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VROD

10-9-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"NGC 404 and Saturn"

Today we feature an outstanding report and sketches by John Baars. Braving the light of Mirach he was able to observe and sketch NGC 404 with his 140mm Maksutov. Lying just a few arc minutes above Mirach this is a tough elliptical to ferret out.

Nevertheless...

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9-29-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comet C/2023 A3 - 28th September, 2024 AEST."

Today we feature an excellent report by OzEclipse (Joe) who was able to view comet C/2023 A3 through a variety of instruments with probably the best views being provided through his Pro 15x70 Skymasters.

The tail was indeed visible...

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9-26-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Evening session in the Southern sky"

Heading out to his dark sky observatory at Anza, bigzmey put his C-14 to good use in the far southern (read horizon-hugging) constellation of Microscopium. Therein he found a plethora of galaxies noted in the IC catalog. Follow along with his...

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9-23-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Messier 15 Observation."

Today's featured report is courtesy of John Baars. Focusing mainly on one subject - M15 in Pegasus - he was able to view it though his 102mm scope as well as his Evostar 120.

As you can see from his detailed sketch, he was able to resolve some...

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9-19-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Morning session in the summer sky"

Utilizing his 14" SCT bigzmey (Andrey) was able to plumb the depths of the Southern sky in the constellations Phoenix and Fornax for an amazing haul of new galaxy observations. His success led to his achieving the enviable goal of having witnessed...

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9-16-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"14 Sept 2024"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Mike Q who spent a nice morning out under the stars starting at 4am. Amongst his targets in his 10" Dob, accompanied by the refreshing aroma of coffee included Sigma Orionis and NGC 1981, a cluster surrounded by nebulosity...

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9-15-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Unitron48 (Dave) was able once again to conduct two successful sessions in the course of a couple of nights, including last night, the 14th of September a group session at the Morning Calm Observatory.

Following the AL's lunar guidelines on the first night he utilized his 127mm scope...

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9-11-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two Short Sessions"

Unitron48 (Dave) recently was able to get out over the course of two nights, the first night (the 8th) with the club using the 20" for visual and a 12" in EAA mode taking an image of M13. The second night at home (the 10th) he was able to nail down...

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9-9-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A trip to La Palma (Canaries)"

Today's featured report is more about telescopes in a unique and very cool environment on the Canary Islands. Carastro (Carole) gives us a great tour of some of these important instruments doing world-changing research in a photolog.

The...

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9-7-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 02 September 2024 – chasing this and that in the here and there"

Fabulous report Alan and one that should be highly recommended reading for those willing to take the path less chosen,...

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9-6-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Clusters and nebulae with binocular telescope"

Something different from the usual is today's featured report from Bigzmey. Rather than galaxy hunting with his C14 he opted instead for a 4" bino telescope and went after open clusters, nebulae, and dark nebulae in Sagittarius,...

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9-4-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Double Star Hunting in the Swan"

As we move into September it is an excellent time to catch the sights of summer that still might be available before the inexorable transition into the Fall Season 17 days from now. With the air cooling a bit it can be an extraordinarily pleasant...

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8-30-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mostly Open Clusters"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Unitron48 (Dave) who decided to focus on open clusters for the evening. Getting out the 127mm scope he nabbed star agglomerations in Sagittarius, Scorpius, Serpens, Ophiuchus, Lyra, Cygnus, and Andromeda.

All...

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8-29-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Galaxies, Doubles, and Asteroids"

Heading out to his dark sky abode in the Anza desert, Bigzmey (Andrey) was able to sweep up an impressive haul of IC and NGC catalog galaxies in Corona Borealis, e.g., the northern crown.

Using his C14 he was able to focus on galaxies at...

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8-28-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two for One"

Here we feature a splendid report from Unitron48 (Dave) who was able to get out with his 127mm refractor. A wide variety of eyepieces were used on a plethora of targets including M6, M7, M39, M15 and more. In the planetary sphere he focused on Jupiter and Saturn, noting...

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8-24-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"22 August 2024....just fracing around"

Here we have a refractor report from Mike Q otherwise a Dob guy. He captured a number of showpieces with his 4" glass including M7 in Scorpius and M57 in Lyra.

He eventually made his way to the moon and enjoyed that as well. Nice...

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8-20-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Serpens Doubles, part 2"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Bigzmey (Andrey). Heading outside at home he made excellent use of his Mak under both high Bortle conditions and also a full moon. Targeting the constellation Serpens he managed to separate a plethora of double...

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8-18-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 14 August 2024 – the Jupiter and Mars conjunction, plus old friends"

Here we have an interesting refractor session from KT4HX using his AR127 scope. Starting off with the conjunction of Jupiter and Mars which actually were pretty close together. Mars was...

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8-16-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 11 into 12 August 2024 – the great battle between the Perseids and clouds!"

Following up on his August 10th session this time KT4HX headed out with his 10x50 binos to see what he could see. Follow along as he describes what he observed. One of the more...

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8-15-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Perseids!"

Taking a break from observing with his Mak and C14, Bigzmey (Andrey) headed to the desert for some meteor fun. While regarding the charred hills, indeed sad, he set up and took a nap until the late evening. Then working over the next several hours he enjoyed the show...

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8-14-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Today's featured report is credited to jrkirkham (Rob) who managed a gathering of some 12 people for campfire time and then starting around midnight, an observing session. The first object after the moon was Albireo with its blue/gold combination which can stun onlookers.

Second was Mizar...

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8-13-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 10 August 2024 – family, meteors and some DSOs"

Superb family outing Alan and it sounds like great fun and an interesting learning experience for Theo and the others. Your choice of objects was excellent and you managed favorites such as M13 and the Double...

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8-12-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"2024-8-10 Report "Ewok & Mesas"

Here we have an excellent report from The Wave Catcher (Steve) who regales us with his views of the sun and moon. In the daytime he caught some unique features on Sol including an "Ewok"-like formation of sunspots.

In the...

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8-11-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Saturday 10 August 2024"

Setting up the gear before sunset Mike Q anticipated a good night with significant clear skies and light winds. The scope in question was his 16" Dob. Heading out after dark he caught M20, M8, M16, M17, M27, M57, M13 and others. Of particular note was...

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8-7-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"IC 1318 around Sadr, NGC6888 Crescent, NGC6188 Hole in a CLuster"

On vacation, here we have a superb report compiled by John Baars. Away from the city lights in a Bortle 4.5 zone, he focused on the area around Sadr and picked up hints and direct views of some fainter nebulae mostly...

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8-6-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two Nights in Aquila"

With conditions rather poor in Anza because of the nearby wildfires, Bigzmey (Andrey) decided to observe from his Bortle 7 skies at home. While this precludes DSO viewing for the most part it can be a good time to observe doubles and multiple star systems.

... Read more...

8-5-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"3 August 2024"

Today's featured report belongs to Mike Q, who is becoming a frequent contributor to the VROD parade. On this eve he and his wife fought intense dew and some tough conditions to conduct a highly productive Messier session.

Nabbing most of the summer...

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8-1-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mid-summer night at the desert"

For the first day of the new month we are fortunate to be able to enjoy a report from Bigzmey (Andrey) covering his experiences in the desert with his C-14. Firstly exploring Ursa Major he bagged numerous island universes in that constellation before...

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7-31-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 31 July 2024 – a quick pre-dawn look about"

Here we are in the last day of July. While the summer showpieces are riding high, if you can stay up late or arise early enough you get the Autumn constellations wheeling by. And it just so happens that KT4HX...

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7-30-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"2024-07-27 Fort Worth Report"

Today's featured report is courtesy of The Wave Catcher (Steve) who spent his session focused on doubles in Bootes, Corona Borealis, and Hercules. With excellent descriptions logging what he saw he continued on and witnessed NGC 6205, otherwise...

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7-29-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"July 27th 2024"

Mike Q's report of yesterday is technically our first reporting entirely of Caldwell objects. Hence it represents another set of objects outside of the Messier list, compiled by Sir Patrick Moore. One of those of course is the Double Cluster. Why it was not included...

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7-27-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Light - Celestron SkyMaster Pro 15x70 mm binoculars"

Today's featured report consists of OzEclipse's (Joe's) first light with a new pair of Celestron binoculars. He gathered a bevy of showpiece objects in the Southern Hemisphere which almost unbelievably for Northern...

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7-24-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Cepheus Doubles"

The celestial king, who happened to be the husband of Cassiopeia and the father of Andromeda, is a constellation which is not known for DSO objects, lying away from the galactic plane and consisting of faintish stars. As we all know, Andromeda was chained to a rock...

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7-22-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"the resplendent sun 21/17/24"

Today's featured report is courtesy of messier 111 (Jean-Yves). Aiming his 80 mm Lunt at the nearest star resulted in a tremendous view of sunspots, white spots, and prominences.

Spending a couple of hours on the session was definitely worthwhile...

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7-20-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Ophiuchus and Serpens Doubles"

Two large constellations loaded with double stars? That's what you get with the two named above, and Bigzmey (Andrey) spent the eve of the eleventh spotting them along with numerous triple star systems.

The crowning jewel was achieving the...

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7-16-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Tweedledee and Tweedledum"

Here we have a skilled observation of two summer open clusters lying close to the star Altair. Not only was the observation skilled, but so were the sketches completed by John Baars.

Congratulations John on a fine report and talented rendering...

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7-15-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lunar Occultation of Spica"

Here we have an outstanding report by the Wave Catcher (Steve) who spent a significant amount of time watching the occultation of the bright star Spica (Alpha Virginis) and its dance with the moon. Furthermore he observed numerous showpiece double stars...

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7-13-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 11 July 2024 – binoculars and sucker holes, and going with the flow"

Today we feature a well-written and comprehensive binocular report from KT4HX (Alan) who certainly pulled a bit of magic out of his hat with a pair of 50mm binos. Visiting the...

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7-12-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Three Nights in Ophiuchus"

While Bigzmey (Andrey) was unable to get out to his dark sky abode he made hay from home, focusing on double and multiple stars systems. Noting separation in arc seconds and also the visible hues of the components, he was able to get the maximum out of...

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7-8-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 02 July 2024 – galaxy hunting here and there"

Another nice evening and another excellent report submitted by KT4HX (Alan). In a different tack, Alan has gone after galaxies in unusual places - the constellations of the Milky Way's dominance. Cygnus,...

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7-7-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Once in every lifetime...or maybe not even"

The impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy with Jupiter was one of those astronomical events that only pros were supposed to be able to follow. Here we had a small comet, completely insignificant when compared with the bulk of Jupiter - prepared...

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7-6-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Light with the Takahashi FOA-60Q"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Caddman (Glenn) who put his new 60mm doublet f/15 refractor through the paces. While intended mostly for planetary and lunar observing he tried some DSO's and found that the 60 mm objective worked...

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7-4-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 01 July 2024 – into the dragon’s lair yet again"

Today we are fortunate to feature an amazing report from KT4HX (Alan) who managed to explore the depths of the galaxy fields in Draco as well as a number of bright summer showpieces. A master of using...

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6-26-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"pleasantly surprised"

Today we are delighted to feature messier 111's (Jean-Yves') solar observing report which he carried out yesterday after a storm. With a crisp clear sky and steady seeing he was able to resolve a variety of prominences visually, a quick reminder that...

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6-25-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Strawberry Moon Night"

What can you do when the moon is nearly full?

There are times when one cannot even observe details on the moon. Fortunately double star systems ride to the rescue being mostly unaffected by either unnatural or natural light pollution. In this case Bigzmey...

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6-24-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 21 June 2020 - galaxies, clouds, and fog"

Today's featured report hails from KT4HX (Alan) and was recorded on a productive night four years ago. Tipping off his game in Virgo, he spent a successful session going after galaxies in that constellation.

... Read more...

6-19-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Saturn Nebula, Saturn itself, and other goodies"

Heading out to his Anza observatory Bigzmey (Andrey) was able to grab some sleep while waiting for the increasingly prominent moon to set. Utilizing his C-14 he was able to observe an array of asteroids many of which are quite faint.

... Read more...

6-18-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 11 June 2020 - looking southward"

Today's featured report comes from KT4HX (Alan) who takes us on a journey southward into Lupus, Libra, Scorpius, and Sagittarius back in 2020. The benefit of these reports is that they can be accomplished again by observers...

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6-17-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"2024-06-14 Fort Worth Report"

Today's featured report is courtesy of the Wave Catcher (Steve). With a great view of the terminator Steve was able to resolve fleeting details on the surface of the moon including noticing a greenish tint atop a lunar mountain sticking up out of...

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6-16-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"15 June 2024"

Here we have a case where perseverance paid off. Mike Q was able to haul out the 16 inch and enjoy some classic DSO's including M57, M13, and several globular clusters in Ophiuchus or the celestial serpent-bearer.

Here 16" of aperture really makes...

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6-12-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Night in the Great Bear"

Another night and another session from bigzmey (Andrey) which really pushes the boundaries of what is possible visually in a constellation with more than 100 galaxies. Little known to non-observers as the larger home of the Big Dipper and little else other...

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6-9-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"7 June 2024"

Mike Q provides a study in perseverance with his recent session on June 7th. Battling intermittent clouds and changeable weather he was able to observe a plethora of objects through his Dob, including many at magnitude 9 and below. Congratulations Mike on a fine session...

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6-8-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"All three DSO challenges of the Month, M102, M5 and NGC6210 - TheSkySearchers"

Kudos are in order for John Baars who took on KT4HX's monthly observing challenge with his 120mm refractor. In spite of the light pollution he was able to enjoy each object. This is no small feat...

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6-7-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 31 May 2024 – in the dragon's head"

Today's featured report comes from KT4HX (Alan) and represents the final eve staying at his second home in the country. With darker skies comes significant opportunity so he took advantage of this by kicking...

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6-6-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Asteroids and Ursa Major Galaxies"

Today we feature a report from bigzmey (Andrey) which is heavy on asteroids and galaxies. Utilizing his new scope and obsy he was able to land a plethora of the former and a nice haul of the latter. Meanwhile he enjoyed the beautiful desert surroundings...

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6-3-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 30 May 2024 - dragging dragon tail"

Today we are fortunate to feature a report by KT4HX (Alan) who after a long day working at his second home was able to set up his 17.5" and still manage a good session. Focusing on the constellation Draco the celestial...

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6-1-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comets, galaxies, and asteriods"

Today's featured report as nominated by his peers is courtesy of bigzmey (Andrey) who was able to have a second light with his new 14" Edge

In addition to Ursa Major galaxies he was able to observe several comets, asteroids, and even...

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5-28-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Celestron Edge HD 14" First Light"

Last week bigzmey (Andrey) told us the story behind his new observatory which even features a microwave, bed and a small fridge. Now he has put the scope inside to good use in both galaxy and double star observing.

As he points out,...

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5-27-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Just a simple evening from twilight till midnight"

Today's featured report comes from John Baars who regales all of us with his observations and sketching. For example, he describes the views of Arcturus, Epsilon Lyrae, Vega, globular clusters M13, M92 and NGC6229, and the planetary...

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5-21-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 06 May 2011 - a blast from the ancient past!"

Today we go back to yesteryear for KT4HX's report from May 6, 2011. Taking his ST120 down south for a location where both Northern and Southern constellations such as Centaurus were visible, he spent a great...

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5-12-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"10 May 2024"

Today's featured VROD goes to Mike Q for his sessions on the 10th and 11th. First of all he completed a series of great photos for the amazing evening of the Aurora Borealis and the accompanying observations. Second of all, the evening of the 11th was an impressive...

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5-8-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Anza 2024 season opener with Ursa Major galaxies"

Today's featured report belongs to bigzmey (Andrey) who managed to view 16 galaxies in Ursa Major in his first Anza outing in some time, thanks to California's cloudy and rainy weather this season. The descriptions of the...

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5-6-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"M3, M53 DSO's of the month, and M102. Sketches and report."

Today's featured report is courtesy of John Baars who observed and sketched the globulars M3, M53, and the galaxy M102. Of particular interest is the comparison between the sketches of M3 in his 120mm scope vs....

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5-3-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing and Photographing Comet Pons Brookes"

Here we have a very interesting report from OzEclipse (Joe) who focused on Comet Pons Brookes using two different pairs of binoculars. As he points out, the image was similar in both pairs despite differences in aperture because of...

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5-2-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Virgo Doubles, part 3 and TV Delos 17.3 mm first light"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Bigzmey (Andrey) who was able to break in a new eyepiece and also complete an astounding number of double and multiple star system observations in Virgo, several of which were extremely...

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4-29-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"27 April 2024"

Recognizing that we are all cloud-bound at the moment Mike Q was able to get out and view M44 the Praesape Cluster and Messier 81, Bode's Nebula - the galaxy in Ursa Major. Short sessions are better than no sessions even as Mike admits he is not a "short...

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4-17-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Virgo Doubles, Part 2"

In today's featured report Bigzmey (Andrey) continues where he recently left off with a session viewing more doubles and multiples in Virgo. Among the stars he captured were Vindemiatrix and Porrima, two well known stars which themselves are primaries...

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4-14-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"13 April 2024 - A night with galaxies and my 14mm 80 LHD"

Today's featured report belongs to Mike Q, who takes us along on his celestial adventure describing galaxies, globulars, and open clusters that dot the Spring skies. Equipment used was his 16" Orion scope and a variety...

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4-11-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Spring Session"

Bigzmey (Andrey) shares his first session in more than 3 months in his oustanding report on double and multiple star viewing in Virgo - tough to see very many galaxies under Bortle 7 skies but he made lemonade out of lemons.

Follow along with his descriptions...

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4-11-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Spring Session"

Bigzmey (Andrey) shares his first session in more than 3 months in his oustanding report on double and multiple star viewing in Virgo - tough to see very many galaxies under Bortle 7 skies but he made lemonade out of lemons.

Follow along with his descriptions...

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4-9-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"6 April 2024"

Today's featured report comes from Mike Q.

In this session, he compares views between his 102mm scope and his Orion 16" Dob. NGC 2362 was one of his targets, a cluster of a couple of dozen stars. In the 4" the center was hazy. In the 16"...

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4-3-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Goodbye Winter, Welcome Spring"

Today's featured report from John Baars is includes a delightful description of his observation of Messier 94 in Canes Venatici and also a wonderful sketch of the galaxy as seen through his 4" f/5 scope.

He also captured Cor Caroli...

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4-1-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"30 March 2024"

Today's featured report comes from Mike Q.

Hauling out his 10" Dob he scored 19 objects in an hour and a half. Among the winners were the Double Cluster and the Rosette Nebula, which as it rarely does, showed some nebulosity without a filter. He also...

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3-28-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lunar Obs (from 24 Oct 2023)"

In today's featured report we reach back to 2023 for an account of lunar observing by Scribbly (Phil). He observed the following objects/detailed features on the moon:

Rupus Recta – Straight Wall

Alphonsis Crater
...


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3-25-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"our good old sun."

Today we feature a solar observation report by Messier 111 (Jean-Yves) who once again put his 80mm solar scope to good use, observing spots and prominences and the penumbra as well as the surface of the sun in great detail. Congratulation Jean-Yves on winning...

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3-24-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"23 March 2024 disaster"

In today's featured report, MikeQ was able to spend some time with Orion the Hunter. Aiming his scope at the center of the M42 Nebula he was able to discern 8 of the stars in the Trapezium, which is quite an accomplishment for those of us who can only...

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3-18-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Long Weekend observing (Phil's supplementary report)"

Today's featured report dovetails with OzEclipse's (Joe) on a recent weekend set of evenings. Scribbly (Phil) and Joe were able to observe through three scopes, including Phil's 10" Newtonian.

Phil...

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3-17-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 11 March 2024 - ruffling the lion's mane"

Leo offers one of the great hunting ground for galaxies and KT4HX (Alan) was not to be denied in his quest to observe the many faint denizens of the night within its large and varied hunting grounds.

Starting...

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3-16-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Long Weekend of Deep Sky Observing"

Today we feature an excellent report from OzEclipse (Joe) who spent a whole weekend under mostly clear skies with both his 18" scope, 6" scope, and a 10" reflector. What he observed, with Scribbly (Phil) also present was a wonderful...

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3-14-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Helios seen through the mt 80 lunt"

Today's featured report comes from messier 111 (Jean-Yves). After traveling 400 km to pick up his scope, messier 111 trained it upon our solar neighbor. Noting the increased resolution of the aperture compared to a 60mm, he saw amazing prominences...

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3-6-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Some challenges like M67, NGC 2419 and NGC 2903"

In today's featured report John Baars was limited to his 102mm f/5 scope in perusing some challenge objects. While M67 was hardly impressive, John was able to barely glimpse NGC 2903 in the head of Leo and sketch it. His sketch...

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3-1-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Centaurus A NGC 5128"

The giant elliptical galaxy Centaurus A is one of the most magnificent objects in the Southern Hemisphere Skies. Otherwise known as NGC 5128 here we have a skilled sketch of the galaxy as it appeared at the eyepiece a couple of years back in the capable hands...

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2-25-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Betelgeuse Project"

Today's VROD goes to OzEclipse (Joe) who had the ingenious idea of studying the brightness of Betelgeuse compared to a variety of other stars of known fixed magnitude. Using both naked eye and photometric techniques he found that the red giant is not...

