Podcaster: Shane and Chris
Title: Actual Astronomy Listener Emails
Organization: Actual Astronomy
Link : https://actualastronomy.podbean.com/
Description: The Actual Astronomy Podcast presents Objects to Observe in the October 2022 Night Sky and places a focus on how to get the most out of the Great Jupiter Opposition and the happenings overhead. This month we have several pairings between the Moon and Planets and we also talk about when and how to observe the bands and storms on Jupiter as well as what asteroid we are on the lookout for this month.
Bio: Shane and Chris are amateur astronomers who enjoy teaching astronomy classes and performing outreach where they help the eyes of the public to telescope eyepieces.
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Transcript:
Welcome to Episode 265 of the Actual Astronomy Podcast. I’m Chris and joining me is Shane. We are amateur astronomers who love looking up at the night sky and this podcast is for anyone who likes going out under the stars.
Listener Emails
It’s been a while since we did a listener email episode…
Denis wrote-
Just was listening to the October observing podcast and heard you hoping for a list of single transits of Jupiter. Sky and Telescope magazine publishes a complete list of transits and occultations each month.
Dennis
JR wrote –
Hi Chris and Shane,
I blame you guys! I’m not one to make an impulse buy, especially when it comes to astronomy gear, but after stumbling on this Cloudy Nights thread and listening to your discussions about the 50mm Borg, I broke out the credit card tonight.
Now granted, I only spent about $50, but the people talking on CN about the Astro-Tech AT50 made me think that little telescope might be the answer to what I’ve been looking for.
I use a Celestron Evolution 8 most of the time (an 8″ alt az mounted SCT), but I’ve always wanted to figure out how to piggyback my Astro-Tech AT60ED on the main 8″ tube for wide field views at the same time. There’s no good way to mount a dovetail rail on the 8″ in the spot where the tube would balance well – but – the AT50 should fit in a set of rings mounted on the rear mirror cell right where I want it to go.
Thanks for singing the praises of good viewing with smaller apertures! The AT50 for $50 surely won’t measure up to legendary Borg performance, but I’m stoked!
I really enjoy the podcast, and wish you guys all the best! Please keep
going!
Clear Skies!
JR
Bill Wrote:
Sorry guys but there won’t be any observation from me for that night. I’ll be in Whistler BC for the Fungus Among Us mushroom Festival. I’ll be helping out with the elementary school presentations and forest walks. I’m excited but hoping it starts t rain so there’s more to show. Drought is bad here.
I will be hoping for the occultation of Uranus by the Moon though on the 11th. Very civilized timing for it here on the west coast. I have had some excellent observations of Jupiter recently. So many remembering which night was which and with what scope is hard. Had a GRS and simultaneous shadow transit one night and a reappearance of a Moon on another. Late on the night of the 25th and into the 26th I had the GRS using my 20” dob.
The seeing was incredible and for most of the time I was using 385X magnification. It was fun because I was trying out 3 different 5mm eyepieces, 5mm T6 Nagler, 5mm Genuine Baader Ortho and a 5mm Pentax XW. Sorry to say Shane but the minimal glass came up at the bottom in all ways. The scope was tracking so FOV wasn’t the issue. Nagler and Pentax were about the same with the Pentax a hair brighter. My 6mm Ethos was better also. Wish I’d had one of my 5mm Orion SW Lanthanums for a real 5mm shootout.
To give an idea of the level of detail I was seeing I have this image
taken by a fellow Victoria RASC member. https://rascvic.zenfolio.com/brock/h1b287cb5#h3262c22e. We were observing at the same time from 2 different locations. As I was easing him at the meeting where he was showing it, Brock, that’s pretty much like I was seeing it only the detail was sharper. Those thin lines that wrap around the GRS were clean and there were swirls inside the GRS.
There that’s my Jupiter reports. The weekend after Whistler I’ll be in Jasper for the Dark Sky Festival where I’ll be meeting up with Eric from Calgary. We both will be bringing our big dobs hoping to get out together and do some observing. He knows where to go because he used to live there. Also hoping to hook up with the Edmonton RASC folks as they do outreach there on the Friday night and during the day on Saturday.
That’s all for now.
Bill
John wrote:
Dear Chris and Shane,
I want to thank you both for fanning the flames of my old love, observing. When I was a kid I spent many hours… (wait for it)…”going out under the stars” with my department store refractor and then an 8” Celestron Schmidt Cassegrain that was generously lent to me by a friend of my Dad’s. After that scope went back to it’s owner life crowded out optical observing. Until recently. I began listening to your podcast this year and you guys really lit the fire to start optical observing again. I discovered a telescope loan program at my local library and got back in with a 4.5” StarBlast. I had a blast looking at all my old friends. Recently I bought a pair of Oberwerk 15×70 binoculars for my first piece of equipment on reentry. Absolutely loving binoviewing. I am looking to get an 8” Dobsonian at some point when I have money to spend on a telescope. I am really interested in DSO observing and 8” is about my financial and logistical limit. I also can’t wait to start comparing refractors and reflectors for myself. You guys really got me interested in quality refractors. I am still so new
End of podcast:
365 Days of Astronomy
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