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Sun (Sun, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 62-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Mon Nov 8 17:00:00 2021 UT Obs. no.: 2308
A short while ago, I observed the sun with my solar telescope. There are two big sunspots, AR2893 & AR2894 on the sun's face. Both are easy to see & there is plenty of facula around both spots.
M4 (Globular Cluster, in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 5.1-inch equatorial reflector Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Tue Aug 3 01:00:00 2021 UT Obs. no.: 2282
This evening, I took out my 5" short tube widefield telescope to do some general observing. The best object I saw was The Coat Hanger star group which I viewed at 25X. The Coat Hanger is a fine binocular object but my widefield scope allows you to enjoy the whole object at higher power. I also viewed the area of Cygnus were I saw star clusters & asterisms. There was one group of stars that was all strung out which was quite a site. I did get to see the globular cluster M4 which looked like a small blurry star in my scope. A wide field scope allows you to see so much of the sky & that is why I love this scope.
M4 (Globular Cluster, in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 5.1-inch equatorial reflector Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Tue Aug 3 01:00:00 2021 UT Obs. no.: 2281
This evening, I took out my 5" short tube widefield telescope to do some general observing. The best object I saw was The Coat Hanger star group which I viewed at 25X. The Coat Hanger is a fine binocular object but my widefield scope allows you to enjoy the whole object at higher power. I also viewed the area of Cygnus were I saw star clusters & asterisms. There was one group of stars that was all strung out which was quite a site. I did get to see the globular cluster M4 which looked like a small blurry star in my scope. A wide field scope allows you to see so much of the sky & that is why I love this scope.
M7 (Open Cluster, in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sat Jul 31 01:30:00 2021 UT Obs. no.: 2279
On Friday evening, my brother Anthony & I did some nice observing. We viewed M6,M7, & M8. We also viewed Jupiter & Saturn for the first time this season. Jupiter was very low but we were still able to tease out its NEB with our 5" MAK. Saturn was unusually bright because it was at opposition. We also spotted two meteors & the ISS.
Moon (Moon, est. mag -11, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Mark D. Schneider (e-mail: markd_s@yahoo.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: Orange, California, United States of America
Light pollution: light Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Wed May 26 10:22:00 2021 UT Obs. no.: 2259
The weather was not too bad as the Supermoon Eclipse began in the SW.
Jupiter (Planet, est. mag -2.2, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sat Aug 10 03:50:00 2019 UT Obs. no.: 2116
Last evening, as I returned from work, I was able to enjoy the close conjunction of Jupiter & the moon. They were about two degrees apart with Jupiter being on the moon's lower right. In a few days, the moon & Saturn will be in the sky together.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -2.5, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Mon Jun 20 03:00:00 2016 UT Obs. no.: 1975
Last evening, I viewed Mars through my 127mm MAK. There was a large area of limb haze at the edge of Mars. I also noticed The South Polar Hood was easier for me to see than the North Polar Ice Cap. I also noticed Mars has started to shrink in my scope as it begins to move further away.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -2.5, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 8-inch refractor Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Tue Jun 14 21:00:00 2016 UT Obs. no.: 1973
On Tuesday evening, My friend Becky, her grandson Noah & I went to Leitner Observatory at Yale to observer Mars, Jupiter, Saturn & the moon with the various telescopes on the scene. Jupiter's equatorial belts were both equally bright which surprised me since the northern belt is usually brighter than the southern belt. Three of Jupiter's moons were also visible. Saturn's noth equatorial belt was very visible as well as the Cassini Division on Saturn's rings. On Mars, I was only able to glimpse the North Polar Ice Cap, & a few Dark areas of the Mars. The craters on the moon were glorious to see. The three of us are planning another trip there when Venus is higher in the sky in August.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -2.5, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 8-inch refractor Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Tue Jun 14 21:00:00 2016 UT Obs. no.: 1972
On Tuesday evening, My friend Becky, her grandson Noah & I went to Leitner Observatory at Yale to observer Mars, Jupiter, Saturn & the moon with the various telescopes on the scene. Jupiter's equatorial belts were both equally bright which surprised me since the northern belt is usually brighter than the southern belt. Three of Jupiter's moons were also visible. Saturn's noth equatorial belt was very visible as well as the Cassini Division on Saturn's rings. On Mars, I was only able to glimpse the North Polar Ice Cap, & a few Dark areas of the Mars. The craters on the moon were glorious to see. The three of us are planning another trip there when Venus is higher in the sky in August.
Mars (Planet, est. mag -2.4, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Fri Jun 10 04:15:00 2016 UT Obs. no.: 1971
This evening, I observed Mars with my 127mm MAK. Once again, I was able to view the north polar icecap as well as the south polar hood. I was not able to see any limb haze this time around but I did see plenty of dark areas on Mars' surface. I then pointed my scope to Saturn. There I was able to see the northern hemisphere of Saturn with two cloud belts going across the Saturn's face. I did manage to glimpse the Cassini division on Saturn's ring system as well as seeing Saturn's moon Titan. what a night of viewing!