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2-20-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

18 Feb Report

Today's featured report comes courtesy of MikeQ who spent an evening with our moon. Fortunately he was really able to ratchet up the power to 555x on our lunar cousin and enjoyed some good views at various levels of magnifications. Certainly worth remembering as the days...

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2-10-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 04 February 2024 - the twins, a crab and even a monkey's head!"

Today we highlight an exceptional report by KT4HX (Alan) who goes after a bevy of constellations in pursuit of galaxies, open clusters, and nebulae. The constellations included Gemini, Orion...

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2-8-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 03 February 2024 - a little deep sky foraging"

Today's featured report consists of a celestial sojourn through Eridanus, Orion, and Cancer - all in the attempt to observe more galaxies by KT4HX (Alan) from his dark sky home. He was quite successful which...

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2-5-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observation Report-Orion and Sirius to Cancer"

Today's featured report is that of Caddman (Glenn) who was able to take a pair of 15x70 binos and scan the skies. Touring the nebulae and open clusters of the season he took in some excellent views including the Beehive Cluster...

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2-4-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Squeezed in a quick session- Comet Kushida ++"

Today's featured report is from OzEclipse (Joe) who spent a session comet hunting near the Hyades star cluster. Before too long he found what he was looking for - Comet Kushida, as a faint and diaphonous haze of light. This is not...

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1-30-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Galilean Goings on 29 JAN 24"

Today's featured report from Naked Gun focuses on the Jovian moons. As a system unto their own, these denizens orbiting Jupiter can put on a show, emerging from darkness into the light and vice versa as they make their way around Jupiter.

The...

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1-27-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Little Pup Sirius B again."

Today we feature a wonderful account of the observation of Sirius B by John Baars and a group of amateur astronomers on a rooftop observatory in the Netherlands. Using a 130 mm scope, most were able to see it, seven observers in fact - quite an accomplishment....

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1-14-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 11 January 2024 - seeing double for a bit"

Hauling out his 12" f/5 Dob to the backyard at home, KT4HX offers up a fine report on double star observing as well as some probing the depths of the bright emission nebulae and associated clusters in the constellation...

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1-10-2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First session of 2024"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Bigzmey (Andrey) who was able to take out both his 102mm refractor and 182mm Mak. He tried out some new eyepieces in his binoviewer and these provided some excellent views of Jupiter and Saturn. He also checked out...

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1/6/2024 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A short session, first light for a new mount"

Well, recently I purchased the Celestron Heavy Duty Alt-Azimuth mount from B&H in NYC. Designed for binoculars and small telescopes about the biggest scope it can hold is in the 12 pound range. Mine with eyepiece, an f/9.8 XLT Achromat,...

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12-31-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Last Session...2023"

Today's featured report here on the last day of the calendar year before we reach 2024 belongs to Unitron48 (Dave) who was able to get his 127mm refractor out for a spin.

Delving into some Winter (and even Summer) showpieces he caught the Pleiades,...

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12-22-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Pac Man Moon & A Serpent"

Today we feature a nice lunar and planetary report from The Wave Catcher (Steve) using his 80mm refractor, First of all, he was able to observe the crater Theophilus and Mt. Argaeus near the terminator, followed up by Dorsa Smirnov, a ridge. Even better...

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12-21-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

This morning's featured report for the Solstice is one submitted by KT4HX (Alan). With it he takes a deep dive into the environs of Cetus and Perseus hunting for galaxies with his 17.5" Dob. While visiting many for the second or third time around such as the very impressive and bright object...

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12-20-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Short but...Nope, just short.

On the night of 12/16/2023 Bigzmey (Andrey) hauled out his 182mm Maksutov for some doubles observing. As he remarked, he is winding down observations in the Struve Catalog of double star systems which functions as an organizing principle similar to the NGC (New...

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12-18-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 12 December 2023 - swimming with a sea monster"

With a 3.5 hour trip to his dark sky respite KT4HX (Alan) planned an evening given the expectation of good weather conditions. After a year of smoke, fires, and general cloudiness it was gratifying for him to get...

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12-17-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Dec. 9th Report"

In today's report we are featuring, Mike Q recounts his experience observing first Jupiter then the mysterious and often invisible Horsehead Nebula. Any time one can make it out visually it is a noteworthy accomplishment, since it is such a difficult and almost...

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12-16-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Geminids 2023 - Oh what a night! Sweet December back in twenty three"

Today we feature a fine report from OzEclipse (Joe) who got together with Scribbly (Phil) on a fine night down under. Starting out with Jupiter, they tested out Phil's new 10" f/5 scope on a variety of...

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12-15-2023 TSS Visual report of the Day.

"The Geminids...Oh Boy!"

Today's featured report from Unitron48 (Dave) takes us down the meteor trail to the constellation Gemini. Dave and four of his friends perched at the Morning Calm Observatory (MCO) sat up all night and into the early morning to watch a most impressive...

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12-14-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Winter Session"

Today's highlighted report comes courtesy of Bigzmey (Andrey) who was able to head out to the backyard using his Mak to catch some great views of Jupiter, Saturn, asteroids, and double stars. He made an early observation of Jupiter, noting the appearance...

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12-7-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Uranus, Jupiter, Pleiades comparison"

Today we happily feature John Baars' excellent report on observing Uranus, Jupiter, and the Pleiades cluster all through 102mm refractors. First of all, he observed and rendered Uranus, which as noted, didn't seem very disk like even...

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12-6-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 26 November 2010 - An evening with a fair lady"

Back in 2010, KT4HX (Alan) created this entry to document his celestial wanderings in Cassiopeia. He managed to see the Messier clusters therein such as M103 and M52 and also a panoply of NGC objects headed up...

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11-21-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Collinder 463"

Today we highlight a wonderful sketch of Collinder 463, a cluster on the Cassiopeia/Perseus border by John Baars. John actually did his work as part of KT4HX's monthly DSO challenge. Be sure to check it out as it wins the VROD for the day both for the observation...

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11-20-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Leonids with Friends"

Today's featured report is courtesy of unitron48 (Dave). Heading out, Dave met up with the Culpeper group and enjoyed the company of friends while they watched the Leonid meteor shower. They also were able to do some observing with the club's 20"...

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11-18-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 16 November 2023 - Smoke gets in your eyes"

Today's featured report by KT4HX (Alan) covers the constellations of Pegasus, Pisces, and Aries - amongst the finest hunting grounds for galaxies in the heavens. Utilizing his 17.5" Dobsonian he was able to...

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11-16-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A comet, a transit, and a few doubles"

Turning in another nice observing session this time Bigzmey (Andrey) had a look at Cetus and Aquarius double stars, a moon transiting Saturn, and the new comet in Aquila. As usual the descriptions and narrative are first rate. Congratulations...

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11-11-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Tme Change Session"

Observing from home for a change bigzmey scouted out the constellation of Pisces and looked for double stars in the region. He was fortunate to come up with a long list of successful views. Observing from Bortle 7, Pisces barely shows up to the naked eye, so...

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11-9-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Venus Occultation"

Today's featured report is from Graeme1858 (Graeme). Noticing some clearing in the mostly cloudy skies and having heard about an occultation of Venus by the moon, he grabbed his 11x70 binos and watched the pinpoint light of the planet go behind the thin crescent...

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11-7-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Stock 2"

Today's featured report is a fine account of the cluster Stock 2, which is not very well-known as an object but a worthy target for observation and sketching. Here we also have a nice description of the cluster as well as a superb sketch by John Baars who skillfully...

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10-28-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Morning session at Anza with Space X Falcon 9 launch"

Today's featured report is from bigzmey (Andrey) who used his dark sky time at Anza viewing asteroids and galaxies with his 9.25" Edge SCT. He also managed to catch a Space X launch and had a surprisingly good view of...

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10-24-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 19 October 2023 - a relaxing pre-dawn look around"

Today's featured report courtesy once more of KT4HX involves an early morning session in Orion and nearby constellations including Canis Major, Gemini, and Cancer using a Zhumell Z10, Alan's smaller...

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10-23-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"SBAU campout"

Today's featured report is courtesy of SkyHiker (Henk) who was able to spend a couple of days at his club's campout in the Cachuma Lake area of California. Bringing his scope he was able to enjoy some excellent views of Jupiter and Saturn even using binoviewers...

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10-22-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 18 October 2023 - a simple galaxy hunt"

KT4HX (Alan) was able to make a trip to his dark sky home in the highlands of western Virginia. After spending the day doing a bunch of necessary chores at the house he had the energy and perseverance to take advantage...

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10-21-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Pisces and Cetus Galaxies"

As an adjunct to his observing report about the annular solar eclipse bigzmey (Andrey) also has filed a report about his galactic sojourns on the same trip to Anza. Focusing on Pisces and Cetus, both faintish constellations that are hard to see at home...

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10-19-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Partial Eclipse at Anza"

Today's featured report touches on last weekend's partial annular eclipse which was visible from most parts of North America to varying degrees. Bigzmey (Andrey) here describes his set up and what he saw. Using both filters and a projection screen...

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10-15-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report: Solar Eclipse 10/14/2023" and "My Experience of the Solar Eclipse"

Today's featured report is actually two, the entries of both StarBru (Bruce) and Shelby, both of whom observed and photographed the solar eclipse that occurred yesterday. StarBru used...

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10-12-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Fall Galaxies"

Today we are fortunate to be able to highlight a lengthy and thorough report from bigzmey (Andrey) mostly covering galactic observations through his 9.25" Edge from the dark skies of Anza in Southern California.

Starting with the Great Square of Pegasus,...

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10-9-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Oct. 9th, 2023 Shorty"

Today's featured report goes to pakarinen (Olen) who was able to get out early this morning for some special views of star clusters including NGC 1647, NGC 1746 and a couple of double stars, HD 30170 and Tau Tauri.

Before the clouds rolled in he...

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10-5-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 03 October 2023 - short but sweet"

KT4HX (Alan) recently completed a trip to Indiana for a wedding and on the way home stopped at his dark sky respite. Fortunately Alan took some eyepieces and other gadgets with him and was able, post surgery, to take out his...

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10-3-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for September 29/30"

Today's featured report is courtesy of jrkirkham (Rob) who made excellent use of his C11 to track down double stars and even some interesting multiple star systems. Using power up to 565x he located some faint companions and was able to...

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9-30-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comets, Asteroids, and Fornax galaxies"

Today's featured report from bigzmey (Andrey) covers two comets, one in Auriga and one in Fornax, a selection of 'roids, the planet Jupiter and then a whole series of galaxies in the somewhat obscure constellation of Fornax.

Well...

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9-27-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day

"Second Light for EQ6-R Pro Mount"

Today's featured report comes from StarBru (Bruce) who tested out his new mount for the 2nd time with his 127mm scope. Aligning Arcturus and the star Kaus Australis in a two step fashion he correlated his goto system. Typing in the value for...

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9-24-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 19 September 2023 - now that felt good!"

Today's featured report by KT4HX (Alan) represents a triumphant return to DSO observing in earnest with a good-sized aperture scope. Focusing first on Saturn and catching the Cassini division and then numerous satellites...

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9-22-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Fine Night at Anza and my 3000th DSO"

Getting a chance to head back to Anza for an evening of moon-free observing, bigzmey (Andrey) set up and spent a couple of hours observing galaxies in Aquila, Pegasus, and Andromeda. As Andrey notes, Aquila, the summer eagle constellation is...

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9-20-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Galaxy night at the desert"

Once again visiting his favorite dark sky spot at Anza, bigzmey (Andrey) went after an impressive list of galactic targets in Capricornus, Pegasus, and the Piscis Austrinus (The Southern Fish). As you can see by reading his report, he nailed down observations...

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9-19-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Gate Crashing the OAS Deep Sky Camp"

Today's featured report is an omnibus one about a dark sky camping experience enjoyed by Graeme1858 (Graeme). Just getting out under the stars without the hassle of light pollution at home can be its own reward. Graeme was able to capture...

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9-18-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"observation report Cancun Sep 23"


On vacation in Cancun, Messier 111 (Jean-Yves) enjoyed an almost mythical morning with binoculars staring at the sights of Orion, including the Running Man and M42. With the naked eye he beheld Jupiter and and the Pleiades seemingly rising...

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9-17-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 15 September 2023 - back at it in a small way"

Today we feature a delightful report by KT4HX (Alan) using an ED 80 scope on a Twilight I mount. Gathering up a collection of 5 eyepieces he headed outside for an evening under the stars.

Beginning with Jupiter...

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9-16-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Visual Report for September 12/13"

One of the things that can be very helpful for a successful evening (or morning) session is the ability or inclination to persevere until the conditions warrant it. In this case jrkirkham (Rob) was prepared for a nice evening session when a cold...

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9-15-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Late Summer Night"

Getting back to dark skies at Anza in SoCal, bigzmey was able to hunt down a couple of asteroids while also probing the depths of Aquarius and Capricornus for galaxies and in the latter, double stars. After a successful evening which entailed grappling with a...

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9-14-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"σ Ori and friends 9.13.2023"

Today's featured report courtesy of pakarinen (Olen) centers on double star observations in Orion. Using his ST102 refractor Olen was able to get up before dawn for some early morning observing. And as he remarks:

"Sigma Ori...

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9-11-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Summer-ring M57"

One of the best views of the summer is the legendary planetary nebula M57. For many amateurs stepping out on their first night with a scope during the warm summer months, it is the first DSO they ever see. John Baars was one of these individuals who observed it...

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9-8-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Cassiopeia Doubles"

Double stars are an interesting category of object(s) since they can be observed successfully under light polluted conditions. This means for backyard astronomers that they can mostly be observed from home without having to fuss with packing, driving, and sometimes...

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9-5-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Double Header in the Light of the Moon"

Taking advantage of clear skies even thought the moon was a bit prominent, unitron48 (Dave) and friends were able to get out using his friend's new observatory mounted 12" scope and Dave's 127mm Stellarvue.

With a nice...

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8-30-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Morning galaxies and asteroids"

In the wake of hurricane Hillary, which went through bigzmey's (Andrey's) deep sky retreat as it beat a path across Southern California, there was an opportunity for stargazing.

So he managed to get out and observe galaxies in Cetus,...

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8-28-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"first sunspsot sketch, August 27, 2023"

We don't see solar sketches that often and here we are with two straight days of drawings that really knock your socks off. First off, note the superior observing which allowed the artist, Messier111 (Jean-Yves) to dutifully and carefully...

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8-26-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspots on August 26 2023"

Today's featured report represents a tremendous observing session and sketch of Sol. Using his 102 mm f/5 refractor, John Baars was able to capture significant detail on our nearest star and capably render it in a sketch. Congratulations John on the...

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8-24-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 04 August 2013 - what I was doing 10 years ago"

Today's featured report is courtesy of KT4HX (Alan) who has submitted a celestial jaunt in Lyra, Capricornus, Aquarius, Aquila, Andromeda, and Pisces carried out over ten years ago as part of his quest for...

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8-23-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Finally Another Saturn Sketch"

Today's VROD goes to John Baars for his fabulous Saturn rendering done with his 102mm f/5 grab-n-go refractor. To make a sketch of such high quality takes a careful observational eye and also the ability to capture the data with one's hand...

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8-17-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Meteor Radio Scatter"

Undaunted by heat and difficulties in catching the Perseids visually, the Wave Catcher (Steve) and his wife retreated indoors but managed to capture the radiowave pings of individual meteors using the audio software tool audacity to catch the sounds and record...

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8-16-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Clouds, Perseids, and Saturn, a short report"

On a recent evening John Baars and his youngest son were able to secure a place at an observatory in town in order to watch the Perseids. Clouds prevailed until nearly 1am when the skies cleared. They both watched and took a few photos...

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8-16-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Clouds, Perseids, and Saturn, a short report"

On a recent evening John Baars and his youngest son were able to secure a place at an observatory in town in order to watch the Perseids. Clouds prevailed until nearly 1am when the skies cleared. They both watched and took a few photos...

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8-15-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Perseids at the Desert"

With the Perseids in full bloom, Bigzmey (Andrey) went to his Anza dark sky site, recently almost engulfed in one of the recent California firestorms, with just a pair of eyeballs. Gazing out under the stars he was able to count 30 in the space of a few hours....

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8-14-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Ohio 12 August 2023"

Enjoying a blast of clear cold air which finally blew the smoke away, Mike Q was able to get in a clear night of observing with his 10" Dob. Focusing first on globular clusters and then on nebulae, he gathered in most of the celestial showpieces of the...

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8-13-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Perseids and Planets"

Today's featured report belongs to Unitron48 (Dave) who got together with some friends for a night and morning under the stars with August's attraction, the Perseid meteor shower. In the time they were observing they counted 101 meteors including several...

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8-9-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Ophiuchus Doubles"

Today's featured report is bigzmey's (Andrey's) recent session in the celestial serpent-bearer also known as Ophiuchus. First of all, he was unable to use his normal dark sky spot at Anza due to fires in close proximity. So therefore his eve was at...

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8-5-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Little pre-dawn moon-moon"

With the moon somewhat prominent right now but not full, that creates an opportunity for lunar observing and seeing details near the terminator as a result of the interplay between light and shadow. Follow along as pakarinen (Olen) uses his 102mm refractor...

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8-1-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 25 July 2023 - a second night with family"

Under not the best of conditions KT4HX (Alan) was able to haul out his 17.5" scope, in contrast to his 10" scope on the previous evening, and visit most of the same targets. This enabled two things, a comparison...

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7-29-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I am Back to Hunting Doubles"

Today's featured report is courtesy of jrkirkham (Rob) who after some time with relatives and heading off to the U.S. Virgin Islands he returned in time to face the heat of summer and also, some double star observing opportunities.

Using...

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7-28-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 24 July 2023 - a bit of family outreach"

Today's featured report presents KT4K (Alan) and family, specifically his daughter and her husband viewing some of the summer showpieces. He started with the moon and moved on to M57 in Lyra and M13 in Hercules, as...

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7-26-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"An evening in Sagittarius"

Today's featured report represents a romp in the constellation Sagittarius by bigzmey (Andrey). On this occasion at Anza he was able to utilize two scopes - a Celestron 150 Achro and the 9.25" Edge SCT he owns.

Offering a wide variety of...

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7-20-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Bootes and Pegasus Galaxies"

We have already reached the 20th of this month, seemingly summer is half over. Taking advantage of a break in the desert monsoon weather, which appears to have arrived early this year, bigzmey (Andrey) headed out to Anza for a galactic session.

Focusing...

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7-19-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Oph & Sgr GCs - obs list courtesy of Alan @ kt4hx"

With a modicum of effort and good skies, especially in the right direction, Scribbly (Phil) was able to track down a plethora of globular clusters in Sagittarius and Ophiuchus, two of the constellations where we are looking...

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7-18-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Traditional enjoying from holiday address"

Whilst on Holiday, John Baars was able to observe a full evening of activities from a Bortle 4/5 zone in Zeeland. Appreciating the dark skies, he used his 102mm f/5 scope to great effect on objects ranging from the Double Cluster to M57...

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7-15-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report - July 12 2023"

The vagaries of star hopping are pretty much well-known to observers, both less experienced ones and sometimes the "old pros." In this featured report of the day 10538 (Ed) describes everything that challenged him on the night of the 12th...

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7-14-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Three-some"

Today's VROD winner is a report from unitron48 (Dave) that recounts three straight nights of successful observing with a big Dob and also several refractors ranging in aperture from 80mm to 127mm. It's rare that one can get two nights in a row of time under...

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7-13-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report - 09/10 July 2016 - globulars from seven years ago"

Today we are fortunate to feature a report going back to the days of AF.net, the globular cluster searches by KT4HX (Alan) of the constellations Sagittarius, Ophiuchus, and Serpens using his Apertura AD12.

... Read more...

7-11-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"An asteroid, a comet, a supernova, and other goodies"

Observing from his dark sky spot in Anza in SoCal bigzmey (Andrey) was able to view a wide variety of objects in his most recent session. Among them he observed a comet in Ursa Minor, and moving on the supernova in M101 in spite...

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7-10-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Giving it a Go"

Today's featured report goes to first time VROD winner MikeQ (Mike) who gives a nice introduction to his scopes, a 10" and 16" Dob and then describes the views of many summer objects including the Ring Nebula, M13, and the Eagle Nebula as well as M81....

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7-9-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspots on 8/7/23"

If we had a sketch of the day mariosi (Marios) would win hands down every time for his detailed solar sketches. As it is, one still needs to observe what one is sketching hence Marios is the winner of the VROD for the day for July 9th!

LINK...

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7-8-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Fourth of July Doubles"

Returning to Anza on the 4th and partaking of celestial fireworks rather than a holiday show, bigzmey (Andrey) set up both his Edge 9.25" and Stellarvue 102mm refractor with the aim of double star observing.

Focusing on the faint constellation...

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7-5-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for July 2 (you guessed it: more doubles)"

When confronted with uncooperative conditions having an observatory can make even sour sessions pleasant and productive. In this case jrkirkham (Rob) had a glowering moon, cloudiness and humidity, plus dew and transparency...

