UTOPIAN FEDERATION SCI-FI PUERTO RICO Celestial Reports

Sat.–Sun., Oct. 3–4
Harvest Moon, all night
The Moon rides low in the southern sky all night long, providing bright light for farmers gathering their harvest.

Tue., Oct. 6
Mercury at greatest western elongation, dawn
Mercury will be well placed for observation by northern observers just before dawn. The next few mornings will show a complex dance between Mercury, Saturn, and Venus.

Oct. 15–Oct. 29
Zodiacal Light, 6 a.m.
These two weeks are a good time to look for the Zodiacal Light, the faint glow from sunlight reflected from millions of tiny interplanetary dust particles. Fainter than the Milky Way, you will need a very dark location to spot this, rising in a conical shape from the eastern horizon before the beginning of morning twilight.

At this time of the year, as seen from mid-northern latitudes, Aquarius glides low above the southern horizon, between Capricorn to its West and Cetus to its East.

The Saturn Nebula (NGC 7009) is an oval Mag 8 fuzzy patch hanging in space about 4,000 lightyears distant. Medium-sized scopes show a ring with "knobs" on either side.

M72, close by, is a small remote globular cluster, difficult to resolve. The open cluster M73 is a tiny triangular collection of stars, barely noticeable. However, the same field of view contains a lovely Lyra-like asterism.

The Mag 7 globular cluster M2 is about 40,000 lightyears away. Although among the brightest of globs in the sky, M2's core is so concentrated that, as an observational object, it ranks as one of the less compelling.

The Helix Nebula (C63/NGC 7293) is a tricky target. Although it is the largest visible planetary in the night sky (about half the apparent diameter of the full moon) it's quite dim. Dark skies are a must. A low-power eyepiece in your telescope, with averted vision, may give you some hint of structure.

Finally, at 103 lightyears distant is one of the sky's finest doubles, Zeta Aquarius.

Sean O'Dwyer
Starry Night® Times Editor

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Picture of the Month

Butterfly Emerges from Stellar Demise in Planetary Nebula NGC 6302. Photo © NASA.

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The telescope is one of the most simplest and yet misunderstood instrument in amateur

astronomy investigation of the nature of the universe, the study of our celestial neighbors... the

Spiral, elliptical. and irregular, their sizes can go all the way from a whopping 300,000 light years in diameter down to a relatively scrawny 100 light years and not much different than a globular

Most telescopes are manufactured in parts of the world warmer than where you live. The only telescope I know which seems really happy in winter is the Russian-made Maksutov-Newtonian, which seems to feel right at home at sub zero temperatures! Telescopes give trouble in two specific areas: lubrication and batteries. The lubricants used in telescope mounts, focusers, etc. turn into glue at low temperatures. It’s best to strip off the supplied lubricant and replace it with the lithium-based greases designed for snowmobiles.

Batteries depend on chemical reactions to generate current, and chemical reactions go more slowly at lower temperatures. Generally, the smaller the size of the battery, the sooner it will fail at cold temperatures. You can store your telescopes in an unheated garage or shed, but always store the batteries inside a heated house. The little AA and 9v cells used in most astro equipment are next to useless below freezing. If you’re close to home, use an AC adapter to power your equipment. If you’re in the field, look into the “power tanks” sold by many astronomical suppliers. But before spending a lot of money on one of these, check your local auto supply store for less expensive alternatives. Once again, the larger the physical size of the battery, the longer it will last, and be sure to store it indoors on a trickle charger. It may be tempting to run your equipment off your car’s battery, but you don’t want to find yourself with a dead battery when you want to head home.

It’s best to store your telescope in an unheated garage or shed, rather than subjecting your scope to drastic temperature changes, plus the heavy condensation which can occur when you bring the scope indoors. If you must bring a very cold scope indoors, cap it tightly while still outside to minimize internal condensation. The same applies to eyepieces and other accessories.