As I
developed more advanced observing guides, it hit me that
it would be great to have some resources for those
who just completed the Messier list and want to see
more. A great next step is the Herschel 400, then the
Herschel 400 - Part II. So there is something for
everyone with 6" to 48" telescopes. If you have a
large telescope and are tired of seeing the same
"bright" objects over and over again, running out of
objects to observe, or like to be challenged. Take a
look at the guides I made available for you by clicking
on Observing Guides or Downloadable Observing Guides
under For Large Telescopes. Or if you are a
beginner or intermediate observer with a 6 - 10"
telescope, look under For Smaller Telescopes. Check out my
Observing Reports link to see a sampling of what you can
see through a large telescope. I hope it encourages you
to go out and observe. Update
(2024): I'm alive and well! I've started to
refresh some of the Downloadable Observing Guides. I
also updated the Herschel 400 Part II Observing Guide to
reflect the AL changes to the list. I was notified of
the changes at around June 2020, but it was changed
again in August 2020. I didn't catch that until now. Scroll down a
little bit to see a few photos I took of the total solar
eclipse from my backyard. It was a surreal
event. It may be surprising to some of you, but
this is the first one I've seen. I never traveled
to get to one, but planned to go to the Oregon Star
Party for the 2017 total eclipse, but I got sick and
couldn't make it. My daughter and I with our 30" Starmaster at GSSP 2008 The reflector in the background is my 22" f/4 reflector My 22" f/4 reflector at one of our observing sites in the high Sierras at elevation of 7,800 feet. 2024 Total Solar Eclipse over Texas Hill Country Taken with a 4" f/11 refractor Corona @ 1/30 sec Corona with solar prominence @ 1/125 sec Another @ 1/125 sec Some prominence detail @ 1/200 sec |