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7-3-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Cygnus Doubles"

Heading out to Anza once again this time bigzmey (Andrey) confronted a Bortle 7.0 sky due to the presence of the nearly full moon. While not a great time to track down faint DSO's - planets and double stars are not impacted by light pollution.

Using an...

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6-30-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Asteroids and Draco galaxies"

For the last day of June we honor a superb report from Bigzmey (Andrey) on an Anza dark sky session consisting of both a successful haul of asteroids, including some very small and faint examples, all of which though might be considered planet wreckers...

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6-29-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Double Observing Report for June 26/27"

Opening up his Observatory housing his C-11 after 11:30 the other night, jrkirkham (Rob) was able to track down an extensive set of double stars using a wide array of powers. Also, not just the well-known pairs like Epsilon Lyrae or Albireo,...

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6-28-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Today's featured report concerns an outreach session held by Astrobee (Greg) in the mountains near Las Vegas with a girls' summer camp. Finding out from a friend that they were holding a star party he jumped at the chance to get out of the hot valley and enjoy some cooler temperatures, in...

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6-21-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Galaxies in Canes Venatici"

For this first day of summer, we have a great description of galaxies visible from Bigzmey's (Andrey's) dark site at Anza in the Southern California desert. Using some high power eyepieces he managed to zero in on numerous faint subjects invisible...

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6-19-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two Friends and Two Scopes - side by side"

Our featured report this day is courtesy of Scribbly (Phil) who was able to get out with a friend and compare views between a reflector and refractor, the latter being a TSA 120 and a new acquisition, the other scope being a Dall/Kirkham...

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6-15-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Just looked at M3 at the Zenith"

Today we bring back a report from 2019, which given the right conditions, can be replicated right now. The target was M3 in Coma Berenices, one of the fine globular clusters to view this time of the year. AntennaGuy described his efforts of tracking...

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6-6-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Another Week another Five Binaries"

On a recent night out jrkirkham (Rob) was able to track down and observe five binary systems, ramping up the power, in one case, to over 500x. He was able to split most of them using his observatory housed C11.

As a way of memorializing...

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6-5-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Kuma, Alrakis, 16 & 17 Draconis, some nice double stars"

Today we feature a double star report by John Baars, who, braving the light polluted skies, has managed to zero in on objects using his phone even though Polaris was not visible. Splitting the doubles above and also Epsilon...

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6-3-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Light TSA120 - Moon and NGC 4755"

Today's featured report by Scribbly (Phil) is both a description of two amazing views of familiar objects - the moon and the jewel box cluster and also a first light report with his new TAK TSA120 refractor.

Aiming at the moon no...

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5-28-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observations May 25 - 26"

Todays award winner belongs to John Donne (Mark) who completed a session with observations of 26 objects including members of the Virgo Cluster, some Leo galaxies, the Sombrero, the Whirlpool, M3 and summer objects including M13 and M57. With some excellent...

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5-26-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I Got Stood Up!"

Today's featured report has a very happy ending. Recently, Rob (jrkirkham) had a request from a woman he met at a funeral to observe through his scope. As it turns out, an evening was selected on the calendar but when the day came, the woman was nowhere to be...

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5-24-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 21 May 2023 - Smoke gets in your Eyes"

With a delightful session in Virgo and Coma Berenices picking up galaxies and as far afield as Hercules, in fact, Alan (KT4HX) has swooped up a plethora of the faint denizens with his 17.5" scope. To top it off he...

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5-22-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Date with Venus"

Today's featured report comes courtesy of John Donne (Mark) who enjoyed a date with Venus, getting some time at the eyepiece with his 80mm scope observing the Sombrero Galaxy in Virgo (just across the border with Corvus). Following that he observed and photographed...

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5-20-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Solar Eclipse...Observing "Report?"

With a wonderful experience observing a solar eclipse, and collectively - 15 eclipses - OzEclipse (Joe) was so moved by his observation(s) that he decided to write a poem about these events and how they had moved his soul. Therefore, we get...

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5-18-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Cancer and Leo Minor Galaxies"

Today in the late afternoon we feature an excellent report by bigzmey (Andrey) probing the abovementioned constellations for galactic targets. Starting with Cancer and then proceeding into Leo Minor he completed an excellent haul. In fact, he was able...

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5-13-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspots May 13th"

Today's featured report is primarily solar sketches by Baurice (Philip). He has done a fine job in catching and sketching sunspots which speckle the surface of Sol. Congratulations Philip on attaining the VROD for the day and on posting the info on your blog.

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5-12-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Short Grab-n-Go"

Facing a break in the clouds, bigzmey (Andrey) headed out with his 102 mm ED Stellarvue refractor to check out some double stars from home. Objects in this category can be relied upon to remain visible, like the planets, under the cloak of light pollution. Anyway,...

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5-11-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I found a few more doubles on 5/08, 2023"

Today's featured report is from jrkirkham (Rob) who was able to get out the night of the eighth of May and caught a selection of double stars including those in Scorpius, Corona Borealis, Draco, and Hercules. Operating with a large aperture...

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5-10-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 16 April 2020 - a look back at my best galaxy run ever"

Today we are happy to feature a superb report from KT4HX (Alan) who mostly spent time in Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair) and Draco observing galaxies. Over the course of several hours he was able to...

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5-5-2023 TSS Visual Award of the Day.

"Galaxies and Asteroids"

In order to minimalize the moontime on his recent visit to Anza, bigzmey (Andrey) hit the sleeping bag after sunset and arose at 1 am. Behelding a beautiful sky he started his first course of objects - primarily asteroids. He observed around 20 and even was...

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5-4-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 05/01/2023"

Today's featured report concerns double star observing in Corona Borealis, Scorpius, and Hercules by jrkirkham (Rob) who had to brave high winds before his session started back on May 1st. Using a friend's 102mm f/9.8 Celestron refractor...

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4-30-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.


"Astronomy Day Observing"

VRODs aren't just for night time observing as several folks have won awards for their observations and sketching of Old Sol. In this case, unitron48 (Dave) relates a day of outreach and solar observing on Astronomy Day. Getting nine individuals...

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4-26-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Anza !!"

Taking aim at galaxies and open clusters in Crater, Lynx, Virgo, Cani Major, and Sextans represents a remarkable night by bigzmey (Andrey) from the Bortle 4 skies of the Anza Desert. Being unable to observe from there for roughly six months due to the inclement weather...

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4-25-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 19 April 2023 - return to the Virgo Galaxy Cluster"

On this eve KT4HX (Alan) enjoying slightly better observing conditions than the previous night, put in a highly productive session characterized by the viewing of more than 50 galaxies, most of which consisted...

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4-22-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 18 April 2023 - Playing in the Virgo Galaxy Cluster"

Returning to an evening of very intensive observing, today we feature KT4HX's (Alan's) report on the Virgo Cluster. In both Coma Berenices and Virgo he was able to pull in dozens of galaxies over the...

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4-20-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Melotte 111 in Coma Berenice"

Berenice's Hair is an interesting conglomeration of stars and is itself almost an asterism. Named after Berenike, wife of King Ptolemy of Egypt it is a small constellation known for galaxies, mostly, a double star or two and an open cluster, Melotte...

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4-16-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Binocular Scan April 14th"

The other night Baurice (Philip) noticed that the sky was clearing and that a binocular session would be in order given the conditions. Grabbing his 17x70 binos he initially focused on double stars such as Epsilon Lyrae and Albireo plus Mizar and Alcor....

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4-15-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report/Lab 04/13/2023"

Continuing a run of great reports, jrkirkham (Rob) hosted an observing event for over 35 middle schoolers and parents using three pairs of different sized binoculars, two Dobsonians, and his observatory's C11. Organizing each observing pod into...

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4-14-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"M44 and some doubles"

Enjoying clear skies John Baars was able to get out and do some observing and sketching. The primary target was M44 the Beehive or Praesape Cluster. Using a variety of different apertures he was able to get distinct impressions of the cluster as one moved from...

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4-13-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Finally!"

Well, Bigzmey (Andrey) was finally able to log a session after literally months of mostly inclement weather. Observing from home (Bortle 6) he decided to go after asteroids and double stars in Virgo. After nailing down the pieces of rock and metal he switched to doubles...

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4-12-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Target: Ten Galaxy Groups"

Today's featured report courtesy of unitron48 (Dave) provides an amazing cosmic voyage to some distant galactic groups using his club's 20" Obsession Dob. Follow along as he reports on the session which is quite an accomplishment.

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4-3-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"finally helios at last"

Today we feature an excellent solar observing session by Messier111 (Jean-Yves) who was able to take advantage of a rare clear day to see sunspots and even granularity on the surface of the sun, He also viewed the penumbra and a "bridge of light"...

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3-31-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mars Near M35"

Today's featured report takes us into some double star observing as well as a magnificent sketch of the close approach of Mars to the open lcuster M35 - by John Baars using his 102 mm f/5 scope. With the departure of Orion from the scene he observed Algieba in...

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3-20-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Repot for Tuesday March 28, 2023"

Today's featured report comes courtesy of jrkirham (Rob). Enjoying the rare opportunity to view five planets in one evening Rob fired up his observatory-placed C11 and had a guest observer, his niece. Over the course of several hours...

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3-21-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspots March 14th"

Once again we feature a topic started by Baurice (Philip) which consists of a nice observation and sketch of the sun, including two prominent sunspots. While we all fight bad weather, the sun once in awhile (at least) is shining and allows an opportunity to...

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3-16-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"NIght Vision Astronomy!"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Unitron48 (Dave) who managed a great session at the observatory with outreach guests including a couple of youngsters and a few more experienced folks. Noteworthy is the fact that the 30" Obsession at the observatory...

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3-12-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Astrofeast - Summer 2023"

What could be better than entertaining and dining with friends, weathering a storm, and getting a few nights of observing in looking at some of the showpieces of the Southern hemisphere with a variety of instruments? OzEclipse (Joe) just has had such an...

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3-9-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspots"

Today we feature a sketch of the sun as composed by Baurice (Phlip) using binoculars and a solar filter. As you can see he captured a few of the spots which tend to migrate around the surface of the sun. Congratulations Baurice on winning the TSS VROD for the day!

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3-3-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.


There is the Pup Again!"

Testing to see whether one can catch the tiny speck of Sirius B from the bright glare of Sirius A is one of the key optical challenges of the winter sky for many observers. With his new scope, John Baars was up for the challenge and caught the Pup, which...

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3-2-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 28 February 2023 - galaxy hunting in a moonlit sky?"

Today's featured report incudes an excellent galaxy and planetary nebulae session under a glowering moonlit sky courtesy of KT4HX (Alan) who finally was able to get out with his 17.5" Dob at his dark...

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3-1-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mars and Luna Get Together"

March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. At least one would hope so for would-be Spring observers. Today's featured report for the first day of the month named after Mars is courtesy of The Wave Catcher (Steve). Hauling out his Astro-Tech...

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2-27-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"report from mexico"

Today's featured report is an account of naked-eye observing down south from Cancun. Messier 111 (Jean-Yves) not only vacationed there but also was able to scan the skies with his two eyeballs. As he reports, there were far more stars visible from the beach...

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2-25-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 23 February 2023 - another quickie"

Today's featured report is mostly a jaunt around the environs of Orion, Taurus, and Gemini by KT4HX (Alan) who observed less prominent open clusters incuding NGC 2112 and Dolidze 21 as well as nebulae M42 and M43 in Orion....

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2-24-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"NGC 2070 the Tarantula"

With much of North America gripped in the throes of cold hostile weather reporting has mostly tapered off here in the past several days. (Blizzards in San Diego for example). With that in mind we are pleased to highlight Falcon63's (Wayne) fine sketch...

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2-19-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspots on 12/2/23"

Sometimes folks can bring a unique talent to bear on either observing or even more difficult, rendering that visual impression in a sketch. Today we honor mariosi's (Marios) sketch of sunspots on our solar companion. This is truly outstanding work that deserves...

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2-17-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Star Clusters"

Today's featured report from Frankskywatcher is a look at open clusters in the Winter sky including classics such as M41 in Canis Major, M46 in Puppis, M47, and M52. He also managed a view of the Orion Nebula, the famed Trapezium and shared the views with his...

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2-14-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 13 Feb 2023 - back at it"

Today we experience a voyage across the winter night sky with many excellent stops along the way courtesy of KT4HX (Alan) who has not been able to observe for some time. Pleiades, Mars, M35, the Orion Nebula, etc. as well as comet 2022...

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2-13-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lambda Ori cluster last night"

While observing classics like M41 in Ursa Major, pakarinen (Olen) decided to look at some other winter targets including Collinder 69. Also known as the Lambda Orionis cluster, he viewed it through his 72mm scope reaching down to stars of 9th magnitude...

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2-12-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"It's all about the Comets, Joint Report, Joe and Phil"

Follow along as OzEclipse (Joe) and Scribbly (Phil) describe their views of 2022 (E3) ZTF. Being positioned in Australia the comet is not too high above the horizon which makes it a bit more difficult than for those in the...

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2-10-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comet C/2022 (E3) ZTF a half year later.

Today's featured report is courtesy of Bigzmey (Andrey) who describes his impressions of the comet ZTF originally observed 6 months ago through his big SCT. At magnitude 12.5 and around one arc minute in diameter it was not particularly impressive...

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2-8-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sketch of Comet C/2022 E3, its track in two hours time"

Today's featured report consists of observations in Orion followed by views of the popular comet we have been watching by John Baars. Using his 102 mm f/5 scope he caught the comet at 20x and then ramped up to 70x. Showing...

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2-6-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comet ZTF and a few other sights"

Today we feature another report covering comet 2022 (E3) ZTF and also a number of other astronomical targets courtesy of Shelby. Starting with Venus and Mars he worked through a list of objects, but the main focus was on finding the comet which...

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2-5-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observation Notes After a Big Thaw"

Today's featured report consists of a bevy of celestial targets including comet 2022 (E3) ZTF, which lately has been moving around against the backdrop of the constellation Camelopardalis. The Wave Catcher (Steve) was able to get out after...

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2-3-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comet C2022 E3 ZTF 29/1/23"

Today's VROD goes to mariosi (Marios) for his wonderful sketch of the comet now visible in the Northern Hemisphere as basically a circumpolar object for now, C2022 E3 ZTF. He captures an amazing sense of what the object looks like at the eyepiece....

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2-2-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Report in Advance, well hopefully"

"Another Comet 2022ZTF Sighting"

Both sdbodin (Steve) and I (helicon) saw the comet through 4" scopes. In Steve's case through a wide field RFT and in my case through an f/10 refractor. My purpose was mainly to find the...

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1-29-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

" Detected c2022 comet near polaris! 7x50 binoculars bortle 7-8"

Today's featured report is courtesy of realflow100 who managed a view of 2022 ZTF the "green" comet that everyone is talking about, even in the mainstream media. Using a pair of 7x50's he noticed a...

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1-27-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Double Star 77 Piscium Lunar Occultation"

Today's featured report from The Wave Catcher (Steve) concerns the occultation of the double 77 Piscium by the moon, Steve was able to measure both the disappearance of the pair and also the re-appearance on the other side of the moon...

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1-26-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I just received the Astronomical League's Observer Award"

Today's award goes to jrkirham (Rob) who has just received the Observer award from the Astronomical League, recognizing solid observing over a long time. In addition to the Observer award he has received numerous...

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1-21-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Astronomical Renunion"

Today's featured report is unique and remarkable. First of all three friends (Joe, Phil, and David) were able to get togther under mostly favorable skies after a long hiatus due to bad weather, pollen, and other factors. Enjoying two scopes but not...

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1-20-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A look in the rear view mirror, with a southern perspective"

We only occasionally see reports from our southern hemisphere colleagues about their observing experiences with a whole different set of constellations, or at least, those visible in the north are low in the sky whereas...

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1-19-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First new object in 2023: NGC 2022"

For his first new catch in the year 2023 John Baars went after the small (30" x 30") planetary nebula between the head and shoulder of Orion known as NGC 2022 originally discovered by William Herschel on December 28th, 1785. At a magnitude...

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1-17-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Finally a Clear Night"

Setting up with just a pair of binos can be very rewarding when one just has a short window to observe. But sometimes the views are so mesmerizing that we end up spending an hour or more looking at our subject. In this case Razz (Bill) was drawn to the Orion...

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1-16-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"New Year, New scope, New Messiers!"

Today we go back in time to hopefully jog the memory of folks about the old days on AF.net, where many of us observers were tracking down the Messier Award badges. Most of us have graduated to "NGC" status these days and are copying...

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1-13-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Dragon Cluster and Galactic Wanderer"

Well it is Friday the 13th and a good day to not let a black cat cross your path. We do feature an outstanding report from January 2022 by John Baars which is worthy of today's VROD as it can be replicated this time of the observing season....

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1-9-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Casual Day of Observing"

Today's featured report is courtesy of The Wave Catcher (Steve) who managed to observe a wide variety of objects incuding Neptune, Uranus, Jupiter, double stars, and a carbon star. The impressive thing is that the outer gas giants were resolved into...

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1-7-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Solar Observation Jan. 2nd"

Today we feature a very nice drawing by Baurice of the sunspots that appeared on the surface of our nearest star on January 2nd. The observation was made through binoculars.Congrats on winning the VROD for the day!

LINK...

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1-3-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I dont know how but I saw detail and structure in orion nebula with my tiny telescope!"

Today's award and featured report goes to Realflow100, who managed good views of the Orion Nebula through his 70mm scope from a light polluted location. It just goes to show that most astronomical...

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1-2-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Christmas Doubles"

Observing from home (Bortle 6.5) bigzmey was able to conclude the year with a highly successful session observing double stars in Orion with his 102mm refractor. This was preceded by an observation of Jupiter through his Maksutov scope which revealed very significant...

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1-1-2023 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Moon...and other things"

What follows is a fascinating report on the Apollo17 Landing site which ocurred in the mare serenitatis area on the moon. Unitron48 (Dave) took out his Stellarvue 127 frac and was able to ratchet up the power on a night of good seeing and zero in on...

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12-31-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Four Faces of Mars"

Today is the last day of this year and we are fortunate enough to feature a great report and several sketches of the red planet by John Baars. Overcoming his feeling a bit under the weather he was able to get out and observe some of the more fleeting features...

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12-29-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Christmas Eve Planets and Asteroids"

For some reason it seems hard to get out on Christmas eve and do any observing. On the one hand it can be cold, snowy, or rainy. On the other there are many things to do like wrapping presents, keeping the kids from opening presents before Chrstmas...

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12-28-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Melting ice and snow, or getting out again"

Last week was rough in terms of the weather due to voluminous snow and ice and frigid temperatures. While I was mostly stuck in the house I did venture out onto the balcony one eve and beheld Orion shining in the sky between the trees,...

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12-21-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Ursids!"

Today we feature an excellent meteor observing session by unitron48 (Dave) who managed to take in a preview of the Ursid meteor shower (radiant in Ursa Major). While it peaks on the 22nd and 23rd of December he saw 10 meteors last night, which as you probably know,...

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12-17-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mars Several Days after Opposition"

Today we feature a beautiful sketch of Mars by John Baars. Using his 120mm refractor he was able to note and sketch a tremendous amount of detail. Congratulations John on winning the VROD for the day for your successful visual observation and...

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12-14-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Geminids!"

Today we are lucky enough to get an excellent naked eye astronomy report from Unitron48 (Dave) who stayed up about 5 hours to observe the Geminid meteor shower. Fueled by hot coffee and cinnamon rolls in spite of the 23 degree weather, the observing group of three...

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12-11-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mars at opposition"

Today we feature an outstanding observation and detailed sketch of Mars by John Baars as Mars is at opposition. While not as showy as it was in 2020 the views still can be very impressive. Using his 140mm f/14.3 scope he was able to zero in on the details covering...

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12-10-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comparing a 4" Frac with a 5" Newt on the Planets"

Today's highlighted report is courtesy of terrynak (Terry) who conducts a highly interesting comparison of the views of Jupiter and Saturn through different scopes. With the 4" significant details were seen on...

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12-08-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspot Drawing"

Today we feature an interesting sketch of the sun and its spots by Baurice. He had some time to view the sun through binos due to the fact that he had to restart his computer at work, which can take some time espeically if you've got to go through a Windows...

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12-05-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Jupiter Session"

For today's winning report we have an excellent description of Jupiter as viewed through Terrynak's 120 mm Newtonian at 170x and later through his 4" refractor. He saw some significant detail through both scopes, though the view was a little better...

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12-03-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Tigers and "the Skies are the Limit"

Here is a great report from Unitron48 (Dave) who had a chance to assist his grandson's scouting group in obtaining their badge for astronomy. Dave helped them fulfill the visual observing part of the badge requirement using his classic 94mm...

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12-02-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Planets and Planetaries"

Enjoying the skies from home, bigzmey (Andrey) utilized his 8" SCT to observe planetary nebulae and his Stellarvue refractor to observe planets under Bortle 6.5 skies. Follow along as he describes the views of planetaries in Lyra, Cygnus, and Orion...