Mars (Planet, est. mag -2.5, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Thu May 26 04:15:00 2016 UT Obs. no.: 1970
Just after midnight last night, I observed Mars with my 127 mm MAK scope. I was able to first notice Mars' north polar ice cap which was easy to see. I also observed the south polar hood as well as limb haze. There were plenty of dark areas on Mars' surface as well. As a bonus, nearby to the left of Mars was the rival of Mars Anteres. Now that's a double feature.
Venus (Planet, est. mag -4.4, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 6-inch Dobsonian reflector Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Tue Oct 15 23:30:00 2013 UT Obs. no.: 1895
Last evening, my brother Anthony, my friend Steve & I observed the conjunction of the planet Venus & the first magnitude star Anteres. These two objects were about two degrees apart. We then turned our six inch dob on Venus where we were able to see dark areas on the slightly less than 50% lit planet's face. We were also able to view M11 the wild duck cluster. It was one of the most impressive open clusters I have seen. We also were able to see the core of M31 The Andromeda Galaxy. Finally we enjoyed viewing the triple star system of Mizar, Alcor & Mizar's close double companion. a great night of viewing.
Other (Other, est. mag 2.4, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sun May 25 02:00:00 2008 UT Obs. no.: 1787
For the past two nights, my friends Mike Dzubaty, Steve Borer and Rob Masud have been observing Delta Scorpii. Several years ago Delta Scorpii flared up tp about 1.6 magnitude. Ever since then Delta Scorpii seems to be dimming at a slow rate. Last year its magnitude dropped to 2.2 but this year we think its magnitude has dropped further to 2.4. We'll be observing this star all summer to see it its magnitude drops further.
Moon (Moon, est. mag -11, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 50-mm binoculars Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: good
Time: Sun Jul 29 02:00:00 2007 UT Obs. no.: 1686
I read a very interesting article in Astronomy Magazine which showed how anyone can see some color on the moon with just binoculars. With this in mind my friend Steve Borer and I took a crack at this. Our first target was Mare Serenitatis which contains the bright lunar ray of the crater Bessel. When you stare at this bright lunar ray in binoculars the ray begins to take on a golden color. Then when you look at other lunar rays, they all look white. The golden lunar ray of Bessel seems to make Mare Serenitatis glow a golden yellow. Now move your binoculars to Mare Tranquillitatis which adjoins Mare Serenitatis. When you stare at this Mare you will see a tinge of blue covering the whole mare. Anyone with an ordinary pair of binoculars can do this. Just take your time, relax and enjoy.
Jupiter (Planet, est. mag -2, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: poor
Time: Mon Apr 30 06:30:00 2007 UT Obs. no.: 1647
Early this moerning I observed Jupiter with my 127mm MAK. Because of poor seeing I was only able to observe both equitorial belts with the NEB being brighter than the SEB. I also noticed that I could only see the shading in the south polar region and not in the north polar region. All four moons were beautiful discs with the two larger moons looking ruddy in color.
Other (Other, est. mag 2.2, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Wed Apr 25 04:45:00 2007 UT Obs. no.: 1645
Just after midnight I observed the star Delta Scorpii with my naked eye. Several years ago Delta Scorpii was the fourth brightest star in Scorpius when it suddenly flaired to 1.6 magnitude. This made it the second brightest star in Scorpius. About three years ago its magnitude dropped to 2.2 and it remained the second brightest star in Scorpius. Last night its magnitude remained at 2.2 and I'm wondering if it will remain 2.2 for a long time to come. Later around noon time, I observed the sun with my Sunspotter Solar Telescope. Finally a sunspot has just come into view. I think this spot may be fairly large but I'll know in a few days if it is. The sun has been very quiet for several weeks. Maybe now it's becoming active.
Other (Other, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Dave Mitsky (e-mail: djm28@psu.edu)
Instrument: 42-mm binoculars Location: Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: good Seeing: good
Time: Sat Feb 24 10:50:00 2007 UT Obs. no.: 1625
I had my first look at V1280 Scorpii (Nova 2007 Scorpii) this morning just prior to daybreak. Using a 8x42mm Celestron binocular I had no trouble sweeping up the kite-shaped asterism that the nova forms with three field stars situated to the northeast and southeast of Epsilon Scorpii (see the attached Sky & Telescope finder chart). It was too cold and, in particular, windy for me to want to stay outside very long so I didn't try to do a serious magnitude estimate. The "new" star seemed to be similar in brightness to the two stars flanking it, however.
