Observing Report - SN 2011dh in M51(Maybe)

I 'think' I have confirmation of spotting the SN 2011dh in M51. Friday started out as a very gloomy day, with thick cloud cover, but at dusk the clouds were quickly retreating, and I could see blue sky toward my north west. Sure enough, a quick peak outside at 9pm CST, confirmed the skies were clearing, with some lingering high clouds still looming around. At 12am, the sky was clear, and most importantly, the sky transparency seemed to be good as well.

I grabbed my LS 8 ACF, set it up outside and took the caps off to permit its auto-alignment, while I go in and do some research for the possible position of the supernova. My brief search yielded some fine astrophotos by amateurs, as well as some nice sketches. I was a bit concerned that I would not visually be able to confirm SN 2011dh visually, since the apertures described were 10" and larger scopes. An 8" should still be able to reach down to 13.9 by a quick calculation here at this website, so I was encouraged enough to go out and give it a try, especially since recent updates indicated the supernova has brightened to magnitude 12.7.

I sketched M51 on Saturday morning. I have the suspect supernova noted with 2 lines. I have two concerns about the confirmation of SN 2011dh. One is the fact that there is a star that I see in images that is on the same side of the galaxy as the supernova, even though its listed at mag 13.4, its still may be what I have caught. Second is the fact that I could not see any confirmation of the arms of the galaxy extending out to that suspect object. If there were visible arms, even a hint, then I would feel fairly confident I nabbed it. But here's the sketch either way, let me know what you think.

M51 has disappointed me before, at least for the ability of me to see galaxies arm's better, but I could see the core easily, and indeed NGC 5195 was easy as well. I could also see a distinct brightening in the core of NGC 5195, which I tried to represent in the sketch.

Its very exciting to spot SN 2011dh visually, if indeed my further researching can confirm that is what I captured. My next project, if weather and time permit, is to capture it photographically with the DSI II. Friday night was a fantastic observing session overall, and my next post will be expanding on the remaining deep-sky targets I viewed that evening as well, but I'm thankful, if indeed confirmed, I just nabbed my very first supernova! Try for yourself next time your out, at the eyepiece.And don't forget, to call into the At The Eyepiece Show if you want to share your observations, I'd love to hear about it. Below is a quick finder chart for M51, which rides high this time of year, thus very well placed for observing.

Bahtinov Mask - A must have accessory for astrophotographers

"Focus Daniel-san, Focus!" Mr. Miyagi's advice doesn't just ensure you won't get your butt kicked in your next karate tournament, but its a great peace of advice for astrophotographers as well. Ensuring you have accurate focus when using a CCD, or even DLSR, can be a downright challenge at times. Thankfully, there exists an extremely easy to use device that is also very economical; just the thing for me I thought.

FarPoint Bahtinov Focus Mask for Meade CATs

Enter the Bahtinov Mask. This super simple accessory is placed over the front of your telescope, and works by ingeniously creating a pattern on your screen or DLSR viewfinder (if equipped with LiveView) as your focusing on a star. The grid patter creates an 'X' on your screen, with a vertical line on either side of the image of the star.

Out of focus live image - Click to enlarge

As you adjust your focus, your trying to get the vertical line exactly between the 'X' pattern, the below image now shows a properly focused image of a star as viewed on screen using the Bahtinov Mask. 

In focus live image - Click to enlarge

That's it! Take the mask off the scope, slew to your target, and image all you want, with the peace of mind knowing your astrophotos will have the best possible focus for nice, tight star images. I picked up a FarPoint Bahtinov Mask from Telescopes.com for a measly $19.95. Now ensure you pick up one for your particular scope, they have a mask for Celestron as well as Meade CAT's. I'm not aware of the difference between say a the Celestron version to the Meade, but it probably is a slight difference between the physical dimensions, since your placing the mask over the front, that measurement is very important.

If your an astrophographer, the Bahtinov Mask is a great accessory to have, and takes the trial and error guesswork out of focusing. So take it from Mr. Miyagi and "Focus Daniel-san, Focus!", your astrophotos will thank you.