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11-30-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Last Night's Participants"

The moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars occupied the Nakedgun's observing evening. With everything set up at 1800 hours he enjoyed a night of viewing along with his neighbor, who popped in twice for views including through NG's binoviewer - a sight...

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11-28-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Couple of Tight Doubles in Perseus"

Today's VROD goes to John Fitzgerald for his observations of a few closely separated double stars in the constellation Perseus using his 6" f/8 refractor. Doubles and Multiple systems make excellent targets when observing at home, and...

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11-27-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Daytime Observing, Planets, and Cetus Doubles"

Looking at objects through a telescope during the daylight hours ca be a very rewarding exercise and gives a new perspective on familiar views such as the moon, planets, and even bright stars, if one kows where to look. In this vein,...

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11-26-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 21 November 2022 - swimminng with Cetus"

Following his great binocular session, KT4HX (Alan) moves the focus of his observation to the constellation Cetus the whale (or sea monster if you prefer) where he employed his 17.5" Dob to great effect. Dipping...

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11-25-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two planetary reports, including first 2022 views of Mars"

For today's black friday featured report we go to terrynak's (Terry) fine report of planetary observing over the course of two nights using a 70 mm frac and a C90 spotting scope. Fortunately he was able to catch...

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11-23-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Planetary Delight"

If one can organize themselves to take advantage of nature's parade of planets then it is possible to conduct a marathon, just as some observers conduct Messier marathons in the Spring. In this case unitron48 (Dave) was able to view the planets in the course...

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11-22-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Light and Observing Report from the Newly Opened Rimrock Observatory"
Today's featured report comes courtesy of JT who spent an evening of visual observing from his new observatory using his CPC 1100, catching many showpieces of the fall and winter skies, all of which are...

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11-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 17 November 2022 - a little binocular fun"
It's not every day that we see a report by an experienced observer using a pair of binoculars under dark skies. Most of the time urban folks are limited to bright star clusters, nebula like M42 and M31 which are...

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11-19-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Leonids - Just another meteor shower!"

Today we have a wonderful report courtesy of Unitron48 (Dave) who braved the cold temperatures Thursday night/Friday morning to stay up and watch the Leonid meteor shower. Altogether his group observed 48 meteors in the span of 5 hours. Interestingly,...

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11-18-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Short Report with a Mars Finale"

We're getting closer to Mars' upcoming opposition in December and today the Wave Catcher (Steve) got a jump on all of us by viewing the red planet as part of his deep sky and planetary session through his AT80mm scope. Blessed by excellent...

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11-17-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Aquila and Cetus doubles, and Mars"

Today's featured report comes from bigzmey (Andrey) who spent a nice evening at home starting his session at the reasonable hour of 6pm. Using his Stellarvue frac and Mak he was able to pull in scores of double stars in Aquila and Cetus. Also,...

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11-13-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Jupiter and Mars november 12 2022"

Today's featured report is courtesy of John Baars who observed Jupiter and Mars and made a series of wonderful sketches of what he was able to discern at the eyepiece. Jupiter with very detailed belts and the GRS and Mars with some serious...

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11-11-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Cassiopeia, planets, and my 2000th double"

Here we highlight a superb report by Bigzmey (Andrey) who was able to ratchet up the power on Jupiter and Saturn from his backyard Bortle 7 location, getting good views of both gas giants. Moving on to different faire he observed double...

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11-8-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 08 November 2022 - the full lunar eclipse"

The morning of November 8th, 2022 featured an interesting lunar eclipse which many folks in the Northern Hemisphere were able to observe. Here on TSS we have an excellent account of a mostly naked eye session...

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11-7-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspots 6/11/22"

Today's featured report consists of an observation of the sun and sketch of sunspots by mariosi (Marios). It's a nice capture and the winner of the TSS VROD of the day. Congratulations Marios.

LINK...

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11-02-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Pisces and Cetus Doubles"

Today we feature a thorough double star observing report from bigzmey (Andrey) who conducted his session at home after a bout of cloudiness. Using his 7" Mak and 102mm ED he explored binaries in Pisces and Cetus, including one triple where a member...

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10-31-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 24 October 2022 - galaxies in Triangulum and Aries"

Searching through Triangulum, Andromeda, and Aries KT4HX (Alan) once again had a stellar observing night through his 17.5" Dob with a large haul of galaxies - down to a mind-boggling magnitude 14.9 NGC...

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10-29-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Follow-up Planetary Sessions (10-23 through 10-25)"

Today's featured report includes both two planetary sessions with an asteroid sighting along for the ride, courtesy of Terrynak (Terry). On two sequential nights he was able to observe Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and the asteroid...

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10-28-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 23 October 2022 - a chilly autumn galaxy hunt"

Plumbing the depths of Andromeda and Triangulum for galaxies for sport describes the outing that KT4HX (Alan) had on the night of October 23rd. Getting out with his 17.5" Dob from his dark sky location enabled...

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10-27-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Aquarius - Part 1"

In another of a series of great reports from the dark Anza sight, bigzmey (Andrey) takes us on a tour of galaxies in the zodiacal constellation Aquarius the water bearer. Virtually all of his observations recorded belong to the IC catalog, one which was started...

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10-25-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Zoomies in my FOV"

Today's featured report is courtesy of pakarinen (Olen) who was able to get out and conduct a session with his 80mm scope. The first target he l tried for was M79 the globular cluster in Lepus. While moderately bright and visible in large size binoculars it...

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10-24-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 21 October 2022 - short outing under bright skies"

Today's featured report is courtesy of KT4HX (Alan) who decided to scan the heavens from home with his 12" f/5 reflector. Of course, the skies were brighter than his dark sky location but he still managed...

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10-22-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Night of the comet"

Meteor showers can be highly anticipated events and if one can get out to darker skies than the City they can be highly engaging or even spectacular. In this vein Unitron48 (Dave) was able to get out with a group at their observatory and view the Orionid shower,...

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10-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Solar System Session (10-18-2022)"

Today's featured report is a concise review of the planets by terrynak (Terry) including Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and the asteroid Vesta, one of the larger of the rocky bodies that populate the solar system. With Saturn, he easily resolved...

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10-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Solar System Session (10-18-2022)"

Today's featured report is a concise review of the planets by terrynak (Terry) including Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, and the asteroid Vesta, one of the larger of the rocky bodies that populate the solar system. With Saturn, he easily...

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10-18-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Planets and familiar sights"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Shelby who observed a very nice combination of objects including a planetary nebula, 4 planets including Mars, Saturn, Jupiter, and Neptune, four galaxies, and the double cluster in Perseus. Quite a productive...

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10-17-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 14 October 2022 - a little pre-moon galaxying hunting in Andromeda"

Today's featured report is an investigation of Andromeda and its galactic riches by KT4HX (Alan). Going off the beaten track he observed a nice haul of galaxies in the constellation and...

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10-13-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Hunters Moon session"

Today we feature a report from bigzmey (Andrey) who ventured to his dark sky spot in the Anza desert of Southern California. Facing some cumulus clouds before dusk he waited for nightfall before they cleared away. With the nearly full moon shining, it was time...

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10-12-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Doubles with terrible conditions"

Sometimes the weather gods hamper our observing efforts, actually it happens seemingly most of the time. But in some cases a window of time may appear when one can get out there with the scope in spite of conditions and/or a nearly full...

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10-9-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"10/9/2022 Solar Viewing"

Today we feature a brief but succinct report on a solar observing session by Razz (Bill). Using his scope he managed to catch 4 sunspots on the sun's surface, if you read the report you can find which ones he observed. It's nice to get a report on...

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10-8-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mars!"

One thing to look forward to is the presence of Mars at opposition which is coming up in December 2022. What about that last great opposition in October of 2020? With that, we resurrect a report from October 5th 2020 by ARock. He tried a number of eyepieces on the small disk...

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10-6-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Battle of Cetus"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Bigzmey (Andrey) who headed out to his dark desert site at Anza with the intention of viewing galaxies (and also Jupiter). While Jupiter was almost too close and the atmosphere choppy, a good view was not in the cards for...

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10-3-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Science night in Rijswijk, Netherlands"

Today's highlighted report is brought forth by John Baars. He led a discussion on Lipperhey, inventor of the idea that ground glass pieces could be positioned one in front of the other to magnify an image. In this his creativity was unique,...

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10-2-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Session on Tuesday (9-27-2022)"

Today's featured report shows what can be seen well through a small 60mm refractor. In this case terrynak (Terry) observed objects including M11 in Scutum and M71 in Sagitta while also catching the transit of Ganymede across the surface of Jupiter....

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10-1-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 27th September 2022 - a Limping success"

Well folks Fall has definitely arrived and with it, galaxy season. Today's featured report by KT4HX (Alan) features a deep dive into Pegasus for galaxies and a trove of clusters observed in Cygnus, Follow...

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9-30-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"nFA Observing Report September 24th and 25th, 2022"

Eyepiece comparisons can be quite helpful in narrowing down one's kit and finding glass that works well in different scopes. In this case, nFA was visiting his grandson and tried out numerous oculars in both an ST80 and AWB...

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9-27-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Belated Report"

Planetary marathons are indeed possible. In this case Nakedgun spent time in the eve and morning during this past June and was able to observe all 8 planets at a single time though a 90mm scope mounted on a GEM. Furthermore, he was also able to detect and track the...

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9-24-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Double Star Report – early morning and evening sessions (9-20-22)"

Today's featured report is an excellent record of double star observations by terrynak (Terry). Going out with his 60mm refactor and noting the crisp high quality views he was able to split numerous doubles...

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9-23-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Capricornus Galaxies"

One of the interesting things about the zodiacal constellations is that for the most part they are quite faint (except for example Taurus and Leo). Yet they often contain a rich treasure trove of deep sky objects such as galaxies which can be observed in moderate...

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9-21-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 20 September 2020 - an epic galaxy hunt from two years ago"

Today as we are on the cusp of the Equinox (fast summer indeed!) lets go back into the past, specifically two years ago almost to the day when KT4HX (Alan) completed a marathon session hunting for galaxies...

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9-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Good Skies and Good Company at Congaree"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Ragilmer (Rob) who headed out to Congaree National Park with his friend Jim, taking along his new AD10 and Jim hauling his XT6. Since the skies are Bortle 3 there are many objects visible at that...

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9-19-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Planets, Nebulae, and Clusters"

As the summer gradually fades away to Autumn, in fact the Equinox is just around the corner on the 21st of September, the evenings present a last opportunity to view the summer showpieces as well as some lesser know objects that are featured during...

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9-18-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Back to back sessions!"

Today's featured report (actually two) is courtesy of Unitron48 (Dave) who managed a session with his sister and brother-in-law on Thursday Eve. With views of the planets and double stars through his 94mm refractor his brother-in-law came away impressed...

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9-15-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Short Session with a 5" f/8 Newtonian"

Sometimes we get busy and life intervenes in the hobby, or one becomes used to a certain piece of equipment and not another. In this case, terrynak (Terry) decided to use a 5" reflector which he had not hauled out in a long time (2...

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9-14-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Report in Quite a While"

Today's featured report by Ragilmer (Rob) embraces a return back to observing and also hope for the arrival of a new scope today! Follow along as Rob describes his views of the loose globular M71 in Sagitta, M28, M22 - the globular in Sagittarius,...

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9-13-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 21 September 2020 - a look from two years ago"

Today's featured report was compiled in 2020 but never filed, representing an outstanding journey of galaxy hunting in Pegasus, Pisces, and Cetus. Equipped with his 17.5" Dob KT4HX (Alan) was able to haul...

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9-12-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Daylight viewing a croissant moon"

Today's featured report is a daytime observation of the moon by ewomack (Ed). This reminds us that if one looks carefully the moon and planets can be observed at certain points during the daylight hours. Pretty cool Ed and congratulations on...

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9-9-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 01 September 2022 - Last night the ecstasy, tonight the agony"

Th sky conditions were not perfect but KT4HX (Alan) headed out to his dark sky location to see galaxies in Capricornus, Pegasus, and Aquarius with his 17.5" Dob. Follow along as he describes...

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9-7-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Night of Planetaries"

With a bit of lunar interference at his dark sky site in the Anza desert, Bigzmey (Andrey) opted for non-galactic targets for his observing evening. Follow along as he racks up a bushel of planetary nebulae in various constellations including Aquila, Pegasus,...

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9-5-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Using the Starblast 6 to Seek our new DSO's"

Urban astronomy is definitely a challenge outside of the moon, planets, and the brightest objects. Yet if one takes a systematic approach to what can be seen through specific instruments it's possible to locate new, even faint...

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9-3-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 31 August 2022 - in a galaxy far, far away"

Today's featured report is a delightful foray into Pegasus, Capricornus, Camelopardalis, Perseus, and Andromeda by KT4HX (Alan) who managed a fantastic haul of galaxies even though the local county fair had come...

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9-2-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Late Summer Galaxy Night"

Here we are with only 19 days left to the Autumn Equinox, the great galaxy hunting time in the North anyway. This means that many of the classic objects of the Fall can be seen if we stay up just about an hour or so after normal bedtime. Bigzmey (Andrey)...

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9-1-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Night of the Nebulae"

The NAN (North America Nebula) can be quite an elusive target in scopes and practically invisible unless one enjoys pristine dark skies. But there is hope for the suburban observer equipped with the right combination of filters. In this case Dave Sellars employed...

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8-31-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Ultra Wide Low Power Observing"

What if you could find a pair of binoculars where the field of view is so wide (greater than 5 degrees) that you could behold entire asterisms and constellations? That's exactly what Unitron48 (Dave) trotted out in a wonderful first light experience...

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8-30-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Nova East Star Party"

Today we feature a report that kind of is a special treat, in this case an AP'er doing visual observing for the first time in awhile courtesy of KathyNS (Kathy). While attending the Nova East Star Party in Nova Scotia, an event which had not been held since...

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8-29-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 24 August 2022 - erratic conditions made for a long night (Part 1)"

Actually today we feature two reports, Part I and Part II from KT4HX (Alan). It was a night of poor transparency, but he headed out anyway after setting up the 17.5" scope. Picking up M13...

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8-28-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Using the old Tasco 50mm frac for Deep Sky observing"

How small of an aperture can one use to see DSO's? In this case terrynak (Terry) brings out his old Tasco refractor to observe some objects including M57 and M92 as well as M39 in Cygnus. Purchased in 1981 for a shade over...

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8-26-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Big Prom on the Sun Today"

Today's featured report is courtesy of OzEclipse (Joe) who managed to wait a half hour for the clouds to clear during an otherwise sunny day. Using his PST scope he aimed it at the sun and was able to observe a giant Prominence visually. He also made...

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8-25-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Clouds and Clusters"

What to do when the weather conditions suddenly shift on you or worse, bear no relationship to the reality that one finds by staring up at the sky? In this case Bigzmey (Andrey) who had made the trek to his Anza dark sky location, waited for some suckerholes...

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8-24-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Saturn and Jupiter in Binoculars"

Today we are fortunate to be able to highlight an evening of observing from someone just spreading their wings in the hobby. ewomack used his 25x70 binoculars to observe both Jupiter and Saturn, noting the shape of the planets and the moons. An...

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8-23-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 18 August 2022 - a few Pegasus Galaxies, Saturn, and Half of the Veil"

What does it mean to be a galactic observer? Read on as KT4HX (Alan) shows us what it all is about with a detailed trek through Pegasus, revealing its riches even though the dark sky conditions...

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8-22-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Binoviewing Jupiter & Saturn"

Today's featured report comes from Dave Sellars. Utilizing his 102 ED scope he trotted out his binoviewers and had some truly amazing views of the giant planets. Follow along on his journey! Congratulations Dave on winning the VROD for the day!

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8-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Nice morning with the Moon and Mars"

Sometimes getting back to basics is the real trick with visual astronomy, and that means observing naked eye. In the case TheFatKitty (Mark) enjoyed the pre-dawn sights of te planets and moon floating in the heavens along with the emergent...

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8-18-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Galaxies, Asteroids, Jupiter, Perseids...:-)"

In today's featured report Bigzmey (Andrey) kicks off his Anza observing session with an asteroid hunt, followed by a tour of galaxies in Draco. Follow along as he describes what he sees. And as he remarks, he is focused on pushing...

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8-15-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I'm back again. Comets, Custers, and Planets."

Today's featured report comes from Shelby who managed views of three classes of objects during his latest session - a comet (CK/2017K2 Panstarrs), globular clusters, and for good measure Jupiter and Saturn. Observing the comet...

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8-14-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Perseids, Pleiades, and Planets"

Today's featured report is multifaceted, with some observations ocurring on Wednesday and also on Friday eve/Saturday morning. Unitron48 (Dave) and companions got together on both nights for some observing, scoring a spectacular 66 meteors primarily...

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8-12-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"An Evening with the Family"

Being able to share the sights in the skies with family and friends is one of the true joys of the hobby. On some occasions family members and significant others will react with the following: "Oh, that's nice" and go back to whatever they...

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8-10-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two scopes, 3 planets, and a bunch of DSO's"

After 2 hours of sleep, Dave Sellars headed out for some scope time with with his 102mm refractor with the goal of observing the planets. He did this in fine style observing Saturn and Jupiter before switching to DSO's. Amongst...

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8-9-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Galaxies and Asteroids, but no Perseids"
Today's featured report is an outstanding galaxy session conducted by bigzmey (Andrey) from his dark sky site in the Anza Desert of Southern California. Not just content with NGC objects, he observed a gander of IC objects (short for "The...

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8-8-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Outreach for neighbors and guests last night"

Today's featured report is from sdbodin (Steve) who engaged in a successful outreach session including viewing a great list of celestial objects through his 16" scope. Sharing the night skies is always very rewarding and in...

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8-7-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 09 August 2020 - a little galaxy hunt in Aquarius"

Today we feature a "classic" report from KT4HX (Alan) which was written up a couple of years ago almost to the day but heretofore not posted. Like the old song said, "This is the dawning of the...

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8-6-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Observing with an ST80, & why I would want to"

Today's featured report is a southern hemisphere excursion from the dark skies of Australia courtesy of scribbly (Phil). Mainly, Phil was interested in assessing the pros and cons of the ST80 as a travel scope. After some bone-jarring...

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8-4-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Holiday Observations, the other list"

Today we feature a great session by team member John Baars who made his way across the summer skies while on holiday at the shoreline. Not only did he log some fabulous observations he managed to sketch some beautiful, lesser known objects that...

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8-2-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A little back to back observing"

Member pakarinen (Olen) enjoyed a short and sweet session with the Ptolemy's cluster, the Lagoon Nebula, and early in the morning the Hyades with both his ST120 and a 50mm scope for the Hyades. To do so he braved the neat, humidity, and mosquitos...

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8-1-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"nFA observing report July 31 2022"

Today is the first day of a new month (August) in the heart of summer. Fittingly, today's VROD winner is a report from the last evening of July by notFritzArgelander, who conducts some highly valuable comparisons of eyepieces while also getting...

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7-31-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 25 July 2022 - a Blast from the past"

For this last day of July (how time flies!) we feature an excellent report originally documented a couple of years ago by KT4HX (Alan) but never filed on TSS or AF.net, for that matter. Follow along as he explores some unusual...

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7-30-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Holiday Observations"

Getting away to some dark skies is a tremendous boon for the city and suburb-bound observer. John Baars has taken vacation by the seaside and enjoyed Bortle 4 skies. Follow along as he describes some great moments of viewing objects such as M108, M109, M101...

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7-28-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Fine summer night galaxy hunt and my 2000th galaxy."

Today we feature an excellent report of Bigzmey (Andrey) who, observing with his 9.25" Edge SCT was able to capture a fine list of galaxies in Bootes, Canes Venatici, and Aquarius. Dark Bortle 3 skies at the Anza desert fueled...

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7-26-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 21 July 2022 - a bit challenging, but back on track!"

What do you do when the sky is mostly clear, but not pristine and when the Milky Way which normally regales folks in dark sky locations, is not so impressive?

You can either brave the conditions or...

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7-24-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I Have an Observing Buddy: Astronomy Report 7/22/2022"

Today's featured report comes from jrkirkham (Rob) who fairly recently added a firepit to the accoutrements at his observatory. Accompanied by his friend Chris, a retired airline pilot, he spent some time by the fire with...

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7-22-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 20 July 2022 – always nice to have a back up plan!"

Today's featured report is courtesy of team member KT4HX (Alan) who describes not only his observations of globular clusters, open clusters, and galaxies but also spins a tale of two wasp nests to...

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7-21-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"North, South, and Asteroids"

Discover the southern skies from North America when following along with bigzmeys's (Andrey) report on Ara and Telescopium and a few NGC objects therein such as the globular cluster NGC 6352 - probably observed originally from South Africa by John...

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7-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Good old M 10"

Today we feature a great sketch of the globular cluster Messier 10 in Ophiuchus. This sketch was made some years ago by Falcon 63 (Wayne) but it clearly represents what can be accomplished through a combination of observing and drawing. It was sketched in a place...

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7-19-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"3 recent sunspot drawings"

Today's featured report is an observation with accompanying sketches by Baurice (Philip) who captured sunspots through a pair of binoculars and decided to sketch them. Congratulations Philip on winning the VROD for today for your solar work!

