love not war.' And that worked beautiful!

    I was very proud of that Cat(?)!
     
  9. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    I thought hedgehogs had spines. I'n not sure what they write with, probably retractable ballpoints. They do have a tendency to scare the living shite out of cats by curling into a ball and snorting loudly like a pig though. They're mainly nocturnal/twilight. I think they sleep in hedges a lot during the day.
     
  10. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    sonic image.jpg
    Here's one hedgehog you want on your side!:p
     
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  11. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Speaking of Quill ...

     
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  12. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    @Pleiades

    You should use your 6" Dobson to look at the triplet of galaxy eventually (like proposed by Mak). It's a very special place.
     
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  13. BillP

    BillP Well-Known Member

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    And don't forget....

    One of the finest double stars in the spring sky – indeed, in all the heavens – is Gamma Leonis. Its proper name, Algieba, comes from the Arabic Al Jabbah (The Lion’s Mane). Discovered by William Herschel in 1782, Algieba is comprised of magnitude 2.4 and 3.6 stars currently separated by 4.6 arc-seconds. They form a slowly widening binary system with an orbital period estimated at between 5 and 6 centuries. Algieba is easily located - it’s the brightest star (after Regulus) in the “Sickle” of Leo. ... What makes Algieba so visually striking are its rich golden-yellow hues...
     
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  14. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    Great info on Algieba, Bill! I love colorful double-(or more) stars. That's going onto the top-end of my 'to-do' list! Colorful double-stars are great for getting folks' attention at impromptu outreach-events.

    Good stuff! Thank you!

    D.
     
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  15. BillP

    BillP Well-Known Member

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    I observed this double last week. Was quite beautiful. Both stars are golden yellow and really they brought to mind panning for gold and finding two nuggets. Really nice!
     
  16. Dave In Vermont

    Dave In Vermont Well-Known Member

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    Very cool analogy! My fuse is lit - and we're expecting to hit the 50°F mark by Tuesday.

    Things are looking up - finally!
     
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  17. Nebula

    Nebula Well-Known Member

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    hehe I want to see these gold nuggets too. :) Algieba has to be on my list for my next observation.
     
  18. Mak the Night

    Mak the Night Well-Known Member

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    Screenshot 2018-03-25 at 09.44.41.png

    Well, the sun's out today, maybe spring is coming and I can see the golden nuggets soon too! lol

    Screenshot 2018-03-25 at 09.45.07.png

    What magnification did you use to split these Bill?
     
    Last edited: Mar 25, 2018
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  19. Orion25

    Orion25 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks, Bill. Next clear night I'm aiming my Mak at Algieba. It's so easy to overlook with Regulus so nearby! Doubles have a special place in my eye!;);)
     
  20. BillP

    BillP Well-Known Member

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    I'm not sure. These days I typically just take a few eyepieces out with me, one for max TFOV, then 50x, 100x, 150x and that's it. The two stars are separated by 4.7 arcsec, so close but comfortable. 100x should be sufficient.
     

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