At The Eyepiece Show for Thursday, June 23rd

At The Eyepiece 06/23 by At The Eyepiece | Blog Talk Radio

Hi all, this is John Kramer, your host of the At The Eyepiece show. We have an exciting episode scheduled for tomorrow night, Thursday, June 23rd at 11PM CST. Karl Krasley will be joining us as a featured guest. Karl has over 40 years experience at the eyepiece of a variety of quality instruments, ranging from a 4” refractor to a 22” Telekit Dobsonian. In addition to discussing his quality observing equipment, we’ll be discussing what Karl is passionate about; observing galaxies. It’s going to be an exiting, hour long episode, so come on in and have a listen, or better yet, give us a call! Hope to hear from you At The Eyepiece.

At The Eyepiece is now on BlogTalkRadio

Its been some time since my last blog entry here, but that doesn't mean I have been slacking altogether. Besides dealing with some personal circumstances, work load and some bad weather, I have been busy with exploring other ways to augment this blog. I'm pleased to announce that a weekly talk radio show is now available for everyone to participate in or simply listen too. That show is At The Eyepiece, and is on BlogTalkRadio.com.

Why a podcast and talk radio show you may ask? Well, I decided that there wasn't a show or podcast out there that discusses amateur astronomy from the standpoint of observing and equipment, so I decided to make my own.Yeah, its that simple.

So here's the show link: At The Eyepiece

My format may change somewhat as the show gains traction, but my thoughts are simple. I'm looking for amateur's simply wanting to share their passion for stargazing with others, and their experiences with astronomical equipment, two of my favorite things. So here is a breakdown of the format.

1. I want to schedule an amateur every week to discuss how they got into astronomy, what equipment they have used and what equipment they currently use, what are the likes or dislikes of that equipment, and what area's of astronomy are they mostly interested in and why. And DON'T think you have to be someone that has a $5000 dollar scope to participate; I want folks that are the average backyard stargazer. Sure, from time to time it’s going to be fun too to talk with someone that has $20k of equipment that they use for imaging etc, but I'm interested in all levels of experience and capabilities. After all, I can't go out myself and hunt down galaxies with a 32" DOB, fun to hear maybe, but what would REALLY excite me is someone discussing how they are working through the Herschel 400 with a 10" or smaller scope, if you get where I'm going here.

2. Mini reviews. Kind of similar to above, but if you have a scope that you want to call in and do a verbal review on, and do Q & A with listeners, here's the chance.

3. Observing tips or targets of interest for this week and of course, sharing observing reports. I love to read about what others are viewing, especially, no specifically, with equipment of 4-12", cause that’s about my range too. We'll encourage each other by sharing our experiences at the eyepiece (pun intended).

4. Whats hot on the astronomy forums. If you see something there that you want to discuss further, well bring it up here. I really think this format is a great way to expand on those topics. I'm not looking to replace forum discussions, I'm looking to augment them and expand on them perhaps, so don't be shy.

5. I want to reach out, as the show gains traction, to manufactures to actually be interviewed as well, or to present their products etc. Here's a real delicate one, cause I do NOT want to open up a "lets bash them" type of show cause others may never want to do it again. So if we "play nice" with whoever eventually is open to an interview, who knows what else can happen.

These are just my initial ideas. The show is not going to focus on the science of astronomy, but how we as fellow amateurs and backyard stargazers utilize our skills and equipment to enjoy the beauty of the night sky and to share that with others.

So there ya have it. Currently the show is 30 minutes long and every Thursday night at 11pm CST, but please check the show periodically for updated scheduling. I am planning on updating the show to a full hour if we gain some listeners and guests to commit to calling in. As the show gains in popularity, I hope we can add another night, or perhaps change the time to earlier. Does this sound like fun folks? It certainly does to me, and that's why I'm volunteering my time and efforts. If you have thoughts, or are interested in participating, please email me at attheeyepiece@gmail.com