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7-17-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Doubles Eye Candy in Bortle 8 Skies"

One of the great observing targets when confronted with light pollution are double stars. Often there are beautiful contrasting colors which are especially notable when the stars are at close separation. In this case, The Wave Catcher (Steve)...

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7-16-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A nice summer session"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Dave Sellars, who hadn't been able to observe in quite some time. However, he was able to get out with his 4" refractor for a celestial tour, catching objects like M3 and M11 the Wild Duck Cluster. He even...

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7-14-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Europa Ingress"

Recently jrkirkham (Rob) was able to conduct a planetary and lunar observing session. After a friend cane over and helped him chop some wood, they settled down with binoculars to look at the moon. Setting his alarm, Rob was able to wake up in the early AM to an ingress...

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7-13-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Capricorn Doubles"

What to do when the moon is nearly full and you've got naturally occurring Bortle 8 and 9 conditions? One can sit the evening out, look at planets, or track down double stars. The advantage of double star observing is that the stars are points of light, not...

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7-12-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Today's featured report isn't from a member of TSS or even a person, but rather a telescope in far earth orbit which produced observations yesterday that even the president of the U.S. paid attention to. We're talking the JWST, which peered back in time 4 billion years to the universe...

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7-10-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Pegasus, NGC 1, and the Planets"

In a very interesting report we have a description of NGC 1, a galaxy which most likely few of us have observed before. One wonders how Herschel decided it was a starting point, a relatively nondescript smudge of light at 12.9 magnitude. But bigzmey...

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7-9-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"nFA observing report for 4 and 7 July 2022"

Today's featured report involves outreach with the younger generation in the form of NotFritz Argelander's grandson. Also, it was the first light experience for a new scope, the Astronomers Without Borders Onesky Newtonian on an...

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7-8-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 30 June 2022 - successful until it wasn't"

Today's featured report, as we catch up on a hiatus over the last 48 hours, is another superb entry from KT4HX (Alan) as he managed to confirm an earlier observation of Palomar 5, a 12th magnitude, 8.9 arc minute...

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7-5-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Canes Venatici Galaxies"

When one is in the environs of M51 and assorted faint fuzzies it's a good idea to look for Cor Caroli (the heart of Charles) the brightest star in Canes Venatici. Just a couple of degrees from this star there is a small asterism of four stars with a...

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7-4-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Other, Perfect Double Double"

Today we feature a double star treat, viewed and sketched by team member John Baars. While most observers are familiar with Epsilon Lyrae and its quartet of four stars, there is another double-double also in the constellation Lyra, which, if anything,...

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7-2-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 29 June 2022 - another successful galaxy hunt"

Today's featured report features excursions into numerous constellations by KT4HX (Alan), who swept up a wide array of galaxies in some of the usual havens for faint fuzzies including Virgo, but also the road...

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7-1-2022-TSS-Visual-Report-of-the-Day.

"Astro Report June 25th, 2022"

Well we've finally made it into the heart of the summer season and the 4th of July is approaching. Today we feature a report by Astrobee (Greg) which describes his observing and imaging conditions vis-a-vis the weather. Lately his set up has been...

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6-30-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Ursa Major, Bootes, and the comet"

Once again probing the skies from the Anza Desert bigzmey (Andrey) enjoyed a superb session of galaxy hunting, for the moment eschewing the wonders of the southern Milky Way that dominate the night sky in summer. Exploring first in Ursa Major and...

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6-28-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Observing Report for 23 June 2022 - galaxies galore (Part 2)"

Once more visiting the environs of Bootes, follow along as KT4HX (Alan) completes his night of observing this Spring constellation focusing on galactic wonders - myriads of NGC objects that populate the herdsman. With excellent...

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6-26-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 23 June 2022 - galaxies galore (Part 1)"

Today's featured report concerns Libra and Bootes and the galactic wonders ocurring within those constellations. Libra, one of the faintest constellations visually and therefore requiring dark skies to identify naked...

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6-25-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Chi Cyg and U Sge 0300 6.25.22 UTC"

Chi Cygni is a Mira-type variable star in the constellation Cygnus the Swan. Follow along as Pakarinen (Olen) completes an observation of the star through his 50mm scope. He estimated the current brightness of the star at about 8th magnitude,...

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6-24-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Clusters and Binaries...no galaxies"

Although it's still galaxy season, at least for awhile the summer constellations are getting more prominent. What better time to view some summer objects with a triplet APO and enjoy excellent performance. In this case unitron48 (Dave) used...

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6-21-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Ursa Major Galaxies"

Well the Summer Solstice is upon us meaning we are enjoying the longest day of the year and correspondingly, the shortest nights. As astronomers we can look forward to ever increasing periods of darkness until December 21st. With that said, today we feature...

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6-18-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"How Low Can You Go - Joe's Astro Limbo Competition"

Today's featured report, courtesy of OzEclipse (Joe) who spent an evening observing an array of Northern Hemisphere objects including M51 from Australia using his big Dob. Just peeping above the horizon, the Whirpool makes...

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6-16-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"It took a couple of years, but I did i!"

TSS Member jrkirham (Rob) has done an excellent job of viewing and capturing Mercury and Venus in the same field of view from the mountains of Arizona. As nominated by multiple members, Rob wins the VROD for today for his outanding achievement....

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6-14-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Evening in Lyra"

Today's featured report is an excursion in Lyra coinciding with a bright and moonlit evening. While some would not venture out to confront the evil orb, others are willing to take what nature gives them, that is double stars. Follow along as bigzmey (Andrey)...

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6-11-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"An evening with the BSD (big strut Dob)"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Kanadalainen (Ian) who keeps his 14.5" scope at a dark sky location (his cabin) in the north of Canada. Recently spending some time up there, he was able to aim the big glass at an array of...

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6-8-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 06 June 2022 - a little back yard binocular romp"

One of the great things about the late Spring is the warmer air and oftentimes clear skies. As a result, one need not always use a telescope to enjoy the heavens - binoculars will do just fine and often give...

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6-6-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Engagement Ring (yet another asterism)"

Today's featured report comes from pakarinen (Olen) and represents another attractive grouping of stars, this time forming a ring of ninth-magnitude sparklers appearing around Polaris, the north star. The grouping was noticed by the...

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6-4-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing report for 31 May 2022 - a second night of looking high and low"

Today's featured report from KT4HX (Alan) adds on to and expands the quest from his other evening, with a wide array of galaxies observed both in the northern and southern hemispheres. Just some of the...

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6-2-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Napoleon's Hat"

Today we feature a report by pakarinen (Olen) who observed Napoleon's hat, an intriguing asterism of faint stars through his 102ED scope. Pointed out by noted observer Sue French near Arcturus it represents an off-the-beaten-path target for small scopes and...

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6-1-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Anza anniversary trip and Jupiter-Mars conjunction"

Today's featured report is from Bigzmey (Andrey) who took an excursion to the Anza desert on the sixth anniversary of his astronomical visit to the site. Over the years the light pollution has increased but as he remarks, the...

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5-31-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing report 5-31-2022 - looking high and low"

Catching a supernova in a distant galaxy is one of those unique observational experiences that one can enjoy. In this case, KT4HX (Alan) regarded one in NGC 3631 that is 35 million light years distant, far before the time of man.He...

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5-30-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Virgo Galaxies and a Comet"
Today's featured report on Memorial Day in the U.S. is courtesy of Shelby and his Dob. Strolling through Virgo he managed to observe and record his views of a number of galaxies, and passing into Coma Berenices (named after the queen of Ptolemy III...

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5-29-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Some neighbors of Vega"

Gazing at bright stars usually means looking at bright glare at the eyepiece. Sometimes it can be fun to attempt to discern other objects in the field of view, whether clusters or galaxies or even stars. Today's featured report by team member John Baars...

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5-28-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Leo Galaxies and the planets line-up, Part 2"

Once again today we feature an excellent report by Bigzmey (Andrey) who returned to his dark sky desert spot to resume viewing galaxies in Leo. Follow along as he describes the views at the eyepiece of a plethora of galaxies. Meanwhile, as...

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5-25-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Leo Galaxies and the planets lineup"

From the dark skies of Southern California we feature a report from Bigzmey (Andrey) who decided to focus on the galactic riches of Leo for his latest astronomical endeavor. Follow along as he describes what he viewed with great aplomb. Capping...

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5-24-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sun 2022-05-23 in WL"

Here we have a fine report from gdjsky01 (Jeff) from the skies of Southern California, after the marine layer burned off. The sketch includes an array of sunspots. Congratulations Jeff on using your Lunt with Herschel wedge to capture this object graphically...

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5-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Xi Boo 5.16.22"

Once again we feature a double star observation, this one carried out by pakarinen (Olen) who used his 102 mm ED to split Xi Bootes, a double star with a companion approximately 5 arc seconds from the primary. With an observation of the moon as well and M3, he called...

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5-18-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Ursa Major Doubles and the Planet Parade"

Today's featured report is from the Bortle 4 skies of the Anza Desert of Southern California. Even though the moon was full, Bigzmey (Andrey) was able to observe a bushel full of double stars. Waking up from his sleeping bag after the...

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5-17-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Total Lunar Eclipse and Double Stars"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Shelby and is a nice recounting of his observations, which he shared with the family, of the recent total lunar eclipse and also some double stars. As you can see the moon turned nearly blood red. Congratulations...

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5-14-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day Award.

"Sunspot Drawing May 12th"

Today we feature another rendering of sunspots, this time by Baurice. Congrats on the sketch Baurice and also on winning the TSS Visual Report of the Day Award!

LINK to the original...

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5-13-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Well today is Friday the 13th, 2022 and we feature an oustanding solar sketch by gdjsky01 (Jeff). Using a Lunt Herschel wedge he managed to capture a wide variety of sunspots of varied intensities. Congratulations Jeff on having your sketch (and observation) selected as the VROD of the Day!

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5-12-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day

"Morning Galaxies at the Desert"

Coma Berenices is an interesting sort of asterism constellation. Berenices refers to the wife of King Ptolemy III Eurgetes, the Macedonian dynasty ruler of Egypt. Supposedly Berenices sacrificed to the gods by cutting her long hair and making a votive...

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5-11-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Lunar excursion with a 5" Unitron"

Member Unitron48 (Dave) was able to get his 5" refractor set up for some lunar viewing. At f/16 the optical assembly is very long and the whole set up including mount clocks in at 275 lbs! So hardly a grab-n-go. But the views mostly...

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5-10-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing report with TERRIBLE viewing conditions"

Today's featured report as nominated by two team members is jrkirkham's (Rob) daytime viewing session. With visitors in tow from Arizona he took advantage of rare partially cloudy skies to do some daytime observing. It's...

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5-9-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Happy mother's day! Sunspots on 8/5/22"

Today's featured report is a sketch of the sun by Mariosi illustrating many sunspots. Congratulations on the excellent sketch and on your solar observation, which wins today's VROD award.

LINK...

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5-6-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Short Session with an old friend"


Today's featured report is a bit of a travelogue, observing session, and a chance to enjoy some notable memories from the past. In this case Dave (Unitron48) was able to travel to the Bluemont area of Virginia in the Wine Country to celebrate...

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5-5-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Anza galaxy hunt with supernova and the planet parade"

Observing an object that appears as it looked 63 million years ago is always amazing. In the case of a super luminous supernova it is almost unimaginable. Here, a very rare object in the fabric of space once shone brightly across...

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5-3-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 24 April 2022 - a second night in the saddle"

Here we feature an oustanding report on galactic observations in the constellation Virgo carried out by team member KT4HX (Alan). In spite of his voluminous experience as an observer, he still was able to ferret...

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5-2-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.


"From Silver Streak Galaxy to the Ring"

Here is a very concise and interesting report from John Baars featuring his experiences viewing and sketching NGC 4216 in Virgo and also M57 the Ring Nebula which he also captures via sketch. Among the other observing targets he enoyed...

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5-1-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"nFA observing report daytime April 30th, 2022"
It wasn't cloudy yesterday so today we feature a nice solar observing report by notFritzArgelander (nFA) who shared views of the sunsports with his family using his Orion ST80. The method used was projection onto an object - in this...

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4-30-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Galaxy groups and planetary alignment"

Today we near the end of April - just one more evening after tonight and the sights of winter such as Sirius are dropping below the horizon. But the good news is that the heart of Spring is galaxy hunting season. With this in mind Shelby managed...

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4-29-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 23 April 2022 - back in the saddle again"

After a bit of a hiatus, Alan (KT4HX) is back in the saddle again like the old Aerosmith song. He spent high quality time under the stars examining galaxies in Virgo and offers excellent descriptions of what he saw....

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4-27-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Supernova SN2022hrs"

Today's featured report is a unique observation of a supernova by Mianpicard (Milan). Occurring in the galaxy NGC 4647, the point of light is estimated at magnitude 12.5 but was visible through his 8" Dob. Congratulations Milan on the observation and...

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4-24-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sun in Ha and Wl"

Today's featured report by member gdjsky01 (Jeff) represents an excellent observation of the sun and delightful sketch of what was visible at the eyepiece through a Lunt solar scope. Congratulations Jeff on the TSS Visual Report of the Day award for your fine...

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4-23-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lyrid Meteor Shower Observation"

Meteor showers are one of the most interesting phenomena in the skies above us, but something where telescopes and even binoculars are completely useless. That is, one must observe them with the naked eye. Unitron48 (Dave) stayed up late to observe...

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4-22-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The bees in M44 were reluctant"

Today we feature 2 oustanding sketches of the Beehive or Praesape Cluster in Cancer (M44) that were rendered by team member John Baars. First, he set up before astronomical darkness and sketched it with a faintly glowing sky background. Secondly,...

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4-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Spring doubles and my improved desert rig"

Two things to notice in this report by bigzmey (Andrey). The first thing is the significant amount of work he underwent to optimize his set up for observing by employing eyepiece turrets. This innovation enables rapidly switching from one...

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4-17-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"An almost-a-report"

Today's report is the first light for Turboscrew's (Juha) new 102mm refractor. Dealing with less than inspiring conditions he still managed an excursion across the heavens observing stars and the moon, whilst his target galaxies were not visible. Also,...

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4-15-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Cor Caroli and a couple more"

Do you know what Cor Caroli refers to in Latin? Well, the answer is "Heart of Charles" referring to King Charles the 1st of England who unfortunately was beheaded in 1649. Nevertheless it is an interesting double star with a separation of...

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4-14-2011 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Moon to the max!"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Dave Sellars who has returned to the moon and done some additional serious lunar observing with his 102mm ED. He also managed to try out a new (to him) Barlow as an additional piece of gear. With great descriptions, it's...

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4-12-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Morning session in Anza desert"

Today's featured report is from team member bigzmey (Andrey) who planned and executed an early morning session in the beautiful Anza desert which at this time of year is colored orange with blooming California poppies. Hitting the sleeping bag...

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4-10-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Pack 209 Howls at the moon"

Today we feature a great report from Unitron48 (Dave) who had the chance to speak at his grandson's Cub Scout get together. After spending about 35 minutes giving a talk on astronomical topics Dave was able to show the scouts the moon through his...

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4-9-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Caught the lunar X and Y"

Seeing this interesting pattern on Luna is one of the Holy Grails for observers of the moon and mostly is only evident with pristine conditions. Follow along as Dave Sellars describes the X and Y and several mountain ranges that were visible as well. Also,...

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4-7-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A distant quasar in Crater"

Today's featured report dates back to April of 2021 and is courtesy of member NGC1365 (Ivan). So the good news is that the quasar is visible again as a Spring object. Noted as J1134-2103 it is a 15th magnitude object. Through careful comparison with...

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4-4-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A very plentiful night"

Today's featured report comes from member Shelby. Using a 6" Dob he kicks off his session with the Orion Nebula, followed by some time in Monoceros and Gemini observing open clusters. Moving into the Spring constellations he caught a bevy of galaxies...

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4-3-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Some nice galaxies in the Spring"

We have recently shifted to the Spring season and winter is behind us. Now is the time when galaxies, those denizens of the warmer weather come to dominate the evening's proceedings for observers. With that in mind, John Baars enjoyed a splendid...

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4-2-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"It's a cold one... where's that aurora?"

It's nice on occasion to recall that we don't need a telescope or binoculars to enjoy a session. That's because we each have two eyeballs. Follow along as Dave Sellars managed two sessions in the course of an evening and...

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3-30-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"M41 Blew my mind"

Today's featured report by Frankskywatcher represents a visual attempt on the open cluster M41 in Canis Major. As far as its placement in the constellation, it is just below the dog's collar, or where it would be if the dog had a collar. Anyway, Frank enjoyed...

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3-29-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Sunday morning tour around"

Today's featured report consists of a bushel of galaxies along with a globular and planetary nebula observation courtesy of Dave Sellars. Follow along as he describes what he has seen at the eyepiece and enjoy this well-written and thorough report....

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3-27-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"La Superba - Gamma Canum Venaticorum"

Today's featured report is a great piece on the the star known as "La Superba" one of the deepest ruby red carbon stars in the sky submitted by member Ernest Peterson. Understanding the life and death of this star is indeed informative...

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3-25-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Another Outreach in Culpeper"

For many, outreach is one of the most enjoyable aspects of amateur astronomy. Kindling interest in the younger set benefits not only young people but also the veteran who is sharing the night skies with kids. In his most recent session Unitron48 (Dave)...

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3-24-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Not bad in the end!"

Taking advantage of improving transparency as the night progressed, Dave Sellars managed to get out two nights in a row for some very productive observing. He observed objects such as the trio of M36, M37,and M38 - numerous galaxies in Ursa Major, M13, M92 and...

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3-23-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A change of pace"

Sometimes we run our observing sessions at a fast pace in order to maximize the time spent outside gazing up at the heavens. In those cases, the goal often is to see as many objects as possible and enter them into our logs. But there is an argument for "slower"...

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3-22-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A short session with my niece"

Today's featured report is courtesy of Shelby who had a wonderful visit from his niece in Texas. As it so happens, he was able to get out under the stars and show her some of the celestial showpieces including M42, the Double Cluster, the Beehive,...

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3-21-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Moonlit wanderings"

In spite of the prominent moonshine, Dave Sellars enjoyed two fine sessions on Friday and Saturday evenings with his 12" Dob. The views included M42, M36, M37, M38 and NGC 1893 (open cluster) followed by the moon itself. On Saturday, the observations included...

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3-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"102 ED shakedown session"

Today's featured report is the first light or "shakedown" of Pakarinen's (Olen) 102 ED scope. Follow along as he enjoys a slew of targets, some of which were visible, while a couple weren't. First up was Deneb, followed by other favorites...

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3-17-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Hydra and Sextans Doubles"

In today's featured report, bigzmey (Andrey) observes a bushel of double stars in Hydra followed by Sextans in both his 180mm Maksutov and 102 mm ED refractor from home. Follow along as he describes the splits and the contrasting colors of the pairs,...

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3-15-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A lunar session and some optical testing"

Follow along as Dave Sellars explores the moon with his 4" refractor, catching crater after crater, even at higher powers. Testing the collimation of his scope, he found it nearly impeccable. Also, he was able to split Alnitak in Orion....

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3-13-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"nFA observing report March 12, 2022"
Today's featured report by notFritzArgelander involves testing a new mount as he underwent observations of the Orion Nebula, Trapezium, Pleiades, and the terminator of the moon. Since he got to share the evening with his grandsons while the...

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3-11-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"nFA observing report daytime March 11, 2022"

Today we feature an outstanding solar observation by notFritzArgelander who managed to see 8-10 sunspots with his gear and also impressed a grandson. Congrat notFritz on winning a rare solar VROD of the day!

LINK...

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3-9-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Hydra Doubles"

Today we feature an outstanding report from Bigzmey (Andrey) who successfully split a great haul of double stars in the faint constellation Hydra, which is almost invisible to urban and suburban astronomers save for the 2nd magnitude star Alphard (Arabic: the solitary...

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3-7-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"M97, Owl with Sketch"

The Owl Nebula is a wonderful Spring object located in the constellation Ursa Major, just 2 degrees from the star Merak in the bowl of the Big Dipper. Hence, this bright star forms an ideal jumping off point for a starhop to the object. Follow along as John...

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3-6-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First clear night in awhile"

In today's featured report, Shelby was able to take his 6" Dob out for a spin. Observing the Double Cluster, the Rosette star cluster, the Christmas tree cluster (in both of these cases the nebulosity was not evident but the star formations...

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3-5-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comet Borrelly and Other Things"

Outreach is always great and especially so with a big Dob to reveal the sights. Unitron48 (Dave) had such an evening and managed to observe both a comet and objects such as the Orion Nebula, clusters including the famous Double in Perseus, and even...

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3-4-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Doubles and asteroids"

Today's featured report by team member bigzmey (Andrey) were observations of double stars and asteroids from home using his 102mm ED and 180mm Mak. Follow along as he splits numerous pairs and multiple star systems and describes the unique colorations...

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3-3-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report (Double Stars)"

Today we feature a nice report from jrkirkham (Rob) who spent an evening in his observatory observing some of the more special double stars that are currently visible. The constellations represented include Leo, Coma Berenices, Hydra, and Corvus....