M7 (Open Cluster, in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 50-mm binoculars Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: good
Time: Sat Aug 12 01:15:00 2006 UT Obs. no.: 1556
Last evening, my friends Steve Borer, Mike Dzubaty, his son Mike and I did some deep sky binocular observing while we looked for persiad meteors. We started first with M7 open cluster in Scorpius. M7 has many bright stars in it that make it look outstanding in binoculars. These stars are from 6.5 to 8th magnitude. M8 in Sagittarius shows a group of stars on the right side and a nebula on the left side. Both M8 and M7 can be seen with the naked eye. Just above M8 lies M21, an open cluster. In binoculars, M21 shows many stars of about 8th magnitude. M24 is often refered to as an open cluster but in reality it is just a part of the milkyway. It is a great site in binoculars. Finally, we decided to observe the Southern Crown which is located below Sagittarius. Fron Connecticut, this constellation only can be seen on clear dry nights like last night. In binoculars, this constellation greatly resembles its northern counterpart , the Northern Crown. One final thing, My friends all saw meteors but I didn't see a one.
Other (Other, est. mag 2.2, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: naked eye Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Fri Jun 16 02:00:00 2006 UT Obs. no.: 1542
The star Delta Scorpi flared up several years ago. I just checked on the star tonight and it has still not returned to normal brightness. For the last two years, Delta Scorpi has stayed at magnitude 2.2. I will be observing this star some more to see if its magnitude changes.
Alpha Sco (Antares) (Multiple Star, in Scorpius)
Observer: Pino Nobile (e-mail: chrano@tin.it)
Instrument: 4-inch refractor Location: Monza, Milan, Italy
Light pollution: severe Transparency: poor Seeing: good
Time: Thu Jun 15 21:00:00 2006 UT Obs. no.: 1545
Antares was near local meridian. At 170x with Baader Maxbright binoviewer in my Sky-Watcher 100ED refractor the double is easy with companion clearly seen separate from red giant star with blak sky between the two. A very beautiful vision, colors were red and green.
Mercury (Planet, est. mag -0.4, est. to be in Scorpius)
Observer: Michael Amato (e-mail: abigmick@aol.com)
Instrument: 127-mm other Location: West Haven, Connecticut, United States
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Tue Dec 13 11:15:00 2005 UT Obs. no.: 1434
This Morning, before sunrise, I arose from my bed and threw open the sash and what to my wondering eys did appear but planet Mercury at this time of year. I aimed my 127mm MAK at Mercury and saw that it is a waxing gibbous. There was a large albedo shading that was mostly in the northern hemishere near the terminator. There also looked like there was some small light shading in the southern hemishere near Mercury's limb. I then turned my scope on Jupiter. All I could see was Jupiter's two main belts. It looked like the SEB may be a little thicker than the NEB. All four moons were on one side of the planet.
NGC6441 (Globular Cluster, in Scorpius)
Observer: Akarsh Simha (e-mail: akarsh_simha@fastmail.fm)
Instrument: 8-inch equatorial reflector Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Light pollution: moderate Transparency: fair Seeing: good
Time: Fri Sep 23 15:15:00 2005 UT Obs. no.: 1339
A beautiful, bright, easy-to-locate globular in Scorpius. It is just about a mere 5 minutes from the 3.21 mag red star in Scorpius between Shaula and eta Sagittarii. Absolutely easy to find and wonderful at mag 7.4. Shows a brightness gradient from center to periferri. It is quite large. It is strange that this is not a Messier object.
NGC6302 (Planetary Nebula, in Scorpius)
Observer: Andrew Cooper (e-mail: acooper@pobox.com, web: http://www.siowl.com/)
Instrument: 46-cm Dobsonian reflector Location: TIMPA, near Tucson, Arizona, United States
Light pollution: light Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sun Aug 28 04:10:00 2005 UT Obs. no.: 1290
Small, bright, a north-south central bar with fans of nebulosity extending east and west, in a nice Milky Way starfield
NGC6441 (Globular Cluster, in Scorpius)
Observer: Andrew Cooper (e-mail: acooper@pobox.com, web: http://www.siowl.com/)
Instrument: 46-cm Dobsonian reflector Location: TIMPA, near Tucson, Arizona, Unites States
Light pollution: light Transparency: fair Seeing: fair
Time: Sun Aug 28 03:32:00 2005 UT Obs. no.: 1289
Bright, unresolved ball of fuzz four minutes east of a 3.2 mag. star, a bright orange, the cluster is dense and just starts to resolve with averted vision, bright Milky Way starfield fills the field
M80 (Globular Cluster, in Scorpius)
Observer: Sriram.M.Gubbi (e-mail: sriram_gubbi@yahoo.co.in, web: http://dino.lm.com/artists/display.php?name=sriram_gubbi)
Instrument: 6-inch other Location: Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Light pollution: light Transparency: excellent Seeing: poor
Time: Sun Jul 3 22:20:00 2005 UT Obs. no.: 1254
Yet another ball of cotton north east of scorpious. There's a star of the same brightness just near the cluster. It looked a bit greener than other globulars to my eyes.
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