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3-1-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Light with the 102ED and a bunch of DSOs"

Today's featured report from Dave Sellars is a wonderful account of his first light sessions with his new 102 ED. From dark, high contrast views and pinpoint stars to an uncanny ability to reveal faint DSO's though a 4-inch...

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2-28-2028 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Canis Major Observations"

What can one see in the Big Dog this winter? The answer is some impressive pairs of double stars and numerous open clusters, as well as the bright star Sirius and its companion. Follow along as The Wave Catcher describes his observations in the constellation...

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2-26-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Beating the Cloud Gods"

Today we are fortunate to recognize a wonderful report from turboscrew (Juha) who spent an evening regarding the Orion Nebula whilst it was a balmy, for him - 15 degrees F outside. Follow along as he describes the key elements of the nebula from its gaseous...

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2-25-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two interesting doubles in Orion"

One doesn't necesarily need a long session to achieve very worthwhile observations, in this case John Fitzgerald focused on a pair of double stars in Orion, splitting both while not being able to split a 3rd star in the second pair. Thanks for...

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2-23-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 20 February 2022 - crabbing"

Today we feature an outstanding report from team member KT4HX (Alan) who spent an evening exploring Cancer, the heavenly Crab, one of the constellations of the zodiac but better known by astronomers for two Messier objects, M44 the...

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2-22-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sirius and the Pup, and Cancer and Lepus Doubles"

Today we feature a report from Bigzmey (Andrey) who braved a nearly full moon when many observers are chased inside because of the evil orb's glow. However, if one focuses on a class of objects such as double stars it still is...

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2-21-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Short Session with 20" Obsession"

It's not every day when we get a report from someone using a big Dob. But for those of us who have used or had a big Dob in the past, there are always memories of some unsurpassed views of both the well-known celestial showpieces and lesser...

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2-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"An Evening of Observing and Dueling"

Today's report features an interesting comparison between two scopes, a 102 mm Besser Achro and a 102mm AstroTech ED refractor. Follow along as The Wave Catcher (Steve) puts both scopes through the paces on a variety of close doubles and...

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2-18-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"102ED First Light"

Today's featured report comes from Pakarinen (Olen) who took his new 102ED refractor for its first light experience. Follow along as he targets some key double stars and DSO's as well as Venus, all while dealing with a temperature of 6 degrees F. Congratulations...

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2-16-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Orion Doubles"

Today we feature an excellent report by Bigzmey (Andrey) who used his 170 mm Mak and 102 ED refractor to explore double stars in Orion. While mostly known for the nebula in the sword, Orion is full of exceptional double targets of a variety of colours and separations....

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2-15-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Bliss School Stargaze"

Today we feature a wonderful report by Greenman (Tony) who managed to arrange an outreach session for seventeen children, siblings, and parents making a total of 40 individuals in attendance. Starting the evening with the moon and Jupiter, followed by Orion,...

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2-14-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

Well it's Valentine's Day and today's report will surely warm the heart. Follow along as team member John Baars gets in some great views of NGC 2392 in Gemini, including its central star. Sketching the object, he captured the true eyepiece view. Going after the Pup, Sirius' close...

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2-13-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Astronomy Report 02-11-22 - First Light with AZE-Q5 in AZ mode"

Follow along as chris_g (Chris) tests his new mount on a variety of objects including M44, M45, M47 and M42. After a successful evening he packed it in. Congratulations on the first light and on achieving the VROD award...

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2-12-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 06 February 2022 - a second frosty night of galaxy hunting"

Today we enjoy a lengthy and descriptive report by KT4HX (Alan) who once again braved cold temperatures to carry out an outstanding evening of galaxy hunting in constellations ranging from Lynx to Eridanus...

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2-11-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Back to back sessions...."

Today's featured report comes from Unitron48 (Dave) who had a chance to take his new 127mm Stellarvue APO out for a spin. After enjoying some great views of the moon with exceptional detail even using a 3.5 mm Nagler to achieve 290x, follow along as...

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2-10-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Astronomer's Curse Broken"

Today's featured report is the first light outing for The Wave Catcher's (Steve) new 102 ED refracting telescope. Observing the details of the moon the scope provided crisp and clear images, while also showing the Orion Nebula nicely. He followed...

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2-8-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 05 February 2022 - a night not fit for man nor brass monkey"

Today is a wonderful report from KT4HX (Alan) who spent three hours with his 17.5" Dob at temerperatures ranging from a high of 19 degrees F to 15 degrees F. Undeterred he observed a planetary...

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2-7-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A session with family"

Today's featured report is an outing with family written up by Shelby. Follow along as he describes the views of the moon, Orion Nebula, Double Cluster, a comet and more - all of which he shared with family, including views of Sirius and Betelgeuse. Many...

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2-6-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two lovely nights under the stars with friends"

Sharing the wonders of the heavens with friends, family, and even passersby is an outstanding pursuit for amateurs. Follow along as OzEclipse (Joe) recounts his adventures over the course of two nights with many of the celestial showpieces...

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2-5-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Some obscure double stars in Auriga"

Follow along as John Fitzgerald hutnts down some lesser known double stars on his way to achieveing the milestone of 1600 double stars observed dating back several years. Congratulations John on winning the TSS Visual Report of the Day award!

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2-2-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Poor man's Double Cluster and the 'Holland' Cluster"

For today's featured report we travel back in time to February of 2021 and an observing session by John Baars, who goes after a number of challenging objects in his 6" Achro such as NGC 1807 and 1817 in Taurus,...

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1-31-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Session 9 and a bag full from Leo"

Today's featured report represents the 9th session Dave Sellars has had this month. The latest adventure includes objects in Orion, Andromeda, Triangulum, Canes Venatici and Leo. Follow along as he provides excellent descriptions of his observations...

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1-30-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Another great session"

Today's featured report comes from Shelby. Spending some time with galaxies, comets, planetoids, and clusters certainly is a lot of fun. Observing with a 6" Dobsonian, he definitely saw the sights of the season, and the planet Uranus to boot. At Bortle...

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1-29-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"ISS and random objects"

Member Dave Sellars started out his eve showing his kids the ISS in binoculars and then M42, much to their delight. After putting the children to bed he resumed a successful impromptu session with both his 120mm ST refractor and binoculars, managing views...

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1-27-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing report for 15 January 2021 - the bonus round"

One of the great winter views is the complex of M46, an open cluster in Puppis, and a planetary nebula, NGC 2438 - both within the same field of view. Here we have an excellent description of this winter quarry from KT4X (Alan)...

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1-25-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Four comets night"

Today's featured report comes from Bigzmey (Andrey) who decided to have a session focused around the comets which are currently visible. Using his 102 mm refractor and 180 mm Maksutov, he was able to pull in four of his five targets, only one of which (4P...

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1-23-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A nice Saturday session"

Today's featured report is from member Shelby in Louisiana. Amongst Shelby's haul of objects observed with a 6" Dob included the Pleiades, the Beehive Cluster, the Orion Nebula, and four comets, three of which were new observations. To top it...

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1-20-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"An awesome Wednesday night!"

Today's featured report comes from Dave Sellars, who spent many hours in two sessions on Wednesday eve, catching galaxies, Ceres, planetary nebulae, and finally a detailed look at the moon which had risen since the conclusion of the first session....

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1-19-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Quick Work Night Session"

Follow along as The Wave Catcher (Steve) takes a journey around the skies viewing double stars in Aries, a cluster in Perseus, the Pleiades and more with his Bresser 102mm f/4.5 Achro. Just a reminder that a quick session can be just as satisfying and...

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1-17-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A hike around the moon"

It's not too often when we see lunar observing reports on TSS. Well, here's a very good one reported by Dave Sellars, who researched a list of features on the moon that he wished to observe. Coming in with a plan can make a big difference in the success...

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1-15-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Epsilon Lyrae today"

Since it was a balmy 4 degrees outside on a recent early morning, pakarinen (Olen) managed to observe the summer double star/quadruple star Epsilon Lyrae from inside the house, something astronomers are told not to do but proving this wrong he actually had a...

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1-13-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comets, Jupiter, and a plethora of DSO's"

Follow along as Dave Sellars takes you on an interstellar voyage, observing planets, comets, and many deep sky objects through both his 12" Dob and 120mm refractor. Spread out over a few sessions in an evening and early morning,...

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1-11-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First light with my Sky-watcher 6 Dobsonian"

Today's featured report is from member Shelby, who managed a great evening of observing combined with a first-light session with his new scope. Follow along as he explores some of the celestial showpieces, the moon, Jupiter, and to...

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1-10-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A couple of good sessions 4th and 5th of january"

Today's featured report by Dave Sellars represents two evenings spent outside with a 120mm scope on the first night and a 12" Dob on the second. Follow along as Dave describes his extensive list of observations capturing...

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1-9-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A real Grab and Go NGC 2169 in Orion"

Sometimes it's cloudy, sometimes it's not. John Baars took advantage of a break in the clouds to get in an excellent grab-n-go session using his 102mm f/13 Mak and he managed a remarkable sketch of NGC 2169, an attractive open cluster...

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1-8-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comet Leonard Jan 8"

OzEclipse (Joe) has completed another successful observation of Leonard with some very useful tips on estimating magnitude which should be quite helpful for observers. Congrats Joe on catching the comet once again (before it disappears) and on winning the VROD...

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1-7-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day Award.

"Jupiter/Saturn Sketches"

Today's featured report comes from member 10538 (Ed) whose grandson visited him. After they had viewed Jupiter and Saturn through his 14" scope hi s grandson drew some excellent sketches for Ed to hang on his observatory wall. Congrats Ed and your...

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1-5-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A full Trapezium this time and a NGC 2420 sketch"

"Today's featured report actually dates back to January 9th, 2021 and includes two excellent sketches by team member John Baars, of the Trapezium and the star cluster NGC 2420. Fighting dew, John completed a number of successful...

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1-3-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"My take on Leonard"

Today's report features a sublime sketch by NGC 1365 (Ivan) from a vantage point of 1050 meters. He used a 5" scope at 66x to view Leonard and catch its nucleus, coma, and tail. Congratulations Ivan on winning today's VROD for the day!

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1-2-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comet Leonard Jan 1st"

Today's featured report comes from OzEclipse (Joe) who was able to view comet Leonard visually through binoculars and also a 6" f/7 Newtonian. As the report says, the comet is conveninetly located next to a few stars in Piscis Austrinus (Southern...

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1-1-2022 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Seeing the ISS visually"

It's not every day that one sees the ISS as clearly as NGC 1365 (Ivan) did last eve. In fact there is a wonderful sketch included in the report. Congratulations Ivan on the observation and the sketch and on winning the first VROD for 2022!

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12-31-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"What was your favorite observation of 2021?"

Today we feature a question as our report of the day as we wrap up 2021 and head into 2022. Please click through the link and tell all what you think...

LINK...

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12-29-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Light...Christmas Gift!"

Today we feature an excellent first light report by Unitron 48 (Dave) using his new scope, an SVX127D apochromatic doublet. Follow along as he puts the new scope through its paces with the planets, double stars, and celestial showpieces of the Winter...

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12-28-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Binocular session, the comet, and the planets"

Now is the time to chase down comet Leonard before it disappears. Follow along as Bigzmey (Andrey) describes his efforts to see Leonard just after sunset with his 15x70 binos from home. First the planets came into view, Venus, Jupiter,...

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12-26-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Cetus Doubles"

Cetus the whale is a rather faint constellation, with the brighest star (Menkar) being about 3rd magnitude. Still it is a great hunting ground for double star observing. Follow along as Bigzmey (Andrey) takes us on a tour of Cetus' doubles, observed through his...

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12-24-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Astronomy Report 11-15-21 – The Mother-in-law’s Bortle 7 Backyard"

Our Christmas Eve featured report is from chris_g (Chris) who spent some time outside with binoculars on the night of the 15th. As he mentions, he is mostly interested in AP but observes once in awhile....

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12-23-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Nebulosity in M45, visual"

One of the Holy Grails in astronomy is trying to observe the nebulosity around Merope, Alcyone, and Electra in the Pleiades. Many have tried and many have failed, as the reflection nebula is very difficult to see visually. One who has found that Grail...

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12-22-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comet Leonard... and even more comet Leonard"

The biggest astronomical show in some time is now unveiling itself in the evening skies, that would be comet Leonard. As it approaches the sun it gets brighter as material is being blown away from the nucleus by the solar wind, resulting...

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12-20-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Comet Leonard plus extras..."

Today we feature an excellent observing report on comet Leonard by DeanD (Dean). As many know right now it is an evening object visible just after sunset. Dean gave it a try and was able to see the comet both naked eye and with binoculars, estimating...

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12-19-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Oh, this beautiful Wintersky!"

Here we feature a report from last observing season (in fact December 19th, 2020). In it, team member John Baars recounts his celestial adventure under clear skies with his 150mm achromat. He observes nebulae in Orion, clusters in Auriga, noted nebulosity...

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12-17-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing report for 13 December 2021 - just killing a couple of hours"

Follow along as KT4HX (Alan) explores the realm of the winter skies, focusing on Orion and Monoceros' open clusters. For some reason as the cold gets more biting, the stars seem to shine even brighter, dominated...

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12-16-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Galaxy viewing with an 80% illuminated moon"

Today's featured report is from NGC 1355 (Ivan) who in spite of a bright moon, decided to exerience some galaxy viewing. His target in particular was NGC 1566. a galaxy in the constellation Dorado because it now hosts a visible supernova....

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12-14-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Geminids Everywhere!"

Today's featured report is an observation of the Geminid meteor shower by Unitron48 (Dave). He actually counted 358 meteors, which is an outstanding haul that required some darkish skies. Interestingly, the Geminids do not originate from a comet but rather...

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12-12-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"NGC 1582 Challenge of the month December 2021"

Today's featured report is a wonderful sketch of this month's challenge object by John Baars. It is quite a beautiful cluster and I hope some of us are inspired to observe the object and perhaps sketch it, it would be hard to...

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12-10-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 04 December 2021 - spending some time in Cetus and Eridanus"

Today's featured report from team member KT4HX (Alan) is extremely thorough and extensive and includes an amazing haul of galaxies in these relatively faint constellations. The bottom line is that...

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12-8-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Eridanus doubles and (mostly) Taurus asteroids"

Follow along with Bigzmey (Andrey) as he expores the planets including Venus and Jupiter, which was subject to a transit of Io that he observed. The instrument used was his new 7" Mak. After splitting an array of double stars...

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12-7-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Pushing the edge"

As some of you know, there was a total solar eclipse on Saturday December 4th. Totality was visible from Antarctica, so one can imagine millions of penguins staring up at the phenomenon. But there is much more to the story than that. OzEclipse (Joe) has provided...

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12-5-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 03 December 2021 - Perseus Galaxy Cluster + a few other things"

Today's featured report is coutesy og KT4HX (Alan). Follow along as explores the Perseus Galaxy Cluster dominated by the radio source known as Perseus A. Along with that galaxy there are upward...

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12-4-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Jupiter Sketch"

Today's VROD goes to mirrorgirl (Rhoda) for her excellent sketch of Jupiter. It's always amazing when one is able to observe visually and then render the image through a sketch and it takes a special talent. Congratulations Rhoda on winning the TSS Visual...

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12-2-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"SkyWatcher 180mm Mak first light"

It's not every day (or every evening) where one gets to try out new equipment. But certainly adding new items to the kit is quite exciting and it feels like a Christmas morning to a kid. In this case Bigzmey (Andrey) was able to try out a new...

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12-1-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing session of 3 bright planets! Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn"

Today we finally have reached the month of December. Kicking off this new month which tends to be favorable for viewing the oncoming Winter skies, member Harshil got some excellent views of Venus, Jupiter, and Saturn....

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11-29-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Strongly changing weather conditions, glad to have a grab 'n go"

Sometimes observers have to take what the weather gives us, and then we need to make a decision about whether to haul out the big guns or maybe carry out the grab-n-go for a short session. That's a question...

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11-27-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Hankmeister, Venus, 2 cats, and a case"

Follow along as Thefatkitty (Mark) uses his modded C-8 to catch some great views of Venus and Saturn. Sure the weather wasn't that great but Mark managed to get some viewing in. Furthermore, he did a good job getting it up and running,...

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11-26-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Monday, Monday"

Today we feature a report dating back to approximately this time last year. As the weather turns colder Taurus rises and we can get glimpses of that wonderful jewelbox the Pleiades. Team member The Fat Kitty (Mark) had a wonderful session observing the cluster and...

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11-23-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 08 November 2021"

Sometimes comparing objects that you have observed to published photos can confirm impressions one has at the eyepiece. In KT4HX (Alan's) case, this ocurred with NGC 673 where a significant difference in brightness was noticed by him between...

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11-22-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Saturn's Moons"

Today's award goes to jrkirkham (Rob) once again for his spledid observing session with Saturn's moons using his C-11. While gazing at the ringed planet he was able to discern Titan, Rhea, Tethys, and Dione. Quite an accomplishment and as he mentions...

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11-20-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Verdict: My Warm Room is Warm"

An evening in a warm room with an observatory certainly is preferable to one without for both visual observing and astrophotography. Jrkirkham (Rob) describes his "man-cave" experience on a chilly night, plus he managed both to observe and...

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11-19-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lunar Eclipse November 18-19 2021"

Nice work everyone in this thread started by Bigzmey (Andrey).Truly it was a collective effort to see/capture the lunar eclipse and worthy of the VROD to all involved. I personally was clouded out even if it was visible from here. So the honor...

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11-17-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"iOptron 150mm Mak first light"

Yesterday Bigzmey (Andrey) composed a super report about his experiences from home with a new scope as part of the legacy of Hankmeister3 (Henry), former forum member and friend of John Donne (Mark), who sent the scope to Andrey. The scope, a 150mm...

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11-16-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Short Visual Report - yes, a Visual Report"

Today's featured topic is an observational session by Juno16 (Jim) who broke away from his normal astrophotography routine to see the sights with his own eyes, using his ES ED102 refractor. Amongst the objects he viewed included a...

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11-14-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Short and Sweet"

When one gets the opportunity to do outreach, or better yet share the night skies with the younger set it is always rewarding. Follow along as Unitron48 (Dave) had his grandson view the moon and planets, ideal targets right now with the moon very prevalent. Congratulations...

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11-12-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Aquarius Doubles"

Today's featured report comes from team member Bigzmey (Andrey) who was able to get out at home (Bortle 6) and do some double star observing. Follow along as he uses his 102 mm scope to split a laundry list of these objects in Aqarius. It was an extra special...

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11-12-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Aquarius Doubles"

Today's featured report comes from team member Bigzmey (Andrey) who was able to get out at home (Bortle 6) and do some double star observing. Follow along as he uses his 102 mm scope to split a laundry list of these objects in Aqarius. It was an extra special...

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10-10-2012 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 07 November 2021 - good to be back in action"

Today's featured report comes from team member KT4HX(Alan) who explored a vast array of galaxies in a variety of constellations including Aries and Sculptor. Follow along as he describes the views of these deep...

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10-9-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Some city nights are better than others, deepsky with a 6 inch"

Today's featured report comes from team member John Baars who spent a great evening observing deep sky objects from the backyard - including NGC 404 (Mirach's Ghost), M33, M77, Kemble's Cascade, Caroline's...

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11-7-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Outreach - USNA"

Follow along as Unitron48 (Dave) describes a great outreach session at the U.S. Naval Academy, with over 100 midshipmen and their family members participating. Not only does the campus have an observatory but also a planetarium. Dave's club (and Dave) brought...

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11-6-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sigma Orionis"

Today's featured report is a series of observations in Orion, which is becoming favorable to visit if one stays up relatively late in the eve, Member John Donne (Mark) has done a great job with M42 and M43 and the Sigma Orionis star system, which is included in...

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11-4-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Caroline's Rose Cluster, easy to find, observable with 10 cm"

NGC 7789 is a wonderful target in Cassiopeia. Today's featured report is team member John Baars effort to find it through a 4" scope, which approximates the aperture of the instrument Caroline Herschel (William's...

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11-3-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"After Two Months Finally A Trip to my Dark Sky Site"

Today we feature a report from refractordude who was able to take out his 150mm f/8 refractor for some dark sky observing. At his location he was able to observe M31 and M110 with some excellent views, as well as Saturn and Jupiter....

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11-2-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Spooky Halloween Observation Report"

Here we are in the beginning of November with some summer season objects still visible in the early evenings, but without mosquitoes and other bugs. The Wave Catcher (Steve) took the opportunity afforded to him on Halloween night to view some...

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11-1-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lacertae Nebulae: Planck Galactic Cold Clump, Sh2-126, and LBN 420 through LBN 463"

Today we feature a wonderful series of reports on the nebulosity associated with the constellation Lacerta observed through various pairs of binoculars and a 6" f/5 refractor by member j.gardavsky...

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10-30-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Clear Nights 27-31 Oct 2021"

Today we feature a report by Mike Marotta which spans the course of two evenings, and likely will continue this evening. Amongst the objects viewed by Mike through his ES 102 Achromatic refractor were Jupiter and Saturn, M42, Sigma Orionis, Alpha and...

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10-219-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Bright evening, triple observing"

Follow along with John Baars as he explores Uranus, Neptune, Jupiter, and Saturn with his 120mm ED as well as the Double Cluster, Kimble's Cascade. M31, M32, the Pleiades and others in what was a very good session. And to top it off, he had...

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10-28-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Orion floating in the sky"

At Bigzmey's nomination this report wins the VROD of the day.

Yours truly was out with the scope yesterday morning at 5:30 to see the sights. Along with some old favorites I was able to pick up the Flaming Star Nebula (IC 405) in Auriga which...

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10-27-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Anticipating a Report"

Actually the TSS VROD award goes to John Donne (Mark) who made three reports in his topic thread. The first report concerns the anticipated sky conditions, the second report covers the journey to the observing site, while the third report concerns the observational...

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10-25-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First light, new location"

Unitron48 (Dave) has moved to a new location with darker skies. He was able to get out and do some observing of double stars and globular clusters with the Milky Way visible in his SV110ED scope, a veritable "first light" experience. Congratulations...

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10-24-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspots on 24/10/21"

Today's report features a sketch by mariosi of sunspots on the solar limb from Cyprus. This outstanding sketch is the TSS Visual Report of the Day!

LINK to the original topic

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8-23-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A City Dweller Report"

Certainly there are challenges for urban stargazers in punching through heavy light pollution one finds in the city and suburbs, each of which appears to get more light polluted with passing years. However, the Wave Catcher (Steve) was able to get out with...

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10-22-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Goto works"

Today we dig into the past to experience a report from Shabadoo (Jeff) who practiced his GOTO skills during a session last October. He was able to locate Jupiter, Saturn, and M31 - along with Capella and a series of other objects including some double stars and Neptune,...

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10-20-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mars Report (evening of 10-17-2020)"

Today we take a trip back to last year when many of us were enjoying the sight of Mars at opposition. Even though Mars is not at opposition again until December 4th, 2022, it's fun to reminisce. Terry Nak's report provides a good overview...

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10-18-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Three Telescopes in a Soupy Sky"

In today's featured report, John Donne explores Jupiter and the moon using a combination of three scopes, a 72mm f/5.8, a 100mm f/9, and a 110 mm f/6 - all refractors. Follow along as he describes the views through different apertures and magnifications....

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10-17-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two first timers"

Today Refractordude is the winner of the Visual Report of the Day for his observations from last October (2020). He accomplished two great things - seeing the "E" Star in the Trapezium (Orion) for the first time and also a successful split of the blue...

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10-13-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"NGC 2158"

Have you ever seen NGC 2158?

It is a cluster appearing to be embedded within Messier 35 in Gemini but actually is much further away from Earth. Looking off to the side of the M35 cluster with an ST-80, member Pakarinen (Olen) was able to detect it's ghostly...

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10-11-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Museum night at Christiaan Huygens' house, a special outreach"

Today we feature a highly interesting and unique report from John Baars regarding the annual event where museums stay open into the, late eve, and beer is served. In John's case he completed outreach with more...

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10-9-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I was blind."

Member Messier111 (Jean-Yves) recently had cataract surgery on an eye. After the healing period, he was able to get out last eve and enjoy a view of Jupiter through both 60mm and 120mm scopes. What he was able to see post-surgery was almost a revelation - detailed...

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10-8-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"nFA observing report 03 October 2021"

Today we feature another report where an attempt was made to test some new equipment during an observing session. Not only can the observer learn something new but also the audience who reads the report. In this case, notFritzArgelander (nFA)...

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10-7-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Astronomy Report – 2021-10-04 First Light Baader Hyperion EP, N.I.N.A. TPPA"

Once in awhile something really exciting happens like getting a whole new set of eyepieces, in this case chris_g tries out a series of Baader Hyperions. Follow along as he describes his observations...

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10-6-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A quick view with new kit"

Today we feature a report from John Donne (Mark) where he tries out a 150mm Ritchey Chretien scope that formerly belonged to forum member Henry. Follow along as he observes a selection of stars and finally Jupiter and the Great red spot. Since his aim...

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10-5-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Another Successful Outreach"

Today we are fortunate to be able to highlight Unitron48's (Dave's) latest group session. With everything from the planets including the outer gas giants to Messier Objects with a 30" Obsession and double stars through Dave's scope being...

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10-4-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 29 September 2021 - lots of galaxies north and south"

Today's highlight is a detailed and fccused report on galactic observing by team member KT4HX (Alan) who explored Pegasus, Pisces Austrinus, Grus, Sculptor, and Pisces for new objects including 50 galaxies...

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10-3-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"nFA observing report 27 Sept 2021"

Today's featured report comes from notFritzArgelander (nFA) and includes a very detailed discussion of eyepieces and filters used during the session and their relative performance. These were probably used to the greatest effect in revealing...

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10-2-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Glimpse of G1 in Andromeda"

Well after four nominations I suppose it's OK to highlight my own report. G1 can be a tough target yet worthwhile if conditions are good. Two night ago there was reasonable darkness and excellent seeing, so I thought I would go after this elusive...

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9-30-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Trotting through the Messiers"

What does poor transparency do to an observing evening? Today's featured report from John Donne (Mark) includes some DSO views and also observations of the planets. Follow along as he describes his time at the eyepiece. Overall, it sounds like...

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9-29-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Light for a Mak"

Today's featured report being highlighted dates back to October 1, 2020 when many of us were preparing for Mars at opposition. As a result the red planet was getting closer and closer to earth. Star Dad was able to borrow a 7" Mak-Cassegrain f/15...

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9-27-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A small race against the clock, from GRS to ET.

While on holiday, team member John Baars managed a binocular observation of M81 and M82 through his 15 x 70 pair. Returning home, taking his grab-and-go 102 Mak, he proceeded to see both Jupiter (including the great red spot) and Saturn,...

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9-26-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Astronomy Report - 21 -09 -21 - Another Clear Autumn Night"

Today's featured report as nominated by Makuser (Marshall) belongs to chris_g (Chris) who managed successful views of Jupiter and particularly Saturn with its amazing and complicated series of rings. Furthermore, his...

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9-25-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Great Night Under the Stars!"

Today we feature a report from Unitron48 (Dave) consisting of an evening of observing and outreach at the Morning Calm Observatory (MCO) during which time three instruments were used - a 30" Obsession for mostly observing Deep Sky Objects, a 12"...

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9-24-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Binoculars First Light"

Today's featured report is a first light experience from team member Graeme1858 (Graeme) using his new11x70 APM binoculars. Switching up from 10x50's to 70mm aperture results in an almost exponential increase in the number of stars visible, and objects...

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9-22-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Harvest Moon session "

Sometimes it is wonderful to enjoy a full moon. That's exactly what Bigzmey (Andrey) did as he set up for observing with his Stellarvue 102, noting the light shining off the desert landscape and the nearby mountains at his Anza site. He managed views of...

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9-21-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observation Report - 21-09-10 and 21-09-11, Family Star Party, Elm Grove, LA"

Getting together with family and friends and sharing the night skies is always a great experience. After being stymied in his AP attempt, chris_g (Chris) was able to view the moon and Saturn with family,...

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9-20-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Moon, Planets, and Doubles"

What to do when the moon is nearly full? Well the obvious targets are luna itself and the planets. Follow along as KingNothing13 (Brett) delves into the majesty of lunar craters and mountain ranges including Copernicus and Tycho and their spray patterns...

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9-19-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sept 17 2021 views and Kit"

Today we focus on a planetary observing report as John Donne (Mark) was able to enjoy some detailed views of Jupiter and Saturn using both 72mm and 110mm scopes with the 110 providing superb performance. He completed views of the A, B, and C rings of...

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9-18-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Another Blast from the Past"

Today's featured report comes from bladekeeper (Bryan) and dates back to the days of the old forum, in fact Sept. 14th, 2018. Follow along as he explores the moon, Mars, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and even Pluto. Plus, he was able to view Titania and...

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9-17-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 25 March 2009 - say what?"

One of our themes over the past couple of days in our series of featured topics on observational astronomy is to highlight some classic reports from some very experienced observers to show two things (1) how easy it is to start documenting...

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9-16-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Uranus, Perseus galaxy and Cygnus Nebulae from six years ago"

Today we feature a real treat - Bigzmey's (Andrey) first report he ever filed, which kindered a long series of outstanding and detailed posts. For a first effort, it is impressive. Follow along as he views Uranus,...

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9-15-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Report 007"

Today the featured report is by jnicholes (Jared) who managed to get out around 8:30 in the evening and observed a total of 5 objects including M2, M52, M13, Jupiter and Saturn with his 80mm 900mm fl refractor. Not only were the objects seen visually but he includes...

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9-14-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"What a few clear nights can achieve"

Today we feature a report dating back to 9-13-2020 by Greenman (Tony). Follow along as he completes observations of M31 as well as M81 and M82 after getting his scope polar aligned. Next, he turned his attention to Mars, which as we recall was...

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9-13-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Winter galaxies"

Now is a great time to observe the winter galaxies if one stays up late enough or gets up early. Follow along as Bigzmey (Andrey) makes more progress in completing the Herschel lists under the dark skies of the Anza Desert. These objects comprise an observing treat,...

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9-12-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 06 September 2021 - galaxies and other things"

Today we highlight Alan's (KT4HX report) as he explores Hercules as a galaxy hunting ground. Utilizing his 17.5" Dob from his dark sky location, he managed to pull in a wide variety of these faint denizens...

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9-10-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A little pre-dawn observing 9.5.2021"

Today's featured topic was posted by Pakarinen (Olen) who managed to get out for a morning session on 9-5-2021 around 3am. Follow along as he observed a range of objects with his 80mm refractor including the Orion Nebula, the trifecta of...

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9-8-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Whale and the River"

Exploring some of the fainter constellations requires darker skies than your typical urban or suburban enviroment just to see them naked eye. In this case, we follow along with Bigzmey (Andrey) as he takes advantage of the dark skies of the Anza desert to...

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9-7-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Transit of Ganymede"

Today's featured report is courtesy of John Donne (Mark). While enjoying a social observing session with other folks nearby, Mark was able to catch the transit of Ganymede across the face of Jupiter and complete some sketches of the progress of the satellite....

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9-6-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 02 September 2021 - Swimming with dim little fishies"

Follow along as team member Alan (KT4HX) explores a bevy of galaxies in Aquarius and Pisces using his 17.5" Dobsonian. A wide variety of galaxies were observed including 16 lenticulars, 6 barred spirals,...

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9-5-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"9.3.2021 - TSS Challenges and Others"

KingNothing13 (Brett) had an outstanding observing session featuring views of carbon stars and also KT4HX's challenge objects including some clusters and also the galaxy NGC 7331. Lastly he focused on Jupiter and completed a successful observation...

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9-4-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Jupiter Observation 9/4/2021 2:00 UT"

Today we highlight a successful observation of Jupiter by member WilliamPaolini (William). He used a Vixen 81S APO to reveal the belts of Jupiter in both the North and South regions as well as the Equatorial bands, coupled with additional observations...

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9-3-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

""Sunspots 31/8/21 - 1/9/21 - 2/9/21"

Today's featured report is a set of sketches by Marios of our solar neighbor. As you can see, he did a great job capturing the sunspots over a three day period using a 10" Dob. Congratulations Marios on your fascinating report,...

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9-2-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"OMG OMG!! I saw andromeda galaxy for the first time naked eye!"

Today's featured report is realflow100's naked-eye view of the Andromeda Galaxy. It is indeed satisfying to be able to pick it out from light polluted skies and discern its ghostly shape. Perhaps it should be...

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8-30-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Scutum and Scorpius on a Hot Night"

Since I was nominated for the VROD by @turboscrew (Juha) I'll post this as the report of the day. Nothing fancy, just a jaunt through Scutum, Scorpius, and a bit of Sagittarius looking at globs and nebulae. The LP is generally rough on these...

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8-28-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Some summer challenge doubles for 5 to 6 inch class scopes"

Today's featured report is from John Fitzgerald who observed double stars in Lyra, Delphinus, and Cygnus using his 6" f/8 APO scope. By ramping up the power he achieved some very impressive splits, for example...

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8-27-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I HATE open clusters"

Today's featured report goes all the way back to August 2020 now that we find ouselves on August 27th, 2021. Whether you like them or not, OC's are plentiful in summer and comprise one of the more interesting classes of objects to observe, and our featured...

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8-24-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Ophiuchus Doubles"

Featured today is an excellent report by Bigzmey (Andrey) who traveled to his Anza desert site to catch some double stars in Ophiuchus. With a full moon they make a great target on otherwise inactive nights. Follow along as he describes his observations, and amongst...

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8-23-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sh2-27, LBN, and MBM nebulae in Ophiucus, Serpens Caput, Libra, and Scorpius"

Today's featured report is from j.gardavsky (JG) who updates us with his more recent observations of nebulosity associated with the constellations Ophiuchus, Serpens Caput, Libra, and Scorpius. The...

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8-22-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"moon and planets."

Today's featured report is from OzEclipse (Joe). Using an 18" Dob follow along as Joe describes his view of the moon up to powers as high as 500x, focusing on craters and the limb of luna. After that, he observed Jupiter, but didn't get a chance to...

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8-22-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"moon and planets."

Today's featured report is from OzEclipse (Joe). Using an 18" Dob follow along as Joe describes his view of the moon up to powers as high as 500x, focusing on craters and the limb of luna. After that, he observed Jupiter, but didn't get a chance to...

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8-21-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observation Report - 08-20-21 - Another awesome night"

Today's featured report is from chris_g who managed to get out and do some planetary observing focusing on Jupiter, which now is in the vicinity of the moon. Just a reminder that Big Jupe and its moons are a worthy target....

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8-19-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Dark Site? Check. Messier 33? Check!"

Today we feature a report dating back to August 27th, 2020. Pakarinen (Olen) was able to take advantage of a dark sky site and conducted a successful observation of Messier 33, the Triangulum Galaxy through his ST80. Believe it or not, M33 is...

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8-17-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sketch impression of Jupiter in a 102mm Maksutov"

Team member John Baars has rendered an outstanding sketch of Jupiter as viewed through a 102mm Maksutov with a 14mm eyepiece. First the observation was carried out and then the sketch produced from memory the following morning. Congratulations...

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8-15-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Scorpio nebulae, clusters, and meteor shower."

One of the exciting things about visual astronomy is the innumerable quantity of objects that may be observed from dark skies. While some folks stay with the showpieces of the season, others push their skillset to the limit and "really...

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8-14-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Pluto Observation"

Overall we have not had too many observations of Pluto, the non-planet. Hence today's featured report is from last summer and was carried out by member Nakedgun with his 12.5" Dobsonian. Using charts from Sky & Telescope he was able to track its position...

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8-12-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Something old, something new, something fuzzy, something blue"

Todays award winner is OzEclipse (Joe) who has put together an excellent and highly detailed report of his observations from Tuesday evening. Viewing a plethora of galaxies, nebulae, and clusters he logged the observations...

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8-11-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Perseid's on the Rise!

Today's highlighted report has a wonderful subject, the annual Perseid meteor show. Member Unitron48 (Dave) spent two nights counting meteors that he observed visually. Visible without optical aid, these August meteors are amongst the top naked eye targets...

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8-9-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 05 August 2021 - a surprisingly successful evening"

Today's featured report features jaunts through three constellations in the hunt for clusters and galaxies. Follow along as KT4HX (Alan) observes with his 17.5" Dob in Scorpius, Pegasus, and Andromeda...

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8-8-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observation Report - 08-07-21 - Success!"

Today's featured report by member chris_g describes the process of setting up the mount, getting the goto working, and then observing with a variety of eyepieces under Bortle 5 skies. Chris ended up observing most successfully with a...

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8-5-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Scorpio tail and Jupiter triple transit"

Today's featured report from Bigzmey (Andrey) includes some great cluster and asterism observing in Scorpius along with an absolute home run of an observation as Andrey was able to see and capture by sketching a triple transit of three...

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8-3-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"31 July to 01 August: A good night of viewing"

Sometimes one starts a session and whiffs on the initial planned targets. It happens to the best of us on occasion, but if one perseveres the evening can be counted as a success when you locate objects that were not on the original...

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8-2-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lyra to Cygnus and Hercules: The Lynds, MW, MDW, MBM, and the Mel Bartels Nebula"

Todays' report represents an outstanding effort to observe faint and extended nebulae with 10.5x70, 15x85 and 8x56 binoculars in the constellations mentioned above. These faint loops of gas are...

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8-1-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day Award.

"Observing Report night of 7/25 to morning of 7/26"

Today's award winner is a report from member Big_Eight documenting their experience observing the moon, Albireo, and later on, catching the shadow of a transiting Io across the face of Jupiter. It's a geat report as the...

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7-31-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"July 2021 TSS DSO Challenge"

Today's featured report is KT4HX's session in Ara, a constellation not observable for the most part by those in Northerly lattitudes, but caught by Alan in his ED80 5 years ago at a location 5 degrees south of the Equator. The observations include...

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7-30-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Three easy, unequal double stars for July evenings"

In today's featured report, John Fitzgerald introduces us to a set of three double stars - two in Scorpius and one in Lyra. See if you can split these doubles! Congratulations John on winning the VROD for today.

LINK...

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7-28-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Eastern Veil Nebula (and Others)"

Today we feature a report from terrynak (Terry) on observing the Eastern Veil Nebula in Cygnus. Now that the constellation is well-positioned for observation, Terry's report provides encouragement for observers who may never have seen the Veil...

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7-26-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lunar X, and Rupes Recta on the 18th of June, 2021"

Today's report comes from j.gardavsky (JG) and documents his observation/image of the Lunar X feature and Rupes Recta on the moon using his Leica APO 82mm Televid. Congratulations JG on winning the TSS Visual Report of the...

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7-24-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report 17-18 July 2021"

Today we feature a report from Mike Marotta, who observed M7 the Butterfly Cluster through binoculars and Jupiter through a 102 mm refractor. He was able to successully watch the transit of Europa across the planet's face. Congratualtions Mike...

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7-23-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Double Stars Eta Draconis and STF 2054"

Today's featured report is courtesy of member John Fitzgerald. Using his 10" f/5 Dob he managed to split Eta Draconis and STF 2054. Both of these double star systems are rather hard to separate especially in poorer seeing conditions....

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7-20-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day!

"My Comet NEOWISE Report (in a blog style)"

Today we feature a blast from the past, dating back to July 19th, 2020. If you can remember last summer, you will probably recall the appearance of comet NEOWISE first as a morning object, then later as an evening object. In this report...

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7-18-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 15 July 2021 - dew, fog, and success"

Today we feature an excellent report from team member KT4HX (Alan) who braved the moon, dew, and fog in order to record a great session. Starting off with his 17.5" Dob he plumbed the depths of Cygnus for open clusters...

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7-16-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Pentax XL 40mm first light and some galaxy hunting"

And the winner for today...is Bigzmey (Andrey). We are treated to an oustanding report of galaxies in Virgo and Bootes as well as a review of a Pentax XL 40 eyepiece in comparison to some others in his kit. Overall it was a great...

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7-14-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Search for Pluto...."

Spotting Pluto is indeed tough, a faint star-like object moving slowly across a starry background. How can one be sure that they have seen it? Typically it can only be confirmed by sketching over a period of several days or snapping a photo and then comparing...

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7-12-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Abell Galaxy Clusters 2197 & 2199"

Today we highlight a report from member Mark Moyer who observed a couple of clusters of galaxies on Saturday night. As he mentions, galaxy season is beginning to come to an end for the year, at least for the bright showpieces. But there is...

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7-11-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"2021 - 07 - 10 : Virgo M's and some others"

Today we feature a report by KingNothing13 (Brett) who spent some time in the backyard observing members of the Virgo Cluster as well as the Veil, Dumbbell, and Ring Nebulas. Follow along as he describes his observations in detail....

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7-10-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 05 July 2021 - dew and fog and galaxies, oh my"
Today's report features an extensive session of galaxy observing in the constellations Hercules and Ophiuchus, with an open cluster in Aquila also, by KT4HX (Alan) with his 17.5" Dobsonian, While conditions...

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7-9-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Report 004"

Today we highlight jnicholes (Jared's) astronomy report featuring cell phone snaps of many prominent summer showpieces, closely approximating what can be seen at the eyepiece through an amateur scope. Thanks to member turboscrew for nominating this report for the...

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7-8-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Virgo and Booties Galaxies"

Before they set once and for all for the year 2021, there still is time to observe galaxies in Bootes and Virgo, as evidenced by Bigzmey's (Andrey) success in the West from the dark skies of Anza Borrego using a Celestron 9.25" Edge HD. Follow...

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7-7-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 03 July 2021 - a rough night in the field"

Sometimes we lay out the best intended observing plans but for whatever reason - fast moving clouds, sudden changes in seeing, extraneous light intrusions our plans are scuttled and one has to start anew or just deal...

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7-6-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Double star Zeta Herculi between clouds"

When observing double stars one must often increase the power to over 200x to get a degree of separation or even a recognizable bulge between the primary and its companion. Team member John Baars has done this with Zeta Herculi followed up...

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7-4-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observation Report July 3, 2021"

Binocular observing offers many rewards. One can enjoy a wide field of view and enjoy the vast starfields of Summer. Follow along as Caddman (Glenn) explores Cassiopeia, Cepheus, Sagittarius and Scutum and the riches therein, including globular and...

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7-3-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Double Solar System Session"

Today's featured report dates back exactly one year ago to July 3, 2020. Follw along as terrynak (Terry) explores the moon and planets with a 50mm Galileoscope. It's a great example of how much one can see even at this level of aperture, from...

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7-1-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"C/2020 T2 (Palomar) comet and a bit of Virgo"

Racing against the rising moon, member Bigzmey (Andrey) headed out to the dark skies of Anza Borrego to observe a comet and a selection of galaxies in Virgo. In order to catch these objects before they set one must get started after...

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6-30-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Extended Observing Report - 29/30 June"

Sometimes one can get in two observing sessions in the space of a day/eve. That's exactly what Unitron48 (Dave) accomplished yesterday, with a solar session in the afternoon and then a long evening session of observing the moon, planets,...

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6-29-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"The Pluto Report"

Today we feature an attempt to observe/capture the motion of Pluto over a two night sequence. It certainly is possible to pass over the former planet visually as it is indistinguishable from a faint star and shows no disk. Therefore, sketching or snapping a photo...

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6-27-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Astronomical events from the Anglo-Saxon chronicles"

It is not everyday where we get a report from the 9th-12th centuries but that's what we have here. Member Chich has painstakingly researched the Anglo-Saxon Chonicles...

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6-26-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Antares last evening"

One of the tougher double stars to split is Antares, with a nearby faintish companion. However, member John Fitzgerald gave it a try and had some success in the endeavor. As we are now enjoying the Summer evenings with a wide variety of observing targets to...

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6-25-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 05 March 2021 - cruisin' with the cats"

Today we feature a report from this past Spring observing season by team member kt4hx (Alan). Plumbing the depths of Lynx and Leo follow along as he observes a bevy of galaxies from his dark sky spot using his 17.5"...

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6-24-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Some Ophiuchus double stars"

While the constellation Ophiuchus is known for its collection of open and globular clusters and sometimes also for its obscuring regions of dust, there are other treasures to be found there in the form of Double stars. Member John Fitzgerald does an...

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6-23-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mostly Lunar"

Follow along as Bigzmey (Andrey) takes us on an adventure using a variety of equipment and targets from his Bortle 6.0 backyard. He describes binoviewing of the moon, some testing of different eyepieces, and finally observations of asteroids. From home, these kinds...

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6-22-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First Astronomy Report"

Today's featured report comes from jnicholes (Jared) who observed classic spring and summer objects through an 80mm 900 mm focal length refractor and used the NightCap phone app to capture what he was seeing. As you can see, the objects appear very similar...

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6-20-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Ursa Major Galaxies"

Probably many folks can spot the Big Dipper, even if they are not astronomically inclined. However, they don't know about the number of galaxies within and around the Dipper asterism, nor do they know that the Dipper's home constellation, Ursa Major...

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6-19-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"First View: Great Red Spot"

Member mikemarotta was able to glimpse one of the hard to see features on Jupiter using his ES 102 refractor - not really easy these days as the great spot has faded considerably since the 1970's. This decades old storm seems to be quieting down slightly....

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6-18-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Night of Doubles...and Other Things"

Member Unitron48 (Dave) managed to participate in a group session with access to various scopes including a 30" Dob. During the session, a large number of double stars were observed along with many Summer Messier objects. They wrapped...

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6-17-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A brief cluster duster last night 6.16.21"

Follow along with Pakarinen (Olen) as he explores regions of Ophiuchus searching for open clusters. For some reason, Charles Messier missed some impressive objects in his "comet" survey. Nevertheless, they make up some excellent...

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6-16-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"More Serpens double stars"

Today we feature another report by John Fitzgerald, who continued his activity of the previous evening by exploring additional double stars in Serpens. Observing nine doubles, follow along as he describes the appearance of each pair. There is a wide variety...

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6-15-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Western Serpens double stars on June 14"

Today we feature a double star observing report by John Fitzgerald, who spent some time in Serpens using his 6" APO. Thanks for the detailed report John and congratulations on winning the VROD for today!

LINK...

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6-14-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Proxima Centauri"

Not many of us have seen Proxima Centauri visually because of its close proximation to Alpha. However, member NGC 1365 has concluded a successful observation of the diminutive star using an 18" f/4.5 Dobsonian telescope. Follow along by reading his report...

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6-13-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"M94 and a Red Carbon star."

Today we feature a report from an early Spring evening this year, now that we are one week from the official start of summer. John Baars using his 120 ED Evostar doublet tracks down galaxies in Leo and Canes Venatici with some good advice for urban/suburban...

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6-11-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Draco and Ursa Major Galaxies"

Bigzmey (Andrey) takes us on a spectacular journey through Draco and Ursa Major, building on his observations of the past week from his dark sky site (Bortle 3.5) in the Anza Desert using a Celestron Edge 9.25" SCT and a 150mm Celestron Achro....

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6-10-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Patrick's January 2021 Reports"

Today we feature a report originally filed in January 2021 by patrickdives (Patrick) consisting of outstanding observations of the winter showpieces using a 15" Obsession Classic Dobsonian. Patrick was able to log numerous objects with excellent...

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6-9-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Under Dark Skies Again Observation Report"

Todaw we highlight refractordude's session at Point Lookout State Park in Maryland where he planned to do some stargazing (and fishing). After the fishing, he arrived at his dark sky location and managed a view of some favorite Springtime...

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6-8-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 04 June 2021 - tucked away in a corner of Virgo"

Before Springtime comes to an end and before the time when star clusters and nebulae dominate the Summertime skies there still is an opportunity to catch those denizens of the season: Galaxies! Follow along as...

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6-7-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Hole in a cluster, NGC6811. Or two holes in two clusters?"

Today we feature an observation by team member John Baars of a lesser known open cluster NGC 6811 and an even lesser known cluster apparently without a designation. Congratulations John on the view and sketch of these two...

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6-6-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Rare Northern Capture"

Can you see Omega Centauri from your latitude? For the bulk of observers in the U.S., Canada, and Europe it is not visible above the horizon. However, for those in the Southern Hemisphere and the lower Northern Hemisphere it is a Celestial showpiece. Follow...

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6-5-2021 TSS Visual Award of the Day.

"Draco Galaxies"

Today we feature an excursion into the constellation Draco the dragon by Bigzmey (Andrey) from his dark sky spot in the Anza Desert of Southern California. Being kind of faint, Draco is hard to make out from urban and suburban skies just like other hard-to-see constellations....

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6-4-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Unplanned Binocular Observing with my 20 x 80's"

Binoculars are probably the ultimate grab-n-go gadget in the kit of most amateurs. Not only are they useful for finding targets for star hopping in a bigger scope, they open up a whole new wide-angle view of the heavens. Heavier...

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6-3-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"U Sge"

Member pakarinen (Olen) managed a glimpse of an eclipsing binary in Sagitta which varies from magnitude 6.5 to a bit fainter than magnitude 9 over a period of 3.38 days. To find it look for the coathanger (Cr399) in the same field of view with a low power eyepiece. Congratulations...

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6-1-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"After 4 years, finally a report!"

Member omeek (Oliver) takes us on a walk through Coma Berenices, Canes Venatici, and lastly Leo for a glimpse of Spring showpieces that make delightful galactic eye candy. Now observing from Bortle 4 skies in Arizona rather than Bortle 8/9 skies,...

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5-31-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"One double star, two refractors."

Putting one's equipment to the test by examining an object in two differerent telescopes can be a useful exercise to determine which optical system performs better with which eyepiece. Team member John Baars put his 150mm Achro and 120mm APO...

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5-30-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Private starparty - 29 of May"

Today's featured report is from member Robko, who takes us along on a journey using an 18" Obsession Dobsonian.With a scope of this size even features such as the central star in M57 are visible, the globular cluster M56, sometimes overlooked...

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5-29-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mars (10-30-20)"

Many of us had the opportunity to view Mars last fall while it was at opposition. Today we feature terrynak's (Terry's) report on the red planet which rates as a classic because of the detail he was able to discern using a 6" f/8 Newtonian. Congratulations...

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5-28-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Reminder for upcoming Asteroid (4) Vesta - Leo Triplet Conjunction"

Today's report by team member Astrobee (Greg) focuses on a future event rather than a past observation. On June 10th, 2021 Vesta will pass close to M65 in Leo. By focusing on the immediate Leo triplet area,...

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5-27-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Total Lunar Eclipse - May 26, 2021"

Follow along as OzEclipse (Joe) reports on his experience observing the total lunar eclipse on May 26th, 2021. It was his 24th successful observation of the phenomenon, which must be a record. Congratulations Joe on winning the VROD for the day!

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5-26-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lunar binoviewing"

Binoviewers are an interesting accessory for telescopes as they allow simultaneous viewing of an object with both eyes. Of course, when using them two matching eyepieces are necessary for satisfactory views. Follow along as Bigzmey (Andrey) describes his experiences...

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5-25-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Moon: Cross of thin rays in Babbage, 23rd May 2021"

Today we feature an excellent observation of a feature on the moon by j.gardavsky (JG). Using a 6" f/5 Achromatic refractor he was able to pick up thin rays of light close to the center of the Babbage A crater. Congratulations...

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5-24-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"I think I got to see some more faint objects in the milkyway. m22. lagoon swan nebulas"

Many folks can only observe from very light polluted locatioms such as city centers. Oftentimes the advice to these observers is stick with the moon and planets, which can still be easily found...

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5-23-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing report for 19 May 2021 - galaxies in a moonlit sky"

For some observers the moon's presence means it is time to stay inside for the evening and wait til a few days before the new moon to venture out under moonless skies. For others however, who can deal with the challenge...

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5-23-21 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing report for 19 May 2021 - galaxies in a moonlit sky"

For some observers the moon's presence means it is time to stay inside for the evening and wait til a few days before the new moon to venture out under moonless skies. For others however, who can deal with the challenge...

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5-22-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Venus and Mercury 05/18/2021"

Today we feature another observation of Mercury, this time telescopically by Bigzmey (Andrey) who was able to get out at dusk and catch the planet is his Celestron 80mm ED scope. He was able to resolve the planet as a small crescent at approximately...

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5-21-2021 TSS Visual Report of The Day.

"Mercury at greatest eastern elongation 5-17-2021"

Some targets are fleeting at best or require special preparation, as Mercury does on many occasions. Because it usually is so close to the sun, the times when it can be observed successfully are limited, usually just after sunset...

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5-20-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lunar Check"

The Lunar X and V are transient Clair Obscur effects which are visible on the lunar surface once a month for about four hours. The lunar phase illumination during which they can be seen during 2021 varies between 41% and 55% illuminated...

Today we recognize...

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5-19-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Another of those grabngo evenings, experimenting and M13"

Today we feature a very interesting report from John Baars in which he attempts to locate objects prior to actual darkness, when even bright stars like Arcturus are not yet visible. Yet, with careful use of positioning, it...

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5-18-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"M51, March 11, 2021"

Today we look back to the month of March to highlight an observation of M51 by John Donne through a Skywatcher Evostar 100mm Doublet. Switching between various eyepieces he was able to discern M51 and NGC 5195 its companion galaxy. As you may know, the two galaxies...

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5-17-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"An Astrofeast at 34 South"

Today we feature quite an astronomical adventure as well as some culinary delights courtesy of OzEclipse (Joe). Inviting some friends over for an astroparty they were able to get a taste of his cooking, enjoy some time around the fire and finally on to...

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5-16-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Zoom Eyepiece for DSO"

Today we highlight a commentary on the pros and cons of zoom eyepieces for observing. Member refractordude started the conversation in the reports forum, mentioning that he observed M104 the Sombrero galaxy for the first time using a zoom EP noting the benefits...

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5-15-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A Night in the City"

Those observing from the City or nearby suburbs have a challenge with light pollution. Not only are there nearby lights from neighbors and/or streetlights, but there is a high level of overall skyglow which makes observing distended objects difficult-to-impossible....

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5-14-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 01 May 2021 - adventures in globular and galaxy hunting"

Today we feature an outstanding report by KT4HX (Alan) on his extensive observations of globular clusters and galaxies with his 17.5" Dob primarily in the constellations Coma Berenices, Hydra, and...

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5-13-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Booties Galaxies"

Today Bigzmey (Andrey) takes us on an excursion through Bootes from the fabulous skies of Anza Borrego in Southern California with his 9.25" Celestron Edge. While not always a primary DSO destination in the Spring, the constellation is home to numerous galaxies...

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5-12-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sharpless and Lynds nebulae in Orion through the binoculars"

Most of us are quite familiar with M42, the Horsehead/Flame complex and maybe M78 when it comes to telescopic views and photographs in the constellation Orion. But is it possible to go even deeper into the more mysterious...

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5-11-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"May 8 - a Four Galaxy Night"

Observing for the first time in a year, member Don Alvarez was able to chase down four galaxies from amongst the springtime riches of the distant island universes. Follow along as he observes M81 and M82, M51, and M104. Congratulations to Don on winning...

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5-10-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Eclipse of Europa by Io"

Today we feature an excellent report by OzEclipse (Joe) using an ED80mm scope from his site in Australia at approximately 2:34-2:38 A.M. local time. It's not too often that one encounters, much less observes, an eclipse of satellites/moons in our solar...

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5-9-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"1759 report on the return of Halley's comet"

Today we are fortunate to have a 262-year old report to consider. For this we have to thank member Chich, who transcribed the report written by a gentleman called Astrophilus back in the 18th century. By this time it was known that...

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5-8-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Lyrids Meteors"

Taking the time to watch a meteor shower is one of the most pleasant stargazing experiences for many, especially in spring and summer when the weather is warmer. Leaning back in a lounge chair and looking up at the night sky makes us realize how small and insignificant...

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5-7-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Unwilling objects from the city, M 51 and NGC 4565"

Today we highlight a great report by team member John Baars through his 150mm achromat. Not only did John observe members of the Virgo Cluster, but he also managed a glimpse of M51 the Whirlpool galaxy and NGC 4565 the Needle galaxy....

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5-6-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Are visual observers a dying breed?"

Today we are highlighting a well-discussed topic brought forth by Bigzmey (Andrey). As one can see it has generated a lot of interest and comments and focuses on the challenges to visual observing as we know it, partly because of new technologies...

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5-5-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Back into it"

Today we feature a report by Dave Sellars as he navigates the early spring sky with a late night/early morning observing session through a 120 ST scope. Congratulations to Dave for winning the TSS Visual Report for the Day award and for bagging a number of great observational...

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5-4-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day

"Confirming the exit pupil effect"

Member OzEclipse (Joe) conducts an analysis of exit pupils on two eyepieces with an observation of the Eta Carinae Nebula. When our pupils become dilated due to dark adaptation the effects are much different when compared to a non-dilated pupil....

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5-3-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Mercury, Saturn, and Jupiter"

Can one catch all three of these planets in the same field of view? Well you can if the conditions are right and you have the equipment to do so. Member Nakedgun used an 82mm spotting scope to see all three through a 20mm wide angle eyepiece, Congratulations...

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5-2-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Saturday morning in the Taurus Littrow valley"

Today we feature a fascinating lunar report from NGC 1365 (Ivan) who targeted the region of the moon where the Apollo 17 landing was carried out, near the edge of Mare Serenitatis. Congratulations Ivan on winning the TSS VROD of the...

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5-1-2021 Visual Report of the Day.

"m-42, melotte 25 and m 45"
It's always enjoyable to view the Orion Nebula, melotte 25 (The Hyades), and the Pleiades (m 45) when one gets a chance. Now that Orion has faded into the West at dusk we'll have to wait until an Autumn morning to see it again here in the Northern...

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4-30-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"My daughters New Years Eve Moon"

Today we highlight an excellent report from team member Thefatkitty (Mark) describing the efforts of his daughter in observing and taking some photos of the moon while he was away. Astronomy has a way of strengthening family bonds, being passed down...

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4-29-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Orion binoviewers first light:

Some of us have binoviewers but most of us don't. Follow along as Bigzmey (Andrey) takes us on a celestial tour with a new "pair" of binoviewers. It's interesting to read about the images they produce and how the brain processes them,...

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4-28-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"4 Vesta"

One of the less frequently observed celestial subjects, compared with planets and deep sky objects, are asteroids. However, they certainly can be observed as they progress nightly across the more or less "fixed" star fields. Today's highlight is an observational...

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4-27-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Fourcade-Figueroa galaxy shred, NGC 5237 and Centaurus A"

Southern Delights - member NGC 1365 (Ivan) put his 18" Dobsonian to good use in tracking down the giant Centaurus A - 25.7 x 20 arc minutes across, NGC 5237 and the Fourcade-Figueroa galaxy shred. NGC5237 may be a remnant...

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4-26-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Messier 41 First View"

Messier 41 is one of the showpiece open clusters of the Winter season. Using an ES 102 refractor, member Mike Marotta was able to capture a nice view of the object, also commenting on one of the more prominent features of the cluster. Congratulations Mike...

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4-25-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Sunspots 24/4/21"

Today we recognize a solar report (with sketches) from Marios in Cyprus using a 90mm f/10 achromatic refractor. Congratulations Marios on winning the TSS Visual Report of the Day award!

LINK...

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4-24-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Two doubles in Canis Major"

Today's featured report is from member John Fitzgerald using an ES 152 f/8 APO mounted on a steel pier. Going after Mu Canis Majoris and Pi Canis Majoris he was able to complete both observations successfully. As he reports, ramping up the magnification...

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4-23-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"ST-80 pre-dawn"

Today's TSS VROD award goes to pakarinen (Olen) who managed to observe some of the classic summer showpieces in March by getting up before dawn and chasing them down with his ST-80. Observing before sunrise often can bring a bit of relief in the form of reduced...

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4-22-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"M104 and two little stars"

Today's journey is a trip to M104 courtesy of John Donne. Not only was it his first real session of 2021 but it was accompanied by the sounds of Canadian geese. Using a Skywatcher ED 100 he found the galaxy and also managed a glimpse of two foreground...

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4-21-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Backyard Rosette - a visual beginners challenge"

Today's TSS Visual Report of the Day award focuses on one of the more difficult observational tasks for the visual astronomer - being able to catch the Rosette Nebula in Monoceros. Follow along as The Happy Parrot uses a Zhumell...

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4-20-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"My first report"

Today we travel to Nokia, Finland for an ouststanding report from member turboscrew who used an Orion Optics VX 12 scope. It is in fact the first report he has filed, but contains a comprehensive overview of Leo and Virgo and some targets in Ursa Major such as M81...

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4-19-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Brief First Light - 60mm Sarblue Maksutov"

Today's TSS Visual Report of the Day Award goes to StarBru (Bruce) who carried out his first observations with a new scope - a 60mm Maksutov, back in March.

Follow along as he explores the Pleiades and the Orion Nebula and puts...

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4-18-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 15 April 2021 - a humbling reminder" Today's TSS VROD features an exploration of Leo and Hercules by KT4HX (Alan). The report provides a highly interesting comparison of observations conducted from the notoriously poor Bortle conditions at home versus darker skies.

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4-17-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"A short little galaxy hunt" Since it is springtime certainly galaxies, like pollen, are in the air. Today's TSS VROD award goes to prowler75 (Craig) who managed to bag a good humber of the denizens through his Orion XT 8" Dob and ES 18mm 82 degree eyepiece along with providing...

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4-16-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day

"A distant quasar in Crater" Follow along as NGC 1365 (Ivan) searches for a relatively newly discovered quasar through his 18" f /4.5 scope. At 11.5 billion light years away J 1134 -2103 is a remote object of near 16th magnitude. Read the story of how he was able to track it down...

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4-15-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"In between showers. Izar and SS Vir." Today's award goes to team member John Baars (John). He encountered poor weather conditions but managed to observe during a brief window of time between storms. Follow along as he describes his observations of monthly DSO challenge targets M65...

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4-14-2021 Visual Report of the Day.

"Splitting Regulus" Today we focus on a nice double star observation completed by jkirkham (Rob). Rob pointed his scope at Regulus in an attempt to split the star into its three components from his observatory. Was he successful in this endeavor? Read more to find out.

LINK

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4-13-2021 Visual Report of the Day.

"Circumpolar High Galactic Cirrus" Today we are happy to highlight an excellent report by forum member J Gardavsky (JG). Exploring the circumpolar constellations in 2020 including Ursa Minor, Cepheus, Ursa Major, and Camelopardalis with binoculars he has managed to observe several faint...

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4-12-2021 TSS Visual Report of the Day.

"Observing Report for 06 April 2021 - the evening went south but in a good way!" Today we feature an outstanding report from KT4HX (Alan) who explores galaxies in an array of southern constellations including Antlia and Crater which can be difficult targets from northerly locations. Follow...

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Watch for our new VROD!!!

Keep your eyes open for the new TSS VROD (Visual Report of the Day!)

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